Aki Awang

(Photo curtsy of Hamzah Sulaiman, part taken from his imput in a blog)

I only used to know him as Aki Awang seberang sana (Grandfather Awang across the river), because he used to live just across the broad fast flowing Pahang River, just opposite my grandfather’s house (which is on ‘this’ side of the River), and I grew up in my grandfather’s house as a small boy. And ‘Aki Awang’ was a very good fisherman, he caught big fish from the river and he was also a very good cast net fisherman. And my late uncle used to look up to him, learning from him how to fish and all the other worldly stuff such the ‘magic of life’. And Aki Awang was a knowledgible man, otherwise and spiritual life.

He was also known as Pendekar Awang (Pendekar mean an expert in the Malay art of self defence, the ‘bersilat’). And he opened up many ‘night classes’ in the kampong  where he taught many kampong youths the art, and until today his knowledge may still be practiced by those whom he taught. Why at night? Because that is the time when ‘bersilat’ knowledge was most susceptible to be taught and transferred to those learning (not proven but from what I suspect).

He was also a kampong medicine man. Well, he was, that is all I know. Maybe others from Kampong Lipat Kajang may like to expand on my limited knowledge of Aki Awang ‘medicinal’ prowse.

What did I remember best about him? Old and dignified he was, knowledgible and all that, but he was one of the nicest man that have had I ever met,. He did not speak unkindly or ill to and about anyone, and he always had nice and kind words for and to everyone, even to us small children then.

It was as if yesterday that I remember that I used to bathe in the Pahang River, standing on the wooden board planks of the secured big log platform in the river, that he used to row his dugout canoe boat from down river going home across when he had to pass by us. To warn us that he was coming, he always used to slightly cough and grunt politely, so that we were not caught in any embarrassing situation while bathing. He would then pass us and by about 100 meters up river, would turn his boat 90 degree right to row across the river. He was such a strong man  that the fast flowing river did not push his boat downstream, but instead I observed that he rowed his boat at a perpendicular to the banks and across. When he reached his jetty on the other side, he had to climb the bank of almost 50 to 70 meter high almost perpendicular. Even we as children then when we went across the river to his jetty we used to have vertigo and we panted badly at the top after climbing the steps on that river bank.

The kampong was proud to have such a man within the community. At an old age he went to Mekah for his Haj, and I believe that he died in Mekah.   

Anak2 Kg Lipat Kajang yang ingin memberi maklumat yang lebih terperinci dan tepat sila buat komen.

They crossed the line

Aziz Yamin

“Don’t go to an English School, you will end up as a Christian”, a very common saying by the kampong Malays in those days. Thus children were discouraged from furthering their studies to an English medium school. But there were parents who wanted to make good for their children who did enrolled their children into English medium school after their children finished their Malay School education.

From Kampong Lipat Kajang, to the best of my knowledge the first person who went to an English medium school was Hussein, not sure how he managed that. I saw his photograph in, him wearing Boys Scout uniform, at his in-laws house when I was a very small. Then these was followed by Mohammad Lazim, Ahmad Mokhtar, and Mahusin (and Rashid?). But they were the children of the sub-headman and the kampong headman, the mukim and the penghulu. And they were not educated in the local kampong school, the Sekolah Melayu Kg Lipat Kajang. The the first pupil who went to an English medium school from Sekolah Melayu Lipat Kajang was Aziz Yamin. Then followed by Daud Ali, Teh Seman Salleh, Zakaria Sidek and soon everyone wanted to go to an English Medium school in town, in Mentakab. But Sulaiman Osman enrolled into an English Medium School in Bentong, a town about 60 km away from the kampong.

Those days when road communication was almost nil, transport was only by boats on the Pahang River or by train, which was not that efficient nor frequent. So almost all of them had to live in the hostel at the school. And there they learned to mix with people of other races of Malaya then, where in the kampong they did not mix with the Chinese or the Indians (and Sikh), in those town schools they did. They mixed well then.

They learned to wear proper school uniform and to look after themselves, washing their own clothings and to live as a social beings, and to play games like normal civilised people. They all have to learn things which they had no facilites nor opportunities in the kampong.

And they did not become Christians.

"Bong" Taib

Kampong Lipat Kajang is full of people, young and old, mostly old, but has it got personalities? Not sure of the present generation but the older generation had unforgettable personalities, real personalities that one does not forget. The like of Abang Akil when he was a young man, during the Emergency, who pinned his AP armband on to the skin of his arm. (Abang Akil is now in Felda somewhere), and of Cik Gu Bedah who swam across the broad Pahang River at Lipat Kajang. To the best of my knowledge no young woman of Lipat Kajang had ever done that before or since. (Cik Gu Bedah is now living in Putrajaya). And one of of the personalities who is still living in Kampong Lipat Kajang is “Bong” Taib. Who in Kampong Lipat Kajanag does not know “Bong” Taib?

