basree-rakijan: From Segamat To Singapore...

Finally we meet again after 20years...

Between 1975 – 1980’s, I used to spend my school holidays in Singapore. I would travel by bus (with my mum and sometimes alone) all the way from Segamat in the morning and reached Singapore around afternoon. My destination was Kg Melayu Kranji Road, Singapore.

My late sister Kak Ju followed her husband Abang Rosli to Singapore looking for a greener pastures. And they both ended up living with Abang Rosli’s relatives in Kranji. By then my brother, Abang Man had left kampung to try his luck in Kuala Lumpur. And I was left alone in Segamat, living with my mum.

Those days many Malaysians worked illegally in Singapore including Kak Ju and Abang Rosli. What most people did was entered Singapore with social visit passes (which allowed you to remain there for 2 weeks) and worked secretly. They will have to leave Singapore and go to Johor every 2 weeks to stamp their passport before entering Singapore again. At that time, Singapore immigration authorities were not very strict. So many people got away with it.

I really enjoyed the time spent in Singapore. Compared to where I lived, Singapore was haven to me. And those days the exchange rates for Malaysia RM to Singapore Dollar are RM1.10 to SGD1.00! You can see there will be few hundred thousands of peoples going in and out from Singapore to Johor everyday.

While staying in Kg Kranji, I became very close with Abang Rosli’s relatives whom I called Pak Andak and Mak Andak. They were around their forties. Pak Andak and Mak Andak is Abang Rosli’s Uncle and Aunty from his mother’s side. Mak Andak was born in Melaka before getting married with his Singaporean husband.

Pak Andak and Mak Andak have 3 daughters (Faridah, Rogayah and Asiah) and 2 sons (Zali and Zulkifli). I was specially close to Asiah because we were about the same age. Faridah, Rogayah and Zali were much senior, while Zul very much younger than me.

Kg Kranji was very close to the sea. Half of the kampung will be ‘flooded’ with water during high tide around noon. It was the best time for Asiah and me to play with some friends. We will play all sort of games but we always ended up swimming there. And when we were tired, we will run back home for Mak Andak’s Asam Pedas Melaka. I continued spending my school holidays in Singapore until around 1980’s. By then Kak Ju had moved to Johor Bahru and commuted daily to and from Singapore to work.

I lost contact with Pak Andak and Mak Andak after that. In 1985 I moved to Kuala Lumpur to further my studies in University Technology MARA in Shah Alam. Last August 2007 we finally met again in Kg Sungai Rambai, Melaka after more than 20 years. A lot of changes have taken place. Time has also taken its toll. Both Pak Andak and Mak Andak are in their 70’s now. And Asiah… she has grown up kids now and a husband who is always busy at work!!

Here are some photos taken in Kg Sungai Rambai, Melaka…