A PREMIER’S HOMECOMING
Nineteen seventy-six was the year
when we turned on the TV to hear
Hussein Onn in Parliament as he wiped away a tear
announcing the premature demise of Abdul Razak our second premier
in London , succumbing to leukaemia.
Stunned disbelieve
giving away to grief.
Abdul Razak's homecoming from Heathrow to Subang was delayed
there was nothing we could do but wait.
It gave us time to contemplate.
In God's hands lies Man's fate.
Abdul Razak became premier for less than a decade.
He started as number two in Tunku's government.
His heart's work in rural development.
Rural modernization with urgent dynamism
utilizing government linked mechanism,
to reduce poverty by narrowing the rural-urban chasm.
In the aftermath of the nineteen sixty-nine post election lunacy
he became the director of the NOC
with Abdullah Badawi as its' secretary.
The NOC ruled by decree
to restore this nation's sanity by degree.
With a few selected men
who had the police and the army in hand
(and the opposition in a defensive corner )
Abdul Razak could have ruled with absolute power.
By invitation, there was multi-ethnic representation
in a Council of National Consultation.
In the immediate Chinese backlash
from Malay commerce the Chinese withheld their cash
boycotting Malay driven cabs
for the satay and durian sellers, business was bad.
In Muhibbah parties, durians were the main feature
to smoothen thorny relations and heal the racial fracture.
A state of Emergency had been declared
freedom of movement became bad.
We were kept indoors by a night time curfew
arrested for being outdoors at night were more than a few
including those caught sleeping in stationary cars.
With slow cars and narrow roads, we could not travel very far.
And when the time was right
to end our darkest night
he restored our parliamentary rights.
To make us think and talk with tact
he enforced the Sedition Act.
The Universities and University Colleges Act of emasculation
cutting off student demonstration in higher education.
The New Economic Policy to bring about market parity
(there is great sensitivity over the NEP longevity).
The NEP aims to correct economic imbalance associated with race
so that future racial disturbances we do not have to face.
The Rukun Negara to mould good citizenship
to steer us through troubled waters he needed a very tight ship.
He displayed foreign policy pragmatism
by shaking hands with Mao, the Chairman of Chinese Communism.
This is a little known fact
which he handled with good humour and tact.
He advised a group of privileged kaum ibu to take care of their own family
and not to interfere in royal matrimony.
Photocopies of Mahathir's private letter calling for the Tunku to step down
was widely circulated in town.
The Tunku was infuriated.
Mahathir's UMNO carrier Ayah terminated.
When Razak became premier, Mahathir’s political life Razak resuscitated.
When the time and date became known
of Abdul Razak’s last journey home
my wife to be and I made our way
to the EPF junction along the Federal Highway.
There were Chinese, Indians, Malays and others too.
Nobody told us to
we came of our own volition
to await the return of our fellow Malaysian.
We were strangers to one another
but as a nation we waited together.
A late afternoon sumatra had blew in the rain clouds.
Though the weather was in doubt
it did not deter us the waiting crowd.
We bowed our heads to Tun Rahah Noah as the motorcade came by.
Tun Abdul Razak bin Dato’ Hussein was eight weeks short of fifty-five
when we bade him our final goodbye.
Printed in Balai Ikhtisas Malaysia Professiona Bulletin July 2010
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Recollections of a Wedding
RECOLLECTIONS OF A WEDDING
( many , many mornings after )
Let me try to remember
the wedding on the first of September
an early afternoon rain
did not cause a traffic strain.
Like a Shoalin monk with a shaved pate
at the entrance Hun Soon wait
to welcome family, friends and working mates
Hun Soon in a crimson Chinese jacket
with enormous pockets for the ang pow packets
Li Li was kept busy
amidst the bustling crowd and conversation noisy
She was up on her feet
making sure the guest had proper seats.
Elegant Saroja in a satiny sari
with Indran came to make merry.
Thirty years and thirty pounds later
Indran has filled up looking much better
Ashok and wife in colour coordinated outfits
took pictures of old friends he did meet.
Khaw Boon Swee looks fit and muscularly trim ,
has he been pumping iron at a gym ?
Bincy Tan now based in Klang
has lost his native Trengganu twang.
Su Kian Tat and Pek Lian are proud of the sons they beget
A pharmacist and a doctor will make any parent glad.
