Saturday, August 12, 2017

Hj.Latiff.

Sunday August 13, 2017.



At 11 a.m. yesterday I left for Hj. Latiff's house at Bukit Rasah. The "tahlil" was supposed to be at 11, but I had to finish 9 holes first at S.I.G.C. As expected there was plenty of time, because after arriving there I had a full 15 minutes before we were invited into the house for the "tahlil" proper. It was for the departure of some members of the family for the haj, which season ends at the end of this month, the 9th. of Zulhijjah 1348 H.

On Friday morning Wahid called, conveying Hj. Latiff's invitation. I'd said why are you calling, not Hj. Latiff himself, and Wahid laughed. I repeated this to Hj. Latiff when I shook hands with him. When I saw Wahid there later, I said I'm only angry because he didn't call me about Baharin Taib's passing that I found out only a week later, but Wahid said in fact he was in Johor at that time.

Hj. Latiff bin Othman was the personnel officer, Felda, Jalan Maktab, KL, who I reported to on March 15, 1969 upon accepting the offer from "Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan" for the post of "Pegawai Pentadbir" in a letter signed by Kamaruzzaman Abd. Halim b.p. Pengerusi, Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan, dated February 8, 1969.  The letter said I was to reply before February 15 whether accepting or not.  I came personally. At that time I was employed as "Penolong Pegawai Daerah, Alor Gajah" on a 3 - year probation. L.K.T.P.'s offer was more. I couldn't refuse. 

Today, of course, this is peanuts - a general clerk starts at  1,000 now. But for perspective, in 1969 a brand new Volkswagen (beetle) cost $5,300.  A bunglow in Ampang Jaya, KL, cost $15,000.  I was 24. I had just graduated from U.M. in the middle of 1968, and although I went for an interview at the PSD, Jalan Young, KL, I failed to get the scholarship to read Law in England. So the Alor Gajah position, when it came, had to be grabbed. The late Mokhtar Selat, our former ambassador to Chile or Peru ( I can't remember which one - you remember the embassy kidnapping case) also attended the same interview, but he succeeded where I failed.

When Noraya Khalidun came to our table yesterday, I told her that Hj. Latiff's father was related to hers, from Tanjung Ipoh. In fact Hj. Latiff  had just told me that, when I said I saw Noraya with the women, but she didn't seem to recognize me. Even Noraya didn't know that, saying she thought his father  was from Juasseh. Hj. Latiff's mother was from Rembang Panas, which was where I thought both his parents were from. I know exactly where his old house  is, because from 1995 to 1999 I was the State Assemblyman for Senaling, and I pass that location more times than I can remember. Noraya was with me in Seremban for a brief period, during one of my two postings there.

Hj. Latiff started as an ASP in the Police, but for whatever reason, decided it was not for him, and resigned and joined Felda. Yesterday, recalling this, Hj. Latiff remarked if he didn't leave he could have been sacked!

Like me, he also went through a few transfers between KL and Seremban, but stayed with Felda to the end. His last post was Director of Peronnel, I think. He's 81 now, is mostly wheelchair-bound because of his knees. I remember meeting him a few times in the last couple of years with a walking stick.  But unlike me, Hj. Latiff always stayed in Seremban, in this very Bukit Rasah house. In fact he also bought the  house next door, during the real estate downturn in the 70's. He rented it to a Korean who paid one year's rent in advance ! 

When he was first posted to Felda hq, he would rent a room on top of Hameed's restaurant at Jalan Gurney, close to office.  I would see his old 122 Volvo parked there. Then he bought a diesel-powered Toyota, when diesel cost 50 sen, and travelled every day from Seremban. In fact many Felda officers drove diesel cars because of the amount of travelling involved. The diesel price was very cheap in those days.

When I reported for duty at Felda, Old RMC mates Halim (Rock foundation) and Akbar (A.K. Bear ) were already there, but both left for the MCS after about one year. But surprisingly, neither made it to the Chief Secretary of a Ministry, though they became top government officers. Halim even has a Masters from USA. I met Halim recently at the OPA, and A.K.Bear called  about   2 weeks ago.

I remember Hj. Latiff's father and younger brother. In 1958 I entered the finals of the oratory competition for Religious Schools, N.S., held in Rembau. His brother entered the Quran reading competition - his father was a Quran teacher, I think. I won my competition, but I can't remember what happened to his brother. Hj. Latiff also remembers about that competition.

Several people at Hj. Latiff's place, I remembered well enough. All seemed different, with  white hair and the aged faces. Sometimes I feel lucky to still have decent health and able to  still play golf almost daily at the club.  I told him I met Dollah Yusof at Datuk Sulaiman's reception. He's 77 and has glaucoma in the right eye, but is still walking on his own, except he can't drive.  I also met Raja Alias at Fadzil's place, and he's still sprightly at 83, although he's also all white now.

One of the reasons why Hj. Latiff arranged for yesterday's khenduri, Wahid said, was to gather old friends. I think it's a nice thing to do. I wouldn't want to miss these if I can.  If invited.



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Sunday, August 6, 2017

Back to Jalan Maktab.

7.8.2017.

Almost forgot. On Tuesday, August 1, visited Jalan Maktab. After 27 years. No. 2 Son just moved office to UTM here. I left Jalan Maktab the last day of December 1990.