“Bong Taib” is one of those very rare breed, a rare personality, a person who not only now lives in the kampong but as a very young man to served as a Special Constable – SC - (to the best of my knowledge) in Bukit Tinggi, near Bentong. I used to visit his family often then (his brothers were all my good friends) looking at his photographs which he used to proudly brought back from his SC stint.

How did he got that “Bong” name? I do not really know but if I remember it he was very active in drama in the kampong with the likes of the late Abang The Sakar, the late Abang Salleh Hj Muhammad, and a few other youths of his age in the late years 50s and early 60s. It was in one of these dramas staged and he was one of the leading actors, at the old (now not there) building of Sekolah Melayu Lipat Kajang (where the field is now) he acquired the name of “Bong” and until today he is still known as “Bong” Taib.

He is an everlasting personality and no one in the kampong can take that away from him. A very pleasant person, a person who has great respect in the kampong from both the old and the young. Will ever be any such personality in the past or the future be the like of “Bong” Taib in Kg Lipat Kajang.?

The pioneers

Abang Zuki Osman

When we talk about the spirit of being pioneers, we talk about people going out and about into new places seeking for adventure and fortune. Lipat Kajang folks and youths are no different. Many were the first to go out of the kampong to seek fortune and adventure in different part of the country.

Long before this, to the best of my knowledge, the first person who went out to seek for fortune and to work outside the kampong was the late Mat Yamin. He went to Manchis Estate, about 80 km away from the kampong, to work, probably to follow his father’s footstep, the famous the late Pendekar Awang (a famous brave from Kg. Lipat Kajang) who was already there. But they soon came back to the kampong, for reasons only known to themselves.

But the next badge that went out of the Kampong for a long long time, this time to seek fortune and adventure in the big city, that time it was the Municipality of Kuala Lumpur. They dared because there were people before them from the Kampong who dared. The fist person, to the best of my knowledge, from Lipat Kajang, to seek his fortune in Kuala Lumpur was the late Wok Mat Esa Yusoff. He probably had connections through his first wife who had some members of her family already working in Kuala Lumpur; she was not from Kampong Lipat Kajang. He got a job in the then Selangor Education Department which then was based in Kuala Lumpur. And soon others (youths, who had connections with the Late Wok Mat Esa) from the Kampong followed, such the like of Kamaruddin Hassan. Marzuki Osman and the late Abdullah Hj Ahmad. Actually the late Abdullah Hj Ahmad first went to Singapore to seek his fortune but he changed his mind and moved to Kuala Lumpur.

Kamaruddin Hassan managed to get himself into the Selangor Education Department (to the best of my knowledge) since the late Wok Mat Esa was there, probably to help him. He stayed there for a number of years before he joined the Army, and he retired from the Army many years later.

Marzuki Osman was more fortunate in a way. He must have struggled to self educate himself and in the end landed himself as a teacher ( a Guru Besar) in Selangor. He got his education, then a good job, got all his family members educated, and also he made his fortune. He only came back to the kampong after retirement. He is now living in the kampong. He found adventure and he found fortune. He is fortunate.

The late Wok Mat Esa never came back to the kampong, re-married (do not know what has happened to his first wife now) and settled down in Kuala Lumpur where he died a few years ago.

And the late Abdullah Hj Ahmad (fondly known as Taju, his name in the kampong was Tajuddin) managed to get work in some schools and also made his fortune in Kuala Lumpur, where he also died just a few years ago. He was the ‘base ‘ of many of Lipat Kajang youths (and folks) fwo were seek ing adventure and fortune in Kuala Lumpur and those whoever passed along the way somewhere else through Kualla Lumpur. He was more of less the ‘anchor’ (or even the port of call) then of Kampong Lipat Kajang people in Kuala Lumpur. Many Lipat Kajang folks now still has some fond memories of him, and his untiring hospitalities.

Anyone remember Rashid? He was with PDRM for 35 over years, and he has not returned to the kampng, he is in KL. He went after leaving Sekolah Sultan Abu Bakar Mentakab.

Our Lipat Kajang people were no less adventurous then, and to date many of our Kampong Lipat Kajang children have gone out of the kampong, some never to come back while others are in a twilight zone, to come back or not to come back ….its a big question. What can Kampong Lipat Kajang offer?

Kamaruddin & Rashid

“Sgt Jantan”

Back in my boyhood days in the kampong, anyone wearing uniform always gave me the thrill. Especially if the uniform is from a famous Regiment, such as the Malay Regiment.

One of the first person that I can remember joining the Malay Regiment was one of my second cousion, Abu Jahal (Jahan?). I must confess that before him there were other people who were also in the Malay Regiment (I think) such as Awang Harun (from Chenor but settled down in the kampong) and Md Noor (from Pulau Pasir Mandi?) but Abu Jahal impressed me the most. Maybe he was my second cousion, maybe he was just a few years older than I was or maybe I saw him often and I was also very close to his family, through my grandmother. Or maybe because he married another second cousion whose family lived close to us, at Tanjung Perian (another locality). Whatever it was, Abu Jahal name got imprinted in my memory.