Tennis keeps Su slim,
he tells me this with his characteristic grin.
I introduced my second son to Michael Samy our obstetrician
who Mike had delivered by caesarian section.
Looking suave in a suit came Bachan and his beautiful wife
like a couple of Bollywood actors on Rodeo Drive.
Lum Siew Kheong from Kajang did come by
in his black suit and black bow tie .
When this father of three entered the room
I mistook him for the groom !
Eugene Leong and his wife make up a fine young pair,
looking youthful with his head of thick black hair !
Rohaya with a head of gold
and her mischievous smile from her convent days of old.
Some guys had Adam Chow in quiet conversation
Chit chatting ? Or a quick consult on erectile dysfunction?
Chooi Weng Kwong does not seem to age
so does Choy Kai Meng , a shared heritage ?
Lim Boon Kang youthful and fair
would be a good model to sell any product for skin care.
Emily and Koon Seng came after church service
Looking serene with inner peace
For this meeting of old friends they will not miss.
Koon Seng is a quiet new man
with a strong religious stand.
For his everlasting life he has found his Saviour.
In this physical life he has no more fear.
Several life emergencies he has survived,
grateful to God for the reprieve .
With his churchman Sng Kim Hock
on other life miracles we did talk
Sng is proud of his 3 children’s musical talent
and he himself is taking violin lesson.
Steven Chow in his batik of multicoloured hue
sat at a back table and enjoyed the view
of Kong Chiew Meng making the rounds
meeting up with friends from out of town.
Nurul and Kow Chye all the way from Ipoh
shook hands with Seremban Ho Min Foh
Chan Kheng Kim smiled and grinned
as he met up with Foo Ong Pin.
The climatic strain of the eighteen twelve overture
marked Yin Mei and Randy entry into the hall.
They were met with the bursting light of digital capture
amid applause from one and all .
Li Li had 2 pre-dinner tasting of the food
to make sure the food was good.
Tasty dishes and fine wine put us all in a merry mood.
Daily swims gave Hun Soon a very long breath
to call out “ Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmm….” that left the younger
people out of their depth.
Hun Soon’s son Yin Sern joined the band
he strummed his guitar and sang .
Oh boy he could really sing
to celebrate his sole sister’s wedding.
Randi's relatives and friend sang many happy songs
made us clap our hands and sang along.
Yin Mei choking with emotion thanked her extended family
new in-laws , old school friends of whom there were many.
Randi ‘s smile stretched from Boston to here
as he gave his wife an attentive ear.
We bid the young couple all happiness as we said goodnight
and took home little red gift boxes of chocolate delight.
Hun Soon Li Li cha boh kia ka win
Ee lang knor lang boh eng boh eng
Ang kah boh hwa hee lu lang lai
Chak pui lim chu kwa ee ay kia sai
Ee ay kia sai ang moh lang
Hun Soon Li Li penang lang.
wah kong koh su hor lu tia
wah ey mia ya yia.
Should you be irritated
by this tale that I narrated
then in all sincerity
please accept my apology.
yahya sofi
20th September 2007
( many , many mornings after )
Let me try to remember
the wedding on the first of September
an early afternoon rain
did not cause a traffic strain.
Like a Shoalin monk with a shaved pate
at the entrance Hun Soon wait
to welcome family, friends and working mates
Hun Soon in a crimson Chinese jacket
with enormous pockets for the ang pow packets
Li Li was kept busy
amidst the bustling crowd and conversation noisy
She was up on her feet
making sure the guest had proper seats.
Elegant Saroja in a satiny sari
with Indran came to make merry.
Thirty years and thirty pounds later
Indran has filled up looking much better
Ashok and wife in colour coordinated outfits
took pictures of old friends he did meet.
Khaw Boon Swee looks fit and muscularly trim ,
has he been pumping iron at a gym ?
Bincy Tan now based in Klang
has lost his native Trengganu twang.
Su Kian Tat and Pek Lian are proud of the sons they beget
A pharmacist and a doctor will make any parent glad.
Tennis keeps Su slim,
he tells me this with his characteristic grin.
I introduced my second son to Michael Samy our obstetrician
who Mike had delivered by caesarian section.
Looking suave in a suit came Bachan and his beautiful wife
like a couple of Bollywood actors on Rodeo Drive.
Lum Siew Kheong from Kajang did come by
in his black suit and black bow tie .