Had him pick me up at Damai LRT, and went for early (12 p.m.) lunch at "Bismillah" Jalan Gurney. ("Bismillah" was there from 1969 also). Then visited his new work-place at UTM, Jalan Maktab branch. In fact today was his first day, and the assigned office was still bare. There were a few people about, but they just ignored us. So No. 2 Son  showed me around the empty rooms, with unarranged brand new furniture and boxes of equipment strewn about, unopened. This is his sixth or seventh job, I've lost count, but at least he's holding a more senior post (and the suitable incremental stipend, hopefully).

I just suggested that he gets a bigger room and an assigned parking space, appropriate with his position. Once that happens, he's to call me and we'll have lunch at "Impiana Hotel". "Just don't tell your brother" (No. 1 Son).   He'll find an excuse to disappear.


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Wafa, Muaz & Miqdad.

Monday August 7, 2017.


Today is the first day of "play-school" for my daughter's 3-year-old daughter and her 2-year-old twin boys. It's at the neighbourhood's "Mindaku" nursery & kindergarten. For 5 days each week they'll be there from 7.30 to 5.30. It'll cost 1,240 monthly, not cheap, but seems to be the standard fee, and this includes food and drinks and full day-care.

The 3 have been a handful, for parents, grandparents and 1 full-time servant. The house has been a mess since they could walk, as you can imagine. All, and I mean all the walls inside the house have become canvas for the budding artists. Right now they're at the modern art stage.  We've lost count of the broken cups and table decorations. 

This play-school seems to be a practical arrangement, but only time will tell. The older girl seems to take it all calmly just now,  but the twins are screaming their heads off. The old house will get a respite, the tots at school most of the day, and peace should reign. The twelve hundred seems reasonable.


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Saturday, August 5, 2017

Abdullah Yusof

Saturday Aug 5, 2017.



Datuk Sulaiman, erstwhile Appeals Court judge, and current golfing opponent, had been talking about his in-law, Dollah Yusof, in a few of our earlier golf rounds, maybe a year ago, adding that Dollah's wife was "Miss Terengganu". Well, today he put me at the same table with Dollah & ex Miss Terengganu, at the reception for his son's wedding at Pusat Dakwah, Seremban. This was a special seating and the sign "reserved" was still intact on the table. Dollah, of course remembers me, but the wife obviously was lost. I said "I went to your house once, when I was still with Felda". That didn't help but was all I could offer her.

Dollah looked older and much more frail. I remember him as tall and thin. Today he stooped and was not so tall, and much thinner. And unlike before, with thick glasses. He's 77, he said. He has glaucoma in the right eye and says he can't drive anymore. He served 41 long years in Felda. That's twice my own time there, and maybe slightly longer than Raja Alias, our Chairman, the last non-political one. Dollah said he started in 1966. That's 3 years ahead of me. But I left at the end of 1990.  That's 17 years ahead of  him.

I first met Dollah in Felda at one of the regular Regional Secretary's meetings at our hq in Jalan Maktab. The "RS" was the chief administrator for all the Felda schemes in each state. He was then the R.S. Terengganu, his home-state, and the most senior among the R.S's. At the end of the meetings he would say  "let's give a hand for the closure of this meeting". We had the meetings in the only meeting room we had at our humble hq, on the ground floor of the L-shaped 4-storey building that right now awaits destruction making way for more modern development in this highly-priced area of the city.

All the years that we were together in Felda,  we never spoke much when we met. Dollah wasn't much of a talker anyway. Maybe that was why he got on fine with Raja Alias. A few times he was a direct boss. Dollah had a funny way of smiling at you. The ends of his upper lips would jerk up very quickly and come back to square almost immediately. That was supposed to be a smile, I think. Padir my younger brother noticed it, too, and used to comment to me about it, and we would chuckle. Later on Padir took over from Dollah.

Today, over the sumptious lunch, we probably spoke more than the 21 years that we spent together in Felda.  Those were different times. I learned that he has 12 grandchildren, to my 10. His son sitting with us drove them today. He's with Shell, and I said my No. 3 Son was with Shell too, but left to join another O & G company. 

I told him I met Raja Alias at Padir's house recently, and when I commented "what's happening to Felda, Ungku?" he responded simply "our time has gone". Dollah said he meets Raja Alias once in a while. Raja Alias is 83. His father, Raja Ali, died at 101. I knew Raja Ali. His second son, now around 40+, is still not married, but is supposed to be doing well, career-wise.

Many of our old friends in Felda have passed away, he lamented. Taufik, Ghani and Hj. Nasir among them. I said Padir told me about Hj. Nasir when I was in Kelang, and I drove to his house at UK Heights and found the remains already at the mosque. I saw Aziz Zakaria, Husein Menggong, Muhammad Jamil and Ismail Atan there.

Dollah knew that  I joined MISC January 1991 where I stayed for almost 5 years.  I resigned and stood for elections in 1995. I was a politician trying to work like an administrator, and that wasn't it. And I introduced Dato' Maulud, an Orang Besar Istana, sitting with us, to him.

And on and on we went, but I had to leave because Maulud wanted to go to Shah Alam.

48 years is a long time. But the first 21 years of those still bring memories, both good and not-so-good. This is one such note.


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