It was a week full of haunting, trying and shocking episodes in my life. My video camera that has been loyal to me fo the past 7 years was asking for mercy. The viewfinder LCD went kaput. Luckily a very good technician friend in Panasonic, Hairil managed to save her. The cost would have been a tremendous RM1.2k just to replace the LCD, but he managed to salvage from an old unit just for me. Parts are already discontinued from the production line. Alhamdulillah... Otherwise I would have to find a new camera which can cost me at least another RM20K just to be back on track...
The car kept haunting me with the steering wheel problem but somehow Ah Tee the mechanic managed to solve the problem yesterday by 8pm. Another gruesome RM1.8k just to keep the car safe enough to drive. I was at the workshop for almost 6 hours but while waiting for the repairs I met this Wak Kasmun who greeted me.
Wak Kasmun drives a van to transport factory workers everyday around the Bangi and Dengkil area. I kept on with very much interest listening to his stories about his life and how he enjoys his life eventhough he is only a driver cum general worker.
Wak actually is a Felda settler in Bahau. We started sharing stories about Bahau which attracts him very much because I used to travel to many parts of Malaysia during my video production works for the office during those days. Bahau is just a small town but turns out to be very lively at night. It was quite far from Seremban and there are at least 4 different routes to reach Bahau from Kuala Lumpur. We can either use the normal Seremban-Kuala Pilah route, the Ulu Langat-Jelebu route, The Kajang-Semenyih-Broga route or the Bentung-Karak route. Bahau would not have been developed without the presence of the Felda settlers.
Wak told me that he came from Sekinchan and has a strong Javanese root. Now he is more of an assimilated Javanese because he sounded more like a Negeri Sembilan native. A special blend of course. Wak left school after his Primary 6 and had never looked back again. He came from a family of 6 siblings of a second wife. His father had 3 wives and no doubt that he had another 12 step siblings. He told his mother that he is no good at schooling and asked his mother's blessings to start working and he did so by planting rice, peeling coconuts and doing many odd jobs. From his appearance I can tell that Wak is a real hardworker. He told me that he could peel 2000 coconuts in one day and he gets only 2 cents for each coconut. He was too efficient until one day his employer asked him to marry his daughter... he rejected and quit the job.
He told me he went on working in the padi fields of Kedah and after that started doing other jobs like harvesting oil palm fruits and also construction jobs until he marries at last and moved into the Felda Plantation in Bahau.
He told me that life was hard but he still enjoyed life just because of his ups and downs in life. I have always admired hardworking people like Wak. Wak told me... he does not like doing office jobs because he does not read or write much and just love doing hard jobs and that was the only way he could contribute and earn money. Eventhough Wak looked very much older than myself but our age difference is only 2 years apart. Wak's face showed more wrinkles because of the exposures to the sun and the ultimate use of sheer physical strength.
Wak told me many things about his childhood life coming from a poor family and how the Javanese community in the kampung shared their earnings and worked hand-in-hand during weddings and kenduris with Nasi Ambeng. He is very proud of the spirit of Gotong Royong among his kampung folks. He told me how they managed to bring in their own hard earned rice, chickens, sugar and all kinds of food to make sure the wedding is on while living up to their esprit de corp. Wak also told me about his simple ways to enjoy and entertain himself watching movies that cost only 30 cents (3rd class seats) and smoking RM1.50 per packet Gold Flake or Perrilly's fags when he was earning almost RM40 everyday during padi harvesting seasons. He used to smoke 50 sticks a day. Like what he told me..."Orang lain hisap rokok, saya makan rokok"... Luckily now he hasn't smoked a single stick for almost 10 years.
Wak told me The Felda Scheme has really turned his family life into the better. He has nothing else but praises to the Late Tun Razak and of course our current Dato' Seri Najib in taking care of their well beings. With the Felda scheme he could raise and feed his family of 6 without fail. He told me of buying lots of fish, prawns and meat for the family until his children got bored eating too much good food. He really enjoyed feeding them because he still remembers himself having the chance to eat chicken only during kenduris and Hari Raya. He could never forget wearing school uniforms which has been worn by his 5 elder brothers to school, yet he never complained.
He was grateful when he first enrolled into the Felda Scheme the settlers were given free land worth around RM40k each to plant. Like what he said... "Orang Melayu masa itu mana ada duit nak beli tanah 40 ribu... siapa nak bagi pinjam duit?" I was amazed when he told me that if he works hard enough harvesting the oil palm fruits he could easily earn at least RM2500 a month and that does not include the extra harvesting he earns which he gets annually at almost RM5000. Wak said.. "Selagi boleh kerja kita kerja... tapi sekarang ni sudah tak larat lagi... badan sudah sakit-sakit... mahu panjat bukit sampai 4-5 ekar dah tak mampu". Wak also worked at the Oil Palm factory when he is not pruning the trees or harvesting the fruits.
Wak has been blessed with 4 children. Unfortunately the eldest boy died in a motor accident at 19, the 2nd and 3rd daughters are already working and are tying their wedlocks soon while the youngest is studying. He left his palm trees to be managed by Felda because none of his children are interested to continue his job in the plantation while he gets his monthly allowance. He said... "Saya mesti kerja lagi sebab saya tak boleh duduk diam, mahu kerja ofis saya tak pandai tulis-tulis sangat tapi kira duit saya pandai, jadi saya kerja driver van sambil bikin kerja tukang kebun sikit-sikit boleh juga keluar peluh... duit lagi masuk...hehehe..."
Wak now drives a brand new Proton Persona and has another Proton Iswara at home... he goes back to his wife and family in Bahau once a month and lives alone in Bangi to work.
Wak's story left me thinking about the next Felda Generation... will there be anymore?
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