When this father of three entered the room
I mistook him for the groom !
Eugene Leong and his wife make up a fine young pair,
looking youthful with his head of thick black hair !
Rohaya with a head of gold
and her mischievous smile from her convent days of old.
Some guys had Adam Chow in quiet conversation
Chit chatting ? Or a quick consult on erectile dysfunction?
Chooi Weng Kwong does not seem to age
so does Choy Kai Meng , a shared heritage ?
Lim Boon Kang youthful and fair
would be a good model to sell any product for skin care.
Emily and Koon Seng came after church service
Looking serene with inner peace
For this meeting of old friends they will not miss.
Koon Seng is a quiet new man
with a strong religious stand.
For his everlasting life he has found his Saviour.
In this physical life he has no more fear.
Several life emergencies he has survived,
grateful to God for the reprieve .
With his churchman Sng Kim Hock
on other life miracles we did talk
Sng is proud of his 3 children’s musical talent
and he himself is taking violin lesson.
Steven Chow in his batik of multicoloured hue
sat at a back table and enjoyed the view
of Kong Chiew Meng making the rounds
meeting up with friends from out of town.
Nurul and Kow Chye all the way from Ipoh
shook hands with Seremban Ho Min Foh
Chan Kheng Kim smiled and grinned
as he met up with Foo Ong Pin.
The climatic strain of the eighteen twelve overture
marked Yin Mei and Randy entry into the hall.
They were met with the bursting light of digital capture
amid applause from one and all .
Li Li had 2 pre-dinner tasting of the food
to make sure the food was good.
Tasty dishes and fine wine put us all in a merry mood.
Daily swims gave Hun Soon a very long breath
to call out “ Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmm….” that left the younger
people out of their depth.
Hun Soon’s son Yin Sern joined the band
he strummed his guitar and sang .
Oh boy he could really sing
to celebrate his sole sister’s wedding.
Randi's relatives and friend sang many happy songs
made us clap our hands and sang along.
Yin Mei choking with emotion thanked her extended family
new in-laws , old school friends of whom there were many.
Randi ‘s smile stretched from Boston to here
as he gave his wife an attentive ear.
We bid the young couple all happiness as we said goodnight
and took home little red gift boxes of chocolate delight.
Hun Soon Li Li cha boh kia ka win
Ee lang knor lang boh eng boh eng
Ang kah boh hwa hee lu lang lai
Chak pui lim chu kwa ee ay kia sai
Ee ay kia sai ang moh lang
Hun Soon Li Li penang lang.
wah kong koh su hor lu tia
wah ey mia ya yia.
Should you be irritated
by this tale that I narrated
then in all sincerity
please accept my apology.
yahya sofi
20th September 2007
Ho Sing Kee's Dilemma
Long , long ago
i had a pleasant encounter
with Ho Sing Kee , our present day raconteur
who is now in a moral dilemma
how can a virgin be a mama ?
Immaculate Conception ? Haleluya !
or just plain deception. Hai ya ! Hai ya !
As a GP, there's one condition i must
not betray my loyal patients' confidence and trust
What took me decades to build up,
can easily disappear with one slip up.
Bad gossip in Penang
can spread like wild fire with an explosive BANG !
HIV positivity or suspected fecundity
have to be told with all sincererity
To ease your spiritual pain and forget
have some Argentitian Merlot with fresh baked baguette
So, Ho Sing Kee , my favourite raconteur
until the day we meet in face to face encounter
Bon Appetit !
Savour your Merlot while in front of your new plasma TV you sit.
yahya sofi
January 2007
i had a pleasant encounter
with Ho Sing Kee , our present day raconteur
who is now in a moral dilemma
how can a virgin be a mama ?
Immaculate Conception ? Haleluya !
or just plain deception. Hai ya ! Hai ya !
As a GP, there's one condition i must
not betray my loyal patients' confidence and trust
What took me decades to build up,
can easily disappear with one slip up.
Bad gossip in Penang
can spread like wild fire with an explosive BANG !
HIV positivity or suspected fecundity
have to be told with all sincererity
To ease your spiritual pain and forget
have some Argentitian Merlot with fresh baked baguette
So, Ho Sing Kee , my favourite raconteur
until the day we meet in face to face encounter
Bon Appetit !
