Our beloved arwah Tok Penghulu Sidek, the one special character which I shall never forget about him was his laugh, never a loud laugh but just a “Sh..Sh ..Sh… and that separated him from all the people in the Kampong during his time.
A person of exceptional height, by the kampong folk standard, an honest to goodness man who took care of his ‘subject’, those kampong folks who needed his help and assistance. He bent low to meet their demands, and in return the Kampong folks gave him the respects he needed to carry out his duty impartially as the Kampong Penghulu (Head Man). He was available 24 hours a day,7 days a week and 52 weeks a year to ‘serve’, be it rain or shine.
I remember well, during the Emergency, he stood his grounds against the foe (the British called them Communist Terrorists at that time), his house (and family) were guarded (guards with shotguns) 24 hours a day (well almost, though men were only seen in the barbed wired fenced compound of his house in the quiet dark hours of the night) .
He played host very well to the Sultan, the District Officers, and later the Politicians of the highest rank in the State and the Federal levels, without tiring and always smiling.
Like most people, he had his family problems (during the dark hours of the Emergency), but he stood against the problem like a stoic. He stood his grounds very well.
He was the first man in the Kampong (I remember) to be licensed by the then British Government to own a (a 6 shooter) revolver in the Kampong, an great honour then.
There are a lot that I can say about this man, but I will make it short here as I may oversize him.
Anak2 Kg Lipat Kajang yang ingin memberi maklumat yang lebih terperinci dan tepat sila buat komen.
Not only a Smith & Wesson pistol, but Tok Dek (popularly known as) also owned the only double-barrel .22 short-gun (probably the only one in Temerloh). Being a sharp shooter, I used to see him dropping a burung Punai or buah kekabu from high above tall trees with just a single shot of .22 bullet, which is small about a sixth in size of ordinary short-gun ammo.
ReplyDeleteThere is an interesting story about how Tok Dek came to own a pistol. For his safety, as he was a main target of the communist terrorists since his tenure as the Penghulu of Lipat Kajang and later the Penghulu of Mukim Jenderak (Kuala Krau), the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, Allahyarham Tun Abdul Razak, had personally advised him to acquire the six-shooter.
Not many people know that Tok Dek was a close friend of Tun Razak. Their relationship began when they were teaching at a school in Pahang during the Japanese Occupation and bloomed when the later assumed the portfolio of Minister of Rural Devolopment.
So Tok Dek applied for a permit to own a Simth & Wesson through the then OCPD (officer in charge of police district) of Mentakab, a Chinese. His application was bluntly rejected by the OCPD, unknowing his relationship with Tun Razak.
Tok Dek then phoned Tun Razak about the status of his application. The later immediately directed the Inspector General of Police to act on the matter. Of course Tok Dek got his pistol soon after the OCPD of Mentakab received a call from his number one boss. But the OCPD never talk to Tok Dek again when they bumped into each other in the course of their work. Maybe he was angry with Tok Dek, but I suspect more out of shame.
So that is how Tok Dek came to own a Smith & Wesson. Ironically, he never used it and never even carry it. The pistol was always kept under lock and key at his home. He was happier with his .22 short-gun that he used to shoot buah kekabu as target practise when there was no punai or tupai around.
The communist terrorists had on many occasions attempted to capture or asassinate him, but Allah had fated Tok Dek to die of natural death.
Hopefully this trivia would add flavour to your story of Tok Dek who had kept secret about his close relationship with our beloved Tun Razak. May Allah grant His blessing and rahmat to both of them who were great patriots from Pahang.
For further information if needed, I can be reached at maulanaarrif@gmail.com.
Meantime I will be gratefull if you publish this privilege comment as it is. Thanks and salam to all you guys from Lipat Kajang.
Not only a Smith & Wesson pistol, but Tok Dek (popularly known as) also owned the only double-barrel .22 short-gun (probably the only one in Temerloh). Being a sharp shooter, I used to see him dropping a burung Punai or buah kekabu from high above tall trees with just a single shot of .22 bullet, which is small about a sixth in size of ordinary short-gun ammo.
ReplyDeleteThere is an interesting story about how Tok Dek came to own a pistol. For his safety, as he was a main target of the communist terrorists since his tenure as the Penghulu of Lipat Kajang and later the Penghulu of Mukim Jenderak (Kuala Krau), the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, Allahyarham Tun Abdul Razak, had personally advised him to acquire the six-shooter.
Not many people know that Tok Dek was a close friend of Tun Razak. Their relationship began when they were teaching at a school in Pahang during the Japanese Occupation and bloomed when the later assumed the portfolio of Minister of Rural Devolopment.
So Tok Dek applied for a permit to own a Simth & Wesson through the then OCPD (officer in charge of police district) of Mentakab, a Chinese. His application was bluntly rejected by the OCPD, unknowing his relationship with Tun Razak.
Tok Dek then phoned Tun Razak about the status of his application. The later immediately directed the Inspector General of Police to act on the matter. Of course Tok Dek got his pistol soon after the OCPD of Mentakab received a call from his number one boss. But the OCPD never talk to Tok Dek again when they bumped into each other in the course of their work. Maybe he was angry with Tok Dek, but I suspect more out of shame.
So that is how Tok Dek came to own a Smith & Wesson. Ironically, he never used it and never even carry it. The pistol was always kept under lock and key at his home. He was happier with his .22 short-gun that he used to shoot buah kekabu as target practise when there was no punai or tupai around.
The communist terrorists had on many occasions attempted to capture or asassinate him, but Allah had fated Tok Dek to die of natural death.
Hopefully this trivia would add flavour to your story of Tok Dek who had kept secret about his close relationship with our beloved Tun Razak. May Allah grant His blessing and rahmat to both of them who were great patriots from Pahang.
For further information if needed, I can be reached at maulanaarrif@gmail.com.
Meantime I will be gratefull if you publish this privilege comment as it is. Thanks and salam to all you guys from Lipat Kajang.
Tok Penghulu Sidek reminds me about my late grandfather Tok Muda Abdul Malek and how his house had being used during Emergency to fight Communist Terrorist .I still remember how my gradmother and my mother used to tell us about Tun Razak,YAM Sultan Pahang (Sultan Abu Bakar Riayatuddin)and how the kampungs Tok Penghulu manage their kampung/mukim.
ReplyDeleteYang pasti Tok Penghulu sekarang is far different with Tok Penghulu dulu-dulu.Al Fatihah to them.