Makang Belang Jjalang No. 2

You must be in a different place if you're sitting, not breaking a stick of kayu keramat, but nibbling on Jaffa cake with tea. The contrast is that it is colder here than in monsoon-swept Tanjong Pasar, but then it was wetter in Kuala Lumpur than in the blessed city of Kuala Terengganu.

We are now re-adjusting to our daily life of work, and it has been more than a month since we launched the Monsoon Cuppa at the Abdullah Al-Yunani bookshop (Keda Pök Löh Yunang) in KT on Christmas Day 2007. Since then GUiT has gone into its 2nd printing and more than five thousand copies have been sold in London, Malaysia and Singapore. It is totally unexpected and I want to thank you all.

I had a great time doing the campus tour that took me to the newly born University Daruliman Malaysia (UDM) in KT, to the Universiti Sains in Penang, and the UIA and UITM in Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam respectively. The response was tremendous, especially at the UDM when the normally shy students (females mostly) cheered everytime I lapsed into Trengganuspeak. At UIA two students from Bosnia came up to get their GUiT signed and then said something that really touched me. The response was similarly enthusiastic in Penang and in Shah Alam, and I hope I have fired them all with enough enthusiasm to read and then to go on and write their own books: as I repeatedly told them, if I can do it, so can they. But it pained me to see them dip into their own pockets for GUiT, even at a slightly reduced price. We had approached a few corporate bodies and monied institutions to make a bulk purchase for the students at a smaller price than what they paid for their boardroom tables, but corporate and monied people must be extremely busy because none answered our call.

The state of Terengganu did though buy for people who attended the do on the river that was attended by some 300 veterans of Terengganu. They were all very enthusiastic, and answered my call to plan with wisdom and to respect our heritage by standing up themselves to make the same call to the Menteri Besar who was present in the hall. But what troubled me was a YB who said afterwards that “we must get rid of the eyesore” because “eyesore” means different things to a property developer as to people who have lived there for generations and breathe its air and relish its history. And looking at the direction of works you can have a rough idea of where things are going now. But I must record here my thanks to the Terengganu government, especially to its Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, for the support given to us — and which, to their credit, was given without strings — while we were on the GUiT trail. And I want it to be on record too that I have misgivings about the way “planning” is bulldozed so hurriedly in Kuala Terengganu.* * *I mentioned kayu keramat that delightful Trengganu stick known to us English speaking lads as 'holywood'. On the West Coast it is called by its Chinese name of charkoi. In Trengganu this deep-fried 'wood' is eaten neat or dipped in sugar, and I've seen folk dunk it in their coffee or tea.Hard, week-old kayu keramat has many uses, you can use it to petong at your herb-eating goats, for one, if repeated cries of bok! bok! fail to move them, and then you can leave it aside for the ants to kerik and see them ferry little grains of kayu keramat to the place where ants keep their store. But whatever it is you don't expect the kayu keramat to come calling on you, so imagine my surprise one morning when I woke up in Kuala Terengganu to see our minder Pak Daud outside my cousin Mi's gate with a bag full of keramat (enchantedness) stuffed in a plastic bag hanging from his motorbike handlebar.

My friend Sara Paul could not be at our Kuala Terengganu reunion as she died tragically young, many years ago. The Paul sisters — all Trengganuers to the core — are now scattered, there's one in Penang and a couple in Kuala Lumpur. The latter, to my delight, came to my book-signing at the MPH in Mid Valley, but it is about Mary that I want to tell you now.I was taken to Mary's house by her daughter Marina (a distinguished journalist in that fair isle) and Lily, the grand-daughter of another fine GUiT lady, my Mök Mèk of the ceranang and kerepok lèkor fame behind the Chee Sek bookshop in Kampung China. Penang never rang with Trengganuspeak louder than on the day I met Mary; she reminisced about the wonders of Trengganu and reminded me once again of the many people and places of our old KT, and then, as I was l leaving her I saw a little something that really touched my heart's cockles: there on the gate of Mary's Penang house was stuck a little black and white flag of our Terengganu! ”Kita orang Teganu, mestilah!” she said. But that wasn't all. Her daughter Marina told me that Mary could not just stop thinking of Trengganu but insisted on having it before her in black and white, so she painted their old house in those colours.

I think I heard a little sigh of relief from the adorable Marina that they are no longer living in that little quarter.