Savour your Merlot while in front of your new plasma TV you sit.
yahya sofi
January 2007
The Chinese Mosque
THE CHINESE MOSQUE
Fadzli Cheah Kow Chye , you are embarking on a visionary venture
to build a mosque reflecting Chinese architecture..
for the spiritual needs of your Chinese Muslim community
i salute your leadership and quiet dignity.
The muezzin can call from a pagoda, minaret or hilltop
to the faithful, that whatever they are doing , to stop
to wash up and to pray
not once, not twice but five times a day.
Your community's spiritual home
can be under the open sky, Chinese moongate or Moorish dome .
Where you congregate to pray, that's your mosque
be it on a carpet of fine Persian silk or on fresh green moss
a mosque in whatever shape is still a mosque.
i wish you fortitude in your great task
the strength to ignore your detractors who mask
their narrow mindedness , these champions of "religio-cultural" purity
exposing their global ignorance , what a pity.
With strong and gentle Nurul by your side
your noble focus will be kept in sight.
To Nurul , Fadzli and family i wish you all the best,
in this quest, by the Almighty you will be truly, truly blessed.
Amen.
yahya
06 February 2007
Dr. Fadzli Cheah Kow Chye and his Chinese Muslim Community were trying to build a mosque in Ipoh .
Fadzli Cheah Kow Chye , you are embarking on a visionary venture
to build a mosque reflecting Chinese architecture..
for the spiritual needs of your Chinese Muslim community
i salute your leadership and quiet dignity.
The muezzin can call from a pagoda, minaret or hilltop
to the faithful, that whatever they are doing , to stop
to wash up and to pray
not once, not twice but five times a day.
Your community's spiritual home
can be under the open sky, Chinese moongate or Moorish dome .
Where you congregate to pray, that's your mosque
be it on a carpet of fine Persian silk or on fresh green moss
a mosque in whatever shape is still a mosque.
i wish you fortitude in your great task
the strength to ignore your detractors who mask
their narrow mindedness , these champions of "religio-cultural" purity
exposing their global ignorance , what a pity.
With strong and gentle Nurul by your side
your noble focus will be kept in sight.
To Nurul , Fadzli and family i wish you all the best,
in this quest, by the Almighty you will be truly, truly blessed.
Amen.
yahya
06 February 2007
Dr. Fadzli Cheah Kow Chye and his Chinese Muslim Community were trying to build a mosque in Ipoh .
THE LAST LECTURE BEFORE LUNCH
THE LAST LECTURE BEFORE LUNCH.
Twelve minutes before lunch
on my stomach I begin to munch.
This classroom heat has got me beat.
My eyes are heavy , I am about to fall asleep.
I am kept awake by the steady beat
Tika- tip, tika- tip , tika tip
of my neighbour’s tapping feet.
Tika-tip , TIKA-TIP, TIKA-TIP !
Forty-eight beats to a minute
TIKA-TIP ! TIKA-TIP ! TIKA-TIP !
At a school desk beside me he seats
TIKA-TIP , TIKA-tip , tika-tip,
arms on the desk, head bowed down as in a prayer meet,
Tika -tip, tika-tip, tika…tip
…… ……tip…………………….
…………………..tip.
My neighbour has fallen asleep.
Yahya Sofi Hussain.
11th June 2007
First published in September 2007 in Dumex’s HOUSECALL
Twelve minutes before lunch
on my stomach I begin to munch.
This classroom heat has got me beat.
My eyes are heavy , I am about to fall asleep.
I am kept awake by the steady beat
Tika- tip, tika- tip , tika tip
of my neighbour’s tapping feet.
Tika-tip , TIKA-TIP, TIKA-TIP !
Forty-eight beats to a minute
TIKA-TIP ! TIKA-TIP ! TIKA-TIP !
At a school desk beside me he seats
TIKA-TIP , TIKA-tip , tika-tip,
arms on the desk, head bowed down as in a prayer meet,
Tika -tip, tika-tip, tika…tip
…… ……tip…………………….
…………………..tip.
My neighbour has fallen asleep.
Yahya Sofi Hussain.
11th June 2007
First published in September 2007 in Dumex’s HOUSECALL
WIRA PETALING
WIRA PETALING
Ini kisah Kamar wira Petaling
hanya bersenjata suara yang nyaring
misainya yang tebal
menjadi azimat kebal.
