Thurs 25.8.2022.
This week I received two sad news: the passing of Faridah Ismail, and the passing of Manap. I think they were in their early 80's. Faridah died in Kg. Bukit Temensu itself. Manap died in Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang. I was in Kelana Jaya when Deka called about Faridah. I couldn't go. The group posted about Manap's demise. Pulau Pinang is just too far away. Both Faridah's house and Manap's are within 200 meters from my grandmother's house in Kg. Bukit Temensu. My parents married here, and I was born here.
Faridah finished Malay school and was active in sports even then. For a Malay girl, she was large and stood out among schoolmates. She worked in Seremban until retirement, but in what position I never knew. She never married. Manap joined the Police, and finally ended up in Pulau Pinang and retired there. We called him Manap "Jubang Palok".One of his sons is a dental surgeon in Seremban.
Kg. Bukit Temensu is where my alma mater, TMS, built in 1930, stands. The kampong is bordered by Kg. Batu 46, Kg Dioh, Kg. Tebat Kering, and KP town. It's about 1 kilometer from town, and in the old days we thought nothing of walking to town, and TMS students thought nothing of walking to school from the bus stand in town. Many students took the short-cut to school taking the unpaved path behind my parents house, which is about 200 m. from TMS and TKS, the girls' school.
I'm proud to say that Kg. Bukit Temensu isn't short of successful sons and daughters. I'm talking about this kampong specifically, not the adjoining ones. The first woman Chief Justice is from here. Her family's large Minangkabau-style house for years stood prominently opposite the old KP general hospital until the family tore it down and built 2 one-storey bungalows. For a long time, we would see her father's sports car parked on the road-side in front of the house. There was the late Pa'Cu Kamil, a retired High Court judge. Among his nephews were Zahari, the Melaka State Secretary, and Ali, a senior civil servant who was a DO in a few places. My own extended family produced 3 medical doctors, including my younger brother, Din. Din has children who are a dentist, a pharmacist, and an IT graduate. There are 3 other medical doctors from the kampong, with one a Specialist and one married to another doctor from elsewhere. The late Karim did his PhD in Wisconsin, where my youngest brother also got his first degree. I visited them there in 1991. This brother later got his Masters locally. The late Anuar "Ang" (he called himself "Ang" speaking to friends) also got a PhD and became a university lecturer. My younger sister went to TKC and did her "A" level in Coventry, and later her degree in Sheffield, England. Later she, too, got her Masters in Education here in KL. Another brother was a Group MD in a large national organization. His son is an MP. As I said, Manap's son Helmy is a dentist, as is Helmy's son. Pa' Cik Jayo was a Senator. He was from UMNO. Then there were 2 more Senators, but from MCA. Chong Foo Kin lived next to my parents house. The other guy still lives nearby. Salim Sharif, the son of a cook, is an MP. Then there were State Assemblymen, including a Speaker and an Exco Member, Lawyers (2), Chartered Accountants (2), accountants (a few), nurses (1 served the first Agong, 1 now in Dubai), Senior Police Officers (OCPD's and 1 an ACA State Director), army officers plus rank and file, College-trained and Graduate teachers (many), an intrepid hitch-hiker, and one violin-playing Datuk Lembaga add up to the list. The hitch-hiker, a cousin, was also a self-taught guitarist playing his self-made guitar. He passed out of vocational school, JB, worked for a short stint at the MARA workshop Shah Alam, then hitch-hiked to India and ended up in Germany and stayed there for several years. He went speaking only Malay, but came back speaking passable English and German. And if you add the product of TMS and TKS ( because they're located here in Bukit Temensu), you could add an endless string of names with remarkable accomplishments, including a living "Tun". Not least is that the first FRIM Director-General lived here before studying overseas, earning his doctorate.
I remember all my uncles and aunties from Bukit Temensu. The uncles moved away early in their working lives. I'd tried to maintain good physical contact with them, including Pak Lang in Butterworth, Pak Ngah in Datuk Keramat, Pak Long in Juasseh Kapitan, Amok in Jempol and Acik in Batu 46. Mak Tam remained in Bukit Temensu after being away with Pak Tam Meon in the early part of their married life. I hope they all remembered me kindly when they were still around. I was present for all their farewell journeys. They all lived fairly long, peaceful lives.
From Bukit Temensu our family moved to Tanjung Malim and stayed there for 5 years. I moved schools many times and left the village after Form 3 and could only make Bukit Temensu friends for a limited time. But those that I made, I remember well. Ramli, Ujang, Udin (he married Ah Ting's 2nd. wife), Udin Sekayo, Amat Teleng, Ja'ih, Ita, Manap Jubang Palok, Sahak, Jano, Mai "Cut", Edek, Giman, Ambi, Enai - these are a few right off my head. Sahak we called "Katikerk" because he mispronounced the talcum powder "Cuticura". A few have died, others have moved away, whereabouts unknown. My parents are no more. Only 2 younger sisters remain in the old house. I visit the resting places of dad and mom in Melang regularly, but usually turn back home without visiting the old house. Old pictures, old furniture and old memories in the old place bring sadness, and I don't want to tarry.
But Kg. Bukit Temensu cannot be erased from my life story.
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