ONCE UPON A TIME IN SIMUNJAN (7)

Mighty Sadong River taken some time in 2006

SMK Simunjan early 70s

SMK Simunjan and Gunung Ngeli in the early 70s

Recently someone commented on my write-up in my blog about Simunjan. They too have some memories to share about Simunjan. They said Development in Simunjan is quite slow. I agreed with them and I really hope that development of this beautiful bazaar be sped up for the sake of this nice people of Simunjan. You can see thier comments here.
Back in Simunjan during the 70s I have a lot of friends there. Some are local youth and eldwers and some are from other towns of Sarawak working in Simunjan. A few names that I will never forget. Amongst them, Julaihi Suhaili, Cosmas Allen, Abdillah Aerowaini,Hamlet and Adenan Joli and many others.
Julaihi worked with Agriculture Depat Simunjan and so is Cosmas. During weekend I would cycle down to the town and stayed with Julaihi and Cosmas in their quarters near the bank of mighty Sadong River. We spent our weekend attending film show or singing. Cosmas is good with his guitar and harmonica and Julaihi , a very good traditional dancer.
Abdillah worked with Tenant Registration dept (defunct now) that time. Now he is a police chief in Saratok. I think he will retire soon. Abdillah join us in singing. One of our favourite number is Melody Fair. We sang during a stage show at the Simunjan Bazaar. Ah its such a happy moment.
I have known Abdillah earlier in Kuching. We were classmates in SMK St Thomas, Kuching. We were also together in police Cadet Corp movement. In fact we were the first group formed in Sarawak. Our leader that time was the late cikgu Abdul Rahman Sahari.
Hamlet is a primary school teacher and his elder brother, Adenan is a cook in SMK Simunjan. We were and still are good friends. Time has passed by and we still kept our friendship alive till this day. Hamlet and Adenan are from nice family that has treated me so well. Their families are just like my family. In fact they are just like my adopted family in Simunjan till these days.
My weekend in Simunjan never bored me when I am with friends. The made my life alive and happy. Oh how I wish those beautiful moments back. But then..thats memories. memories are for us to recall and remember. They are beautiful moments to be keptr alive and be come tresures of our life.
Simunjan, I really miss you...May be I 'll drive to Simunjan during the coming school holidays...or may be let Simunjan be there, remain as a long lost friend...

POET

A poet's hope: to be,
like some valley cheese,
local, but prized elsewhere.
W.H. Auden

A WRITER'S LIFE

What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he's staring out the window

Burton Rascoe

TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD

TRUTH, LIKE LIGHT, BLINDS. FALSEHOOD, ON THE CONTRARY, IS A BEAUTIFUL TWILIGHT THAT ENHANCES EVERY OBJECT.

...ALBERT CAMUS

DREAM

You see things; and you say, "why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?" ...George Bernard Shaw

ONCE UPON A TIME IN SIMUNJAN(7)

Have you ever been faced with a situation where a loaded pistol is being pointed at your head by a police officer? And you are just a twenty year old bachelor who have just completed your Senior Cambridge examination and now have just been recruited as a young government staff, serving in a remote district, say Simunjan. hink about that for a while and read further what happen next to me...
It was in 1973, my first year in Simunjan. That night I stayed with my friends in a government quarters closed to Sadong river (That quarters now gone, swept away by the great Sadong river). During that time security was still a problem due to communist insurgency. We sat at the stairs, talking, instead of attending film show because the film shhown was not to our liking.
Five metres from our quarters is a concrete pathway leading to the bazaar. The pathway passed our quarters to river bank, Police satation and than to Kampung Sabun. A few men passed through the road. Suddenly one of the men said something, we could not hear what was being said so I went toward the group to find out. Out of the blue, a stout, five ft tall man came and shouted at me in Malay,
"Hei..Nak matikah!!!" at tyhe same time took a pistol from his jacket and pointed the weapon to me. I was totally panic and almost collapse. I put both hand to my head waiting for the sound of that pistol to vomit the bullet. In my head, I said, this is the end of me.
Suddenly two other man held back the one who pointed the gun to me and said something. I could not recall what was said but I can hear them telling me to go back to the quarters. I rushed back, feeling totally down and scared.
It was the Police chief of the district who pointed the pistol at me, an inspector. I was given to understand that night he was quite drunk. Whether he really wanted to shoot me or not, I do not know. Only he himself and God knows. But the behavior of the officer was quite well-known in the district. Every night he could be seen at one the coffeeshop in the bazaar having yamseng with the chinese towkey.
Ok that's not the last time the incident happened. AS few month later, Simunjan bazaar were celebrating one of the official functions (could not recall what celebration was all about). Anyway, our organisation were involved in the celebration. It was raining heavily. I did not go to the town that night due to heavy rain. That night one of my collegues were being pointed a gun on his head by the same officer, just like me, but worst, it happened in front of so many people. He was really embarrassed.
The next day my colleague reported the matter in writing, to various authorities of the state. The moved taken by my colleague really worried the officer. To cut the story short, that police officer came to our organisation a few days later to apologise to my colleague after receiving the copy of the letter written by my colleague. He apologised to me and one other staff too.
That's part of the bitter experiences of life I could recall. After so many years has gone the incident that night still left in my mind. I do not seem to fear him after the apology. But it is still in my mind and I kept asking myself, how could such an act gone unpunished?
After many years that officer were transferred to Kuching and got promoted. One day I read something about the officer in the paper. He got himself into trouble with something that I need not mention. He deserted the force. I do not know what happen after that but I am sure a deserter would definitely face the law.
Lesson from the story, please don't point your pistol anyhow especially to a peace-loving citizen or you may end up being sad for the remains of your life.
Cheers.

RESPECT

Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.:
...Albert Camus

PHOTOGRAPHY

Niah Cave

Sarawak River

To the complaint, "There are no people in these photographs," I respond, " There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer."
Ansel Adams
US nature photographer (1902 -1984)