I remember then as a young man he used to be based in Mentakab Camp (close to our kampong, that was what my information, correctly or not) and on some occasion he used to come back to the kampong in full Malay Regiment uniform and even carrying a Government issued regimental rifle (did I remember that correctly?) probably for his personal protection; it was then at the height of the Emergency.

After leaving the Malay Regiment, I did not know where he went to. And regretfully his wife died and happily he remarried.

The next phase in our lives, we met in Kuantan where I was sent to work. I was a working man and he had joined the Territorial Army based in Kuantan. And that was where he got fondly called “Sgt Jantan”.

He has now retired and is often seen in the kampong, though he and his wife live in Temerloh.

"Pok" tak tahu.....

Membetulkan rekod.

Saya ingin membetulkan rekod yang tidak resmi tentang tanah di mana Balai Penghulu Lipat Kajang sekarang di dirikan.

Tanah di Cerok Panjang itu asalnya di terokai oleh bapa saya arwah Yusof bin Mat Akib, ("Pok" saya) pada masa yang sama tanah di terokai oleh arwah Tok Penghulu Sidek dan arwah Pak Uda Man Tanjung pada jangkaan saya di akhir 1940an. Saya ingat lagi tentang arwah Datuk saya, Mat Akib bin Derahim menebang pokok ara yang begitu besar di tepi tanah yang berkenaan menggunakan beliung dan berdiri diatas pelantar yang di buat khas to atas akar pokok besar tersebut. Dan kemudian pokok yang ditebang dan mati itu di bakar hingga habis akar umbi nya. Pada masa yang sama arwah Tok Penghulu Sidek dan arwah Pak Uda Man Tanjung jugak menebang di dalam tanah yang di lot kan untuk mereka dan membakar semua pokok2 yang yang ditebang dan mati berkenaan.

Bapa saya dan ibu saya telah membuat rumah di tapak yang berkenaan, sebuah pondok kecil beratapkan daun cucur dan berlantaikan batang pinang yang di belah dan di raut dan berdindingkan kulit kayu. Rumah itu hampir tidak berubah sehingga matinya bapa saya pada tahun 1967. Ibu dan bapa saya telah berusaha menjaga tanak lot mereka itu dengan menanam ubi kayu dan keledek dan beberapa pokok buah buahan (yang saya ingat sekali adalah pokok kundang, langsat dan nangka) dan ibu saya juga menanam pokok bunga2 untuk mencantikan kawasan rumah.

Selepas bercerainya bapa saya dengan ibu saya dalam tahun kira2 akhir 1940an bapa saya telah berkahwin lain setelah membujang untuk beberapa tahun, dalam lengkongan tahun awal 1950an rasanya, dan beliau dan isteri telah menetap dirumah yang sama tersebut. Di rumah itu lah saya berkunjung semasa saya bercuti dari MCKK. Dan di rumah itu lah hidupnya adek2 saya Bahadar pada masa kecilnya dan Samsuddin (dan Din bersekolah di Sekolah Melayu Lipat Kajang) sehingg matinya bapa saya itu. Dan Saad, kerana beliau selallu aja mengikut "Pok" saya.

Malang nya bapa saya tidak berapa sihat dan telah terpaksa berkunjung ke rumah ibu nya di ‘baruh’ dan kadang kala terpaksa tidur di ‘baruh’. Rumah di Cerok Panjang tu maseh tidak di tinggalka nya.

Walau bagaimana pun pada tahun 1967/68 bapa saya telah meninggal dunia di Hospital Besar Kuala Lumpur. Pada hari yang sama bapa saya meninggal dunia seorang sepupunya nya (seorang Tok Emapt ?) , saya di beri tahu, telah membuat laporan di pejabat tanah Temerloh (?) dan telah berusaha mengambil balek tanah itu untuk kegunaan kampong. Beliau telah tidak pernah berunding dengan saya atau pun bapa2 saudara saya yang lain yang pada masa itu maseh hidup. Tidak dapat kami berbuat apa2 kerana pada masa itu tanah yang berkenaan belum ada geran tanah di atas nama bapa saya atau sesiapa saudara mara bapa saya. Hilang lah harta kami angkara tindakan saudara sepupu bapa saya itu, arwah Pak Ngah Mat Saman.

Saya menulis cerita ini untuk membetulkan rekod. Bapa saya tidak pernah dengan cara ikhlas atau sendiri melepaskan tanah itu. Tanah itu di paksa dari tangan bapa saya (pada hari bapa saya meninggal dunia)  dan / atau saya adek beradek atau waris yang lain oleh arwah Pak Ngah Mat Saman.

Hanya untuk rekod sahaja.