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