Suara Hati Ayahku

Salam

In Malay families, we have many brothers and sisters.

It is a big family.

Imagine you have 10 excluding the greatest players papa n mama.

Brother 1.
Sister 1.
Sister 2.
Sister 3.
Brother 2..
Sister 4
Sister 5
Sister 6
Brother 3
Brother 4.  In that order.

So  4  brothers. 6 sisters.  Total 10.  No need Casio calculator to find 10.

In any malay family, Brother 1  and Sister 1
They hold important positions.
They are called
Long  this  and Long that.

Abng Long, Kak Long to be exact.
He he he.
Then come Angah.
Abng Ngah, Kak Ngah.

Using the above list
Abng Ngah is Brother 2
kak ngah  is  Sister 2.

then special treatment comes one after another
the youngest  one.    ONCU.

pak oncu.  MAK oncu.
From the list, brother 4 and sister 6 are the oncu.

lucky lots.

So we have 6 important players there.

most attention of the parents are for those 6.

Nothing more and nothing less.  All money spent for those 6.  Along got nice clothes to school and melayu songkok each raya that came.

if you attend to a dying parent in a dark but special kemeyan room
his mouth will always
mention

where are your abng Long, kak long ... oncu?  Have they arrived yet from Bombay, Calcultta or Jakarta?

like that lah.

if other players come like brother 3, sister 3, sister 4 into the sick room
they are just fillers.  They just made the numbers.


Their job is
to cut fruits, wash plates and spoons.  Collect dirty clothes and put near the well.

then make sure ..the food are well served on time.

The top 6 names are the big bosses.
most orders come from them especially Abng Long.  Usually along has big belly. It is a sign ..well fed and well groomed.  Him I mean.

If the parents passed away,
the alongs took all the responsibilities finding money and food.

The  oncu

they wait n see a bit longer.  They think a bit slower.  No planning one.  Always wait for immediate orders, direction n is it ok?

HE HE HE.

oh i forgot.  Along got a big say in property distribution.  Not fair!!  Should there be a mutiny?

2)  Now malay families getting smaller in number and shorter in height.   Not only that
the cars get smaller.
the lorries are smaller in size too.
small watches. Small cooking pots.  Handsets very light.
all came from Japan or Korea.

it is good to have smaller families.
easy to fly Air Asia again n again.  Easy to manage.  If they die, no need to prepare bigger and deeper graves.(laugh).

Sometimes a child is the along and oncu at the same time.
why?  Mother not so healthy and the father cannot go further.  Really?  Both cough a lot.  In the morning coughing ..at night the cough still ringing in their bed room.  TB?

why?  Mother eats cereals, lactogen n pop in so many pills.  Slim pills i heard.
Not like 1900, 1950

the mothers were very strong.
Even though that time no Pharmaton, Vitamin B complex, Amway, Cosway, Elken, Noway
when they married

see 10 children
one after another popping out.  Non stop.  That time ..the in laws looked with appreciation n wow.

The hips of the yesteryears mothers so big and heavy. If they fell down, it took the whole kampung to carry her. Why?  Heavy.
if you want to make them 1 'raya' dress
you need to buy the whole cloth. So much cloth their bodies took. All blue.  From head to toe.

that day
i met my old student in Georgetown
she was the 14th from 16 siblings.
I was shocked.
why?  One mother  ma.

What type of food did she take
All this while?

fish, rice, ulams, bitter nuts, no sweet drinks.
all hot ..nothing called ice.  To make better diet, they took wild honey from the jungle.  They slept in a room no air cond or fans. All natural wind and storm.  If the rain comes, good  no rain also good.  Mosquitoes?  They were afraid because the snoring that came .. so loud and got funny notes and symbols.  So hardly any illnesses that day.   Not now i am afraid.

now most malay families complain this n that. They complain everything under the blue sky. Petrol goes up per litre angry.  No petrol at all  also angry.  One mosquito ..angry,  many mosquitoes .. you will find them in the hospitals.  Denggi.

now ..many people takes things for granted.
once the man drop down
there they busy.. amanahraya or what.

In sum
we who has position in the family
must play our cards righT.  If
We practice humility, filial and piety
THEN we get honour, love and glory among our dear ones all The time.

brotherly and  sisterly love are the best in the world. We missed a lot if some one left the nest for greener pastures n life. Some married white men and never came back. Alas ..they they think ...england so great.  In the process, their malay 50 british 50 blood.. no body gave any damn in Manchester, Glasgow or Dublin.  Bettter 100 per cent malay. U r always somebody here.  ( oops .. sorry).
we earned that love by sharing old clothes, books and toys among ourselves. Of course we fought a lot every where , every thing, any thing, any time ..you name it..we got it especially the knocks and bumps. The pillows had lost their shapes and many of them smelled so strange.
is that right?  We worked hard to survive. We walked long distance to read al quraan.  That time no torchlight.  We burnt the cocunut husk n walk to find our ustaz. Just to read alif, lam mimmm and when we returned..we quickly sleep. So tired ..papa. good night mum.  No TV.  Everything alright.  Target.  We prayed dawn ..prayer together all the  time.  Papa the imam and the mums voice woke every body up including the snakes some where out there in the paddy fields.  So noisy lah.
Now no Astro ... no life you?

tq.
wasallam.

Abng Longmu
Ph.D  pemegang harta dah  (what to do, huhhhh)