Ini Kamar banyak bising
menjadi Datuk Bandar kepala pusing
Ini Malaysia, bukan Soviet Rusia
Geology Report tidak harus menjadi rahsia
Bukit Gasing jangan sentuh
nanti hujan tanah runtuh !
"Jangan takut, kita ikut ,
semua building code "
itu developer reassuring, wink ! wink !
DBKL , no comment , blink ! blink !
Kamar yang sudah banyak makan garam , think ! think !
" I orang tua , you want to hoodwink
makes me angry, makes me want to sink
my teeth into the butt of these greedy finks "
Bukit Gasing jangan sentuh
nanti hujan tanah runtuh !
Yahya Sofi
Ampang, Ulu Klang
23 December 2008
Mohd Kamar bin Mohamed is a long term supporter of the Malaysia’s Nature Society and is currently active in trying to save Bukit Gasing in Petaling Jaya. He is a good cook and makes memorable sambal udang petai.
Ini kisah Kamar wira Petaling
hanya bersenjata suara yang nyaring
misainya yang tebal
menjadi azimat kebal.
Ini Kamar banyak bising
menjadi Datuk Bandar kepala pusing
Ini Malaysia, bukan Soviet Rusia
Geology Report tidak harus menjadi rahsia
Bukit Gasing jangan sentuh
nanti hujan tanah runtuh !
"Jangan takut, kita ikut ,
semua building code "
itu developer reassuring, wink ! wink !
DBKL , no comment , blink ! blink !
Kamar yang sudah banyak makan garam , think ! think !
" I orang tua , you want to hoodwink
makes me angry, makes me want to sink
my teeth into the butt of these greedy finks "
Bukit Gasing jangan sentuh
nanti hujan tanah runtuh !
Yahya Sofi
Ampang, Ulu Klang
23 December 2008
Mohd Kamar bin Mohamed is a long term supporter of the Malaysia’s Nature Society and is currently active in trying to save Bukit Gasing in Petaling Jaya. He is a good cook and makes memorable sambal udang petai.
Friday, May 21, 2010
A LIFE SENTENCE
A LIFE SENTENCE
This voluntary life sentence
of reading random words refined into a sentence .
This heart's labour I serve reading the books that I love.
The printed works I review
looking from another's point of view.
How much more homage to Homer can there be?
From Chapman's rhymes to Fagle's lines
definitely more than three.
Any new guide to take us though the Inferno
and tour the kabuki and Japanese noh ?
Blessed with a bilingual curse,
is there enough pantun and English verse
to quench this reader's thirst ?
On the internet there is a surfeit
of writers I have yet to meet.
Tagore, Thakeray, Frost and Snow
some of the authors I would like to know.
Will writers stop writing,
translators stop translating,
publishers stop publishing
and Microsoft stop digitising ?
Will I ever have time to catch up on my reading ?
The more I read
the more I become incomplete.
The more I know, the less I know.
With a book on my couch I lie
I will read and read until I die.
If you should come across an apparition scary
in some quiet corner of a deserted library
do not be alarmed , it will not do you harm.
It is only a spirit in eternal bliss,
the ghost of a reader reading in peace.
Yahya Sofi Hussain
Ampang Ulu Klang.
30th October 2007
First published in the March 2008 issue of Dumex's HOUSECALL
This voluntary life sentence
of reading random words refined into a sentence .
This heart's labour I serve reading the books that I love.
The printed works I review
looking from another's point of view.
How much more homage to Homer can there be?
From Chapman's rhymes to Fagle's lines
definitely more than three.
Any new guide to take us though the Inferno
and tour the kabuki and Japanese noh ?
Blessed with a bilingual curse,
is there enough pantun and English verse
to quench this reader's thirst ?
On the internet there is a surfeit
of writers I have yet to meet.
Tagore, Thakeray, Frost and Snow
some of the authors I would like to know.
Will writers stop writing,
translators stop translating,
publishers stop publishing
and Microsoft stop digitising ?
Will I ever have time to catch up on my reading ?
The more I read
the more I become incomplete.
The more I know, the less I know.
With a book on my couch I lie
I will read and read until I die.
If you should come across an apparition scary
in some quiet corner of a deserted library
do not be alarmed , it will not do you harm.
It is only a spirit in eternal bliss,
the ghost of a reader reading in peace.
Yahya Sofi Hussain
Ampang Ulu Klang.
30th October 2007
First published in the March 2008 issue of Dumex's HOUSECALL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)