Isa & Bibi.

14.4.2010.

Finally, after years of gossip, after perhaps a decent period of mourning for Azizah, after the inevitable Bibi's divorce last year, Isa & Bibi laid to rest all the rumours and got married.

Talk had been going around Seremban long enough that when I mentioned it to the Cawangan's Wanita chief yesterday, after Unuih phoned me about it taking place to-day, saying "Isa is getting married to-morrow", she promptly said "to Bibi Sharliza ?" 

The ceremony took place at the late Yusof Lalkhan's grand old house on the hill behind the Pekan Lama, Kuala Pilah. When I was small, that old mansion was occupied by the Mat Salleh estate manager, whom I used to see looking out through his binoculars on the varendah toward the padang below. The purchase of the house-on-the-hill by Yusof Lalkhan was the culmination of his signal of "having arrived" as a now very rich enterpreneur in Kuala Pilah. Too bad he's not around to see his grand-daughter also "having arrived".

As the names imply - "Khan" and "Bibi" - Yusof's ancestry is Pakistani. Born in Kuala Pilah and later married to a local Malay in Kampong Parit, he also from the beginning "Malaynised" his name to Lalkhan, not Lal Khan. But Unuih pronounced it "Lalakan".

As testimony to his worldly acumen, my late mother, who went to the same Malay school with him ,said that he never learned to read & write, and yet thanks to the late Dato' Mansor, the forest compartments that were awarded to him were cleverly managed (he bought the saw mill in Kota, Rembau, and processed the timber himself) and eventually put him on track to becoming the multi-millionaire that he later was.

I knew Yusof Lalkhan from small because of UMNO and my dad. I remember the days when an Austin (all cars were British then) with a loudspeaker on top would drive slowly around nearby kampongs, and the announcer would invite the folks to attend a "fun-fair" in a slow rythmic drawl

              "malam ini, tuan-tuan, puan-puan dijemput datang....."

The annoucer was Yusof Lalkhan.

He used to sell chillies at the Malay Bazaar area. Without permit. When the police came, he and many like him would roll up their goods spread on newspapers and "cabut !"

Yusof stayed most of his life in Kg. Parit, just outside town. He planted sugarcanes around the house. Of course the kids would steal the sugarcanes. "Ateh bia yo!" he lamented. He addressed himself "Ateh". He came a long way to the  house on the hill.

The one interesting note in the "Berita Harian" to-day was the gist about Bibi having a UiTM degree, but no such mention on Isa's side, as if that educational qualification was necessary for the marriage. The fact is, coming from the same place and having known her and her uncles Kamil and Zain, including her late grandfather, I've never heard about her degree before. I know she got married to Khalid, the first husband ,when still young, and can't figure how the UiTM sojourn could have fitted in. 

When Isa was MB, Zahar Ujang was the UMNO Division Head in Kuala Pilah, and Kuala Pilah was the one division that didn't support Isa throughout Zahar's tenure. The present leader Ismail Lasim defeated Zahar after Zahar lost his State seat, while Isa was still MB. With  Ismail  Kuala Pilah  turned around and supported Isa. Now it looks like Isa is returning the favour to Kuala Pilah. 

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