GUiT Footnote: You'll be pleased to know that our Mök Mèk is alive and well and is now living with her daughter in Kuala Lumpur. She is all of 102.

GUiT on the River

The Menteri Besar of Terengganu hosted an event that I think was unique in our green and fair land, and I am saying this as a completely non-political person. Last week we had a marvellous event in a building that must’ve cost quite a few bob on the river, and I thought it would be attended by at most 50 people who have crumbs of beluda still on their sampin and relishing still their nekbat of sweet memory. I was wrong of course, as ever: there were 300 people in the hall, and after my long, boring speech (during which I had to pause twice to come to terms with a strong surge of emotion that was welling up in my breast) they came and waved 300 copies of GUiT at me for my thumbprint. And I am pleased to say that they also waved their copies of GUiT at the Menteri Besar who very graciously gave them his signature.

At the gathering I met again the man from the Persatuan Sejarah Terengganu (Terengganu Historical Society) who proferred me rokok arab and stuff at the launch of GuiT at the Keda Pök Löh Yunang. At this gathering on the river he appeared again with home-made beluda and much, much more. Thank you Cik Gu Mat, God bless you!

I say it was a unique event in Malaysia because not a few people stood up and reminded the MB that heritage is precious, and that what we call our warisan should not be destroyed but preserved. And I put in my voice too and said that development must not be only for the tourists but must also be for the people, and that we should raise not only shop houses but also communities in the Kuala Terengganu of now. I would like to thank Terengganu’s Menteri Besar YAB Dato Seri Idris Jusoh for hosting the event, and for keeping the dialogue going in such an admirable way. This is also the man who opens the door to his office to one and all every Wednesday to hear their grievances – and I hope they will learn much from listening to each other. And I say let’s all work together now regardless of party or colour and make Kuala Terengganu (and indeed Terengganu) a better place, especially for its people. Once the tourists have flown and the winds no longer blowing in the sails of those celebratory barges on the river, Kuala Terengganu is returned to its ordinary people who accumulate the garbage and dig the detritus of this all too disposable society. The tourists can look after themselves in their faraway haciendas of love and their altars to swift travel, but we have to plan wisely: let wisdom — not money — rule.

Since coming back I have re-connected with so many wonderful people: I met many former schoolmates, trembled again before two former class teachers (one, my English teacher, is now practicing law in KT; another, my maths teacher, travelled all the way from Ipoh to give me a hug and then expressed again those dreaded words, “Aku nök gi jjupe ayöh mung!” ("I'm going to see your father!", re my unsatisfactory maths homework), and I was told that Cik Gu Wan Chik is still there in wind-blown Tanjong and that P.Jalil is still among us (but no longer blowing), and that Mök Mèk of the Chee Sek ceranang shop is now still living, with her granddaughter in Kuala Lumpur (and if you must know, she’s 102).

In Six Degrees of GUiT I said how we are all inter-related. I have been re-connected with many more people. I had a very dear friend in Kampong Kolam, Sara Paul, who sadly passed on nearly three decades now. Now her niece in Penang has written in to say:

“I have just finished reading your book and its now in
my mother's hands and she wanted me to say hello to
you. Mum is Mary Emmanuel nee Paul whose family lived
along Jalan Kedai Hilir. I am told you went to school
with my aunty Sara.

“I so enjoyed the book and so is my sister Monica who
is still savouring each page ( i bought her a copy for
Christmas) We had no idea you were in KL for the book
signing or the Paul sisters (Elizabeth, Mary, Rose and
Ann) would have definitely dragged us to KLCC to meet
you. At any rate, we enjoyed the review which appeared
in the NST (which is incidentally, where I work ..
small world, eh?)

“My mum remembers your late father with great warmth as
he used to offer salams to my grandfather daily en
route to the mosque. And to bring this story to a full
circle, Mum tells me that my late father actually
replaced your dad as the Telegraph Master in Kuala
Trengganu ;-)

“Although it has been close to 25 years since we left
Trengganu (Dad was transferred to Penang in 1983) we
have standing orders for nasi dagang, keropok lekor
and roti paung (from Kg China - Capitol Electric)
whenever anyone from there is heading our way.

“Thank you so much for bringing all our childhood
memories alive and capturing them so vividly. Rest
assured that your book is fast becoming a must-have
for many of my cousins who also used to call Kuala
Trengganu home.”

Thank you Marina Emmnuel, you will excuse me now while I go wipe a tear.