Malaysian Short Stories In Translation The Curse Of Kuala Kedah

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Among the social  issue that often appear in my short stories  is the future of the younger generations. As I see it, most of them are being lulled by the less worthwhile entertainment.
Perhaps the most frightening is their madness to race on the road, getting killed or permanently disabled. An example of a short story pointing out this issue is “Sumpah Kuala Kedah”
 I built the story by adding another element of my interest that is history. The main character, which I named Ayub, was from Kedah. He was attending school in Alor Setar when the Japanese invaded. He was bitter with the Japanese for disrupting his schooling and
more bitter with the Siamese police for kicking his grandfather who did not stand to observe the Siamese anthem. When the war ended he was able to continue and pursue his study at the University of Malaya, then situated in Singapore. 

The second part of the story took place when Ayub had retired from his top government post and was being treated by his nephews to a birthday dinner at a restaurant in Kuala Kedah. The place held memories of the pain and miseries of his ancestors at the hands of the Siamese. Now the land is free. The horror of war is over, but regretfully the native youths are wasting their lives and inflicting their own injury by taking drugs and racing on their bikes.

EXCERPT OF The Short Story, 
“The Curse of Kuala Kedah”, (Sumpah Kuala Kedah),  A Journey Through Prose and Poetry: 65-75.


Ayub was not a history student in the university but he was deeply interested in history particularly the history of Kedah.He read many books and subscribed to historical journals. In his view, Kedah occupied a unique place in history being the oldest empire in the Peninsular. Since the 13th century Kedah had been a sovereign state with a famous city port in Sungai Bujang. His state history had been written in glorious ink. But the colour of gold began to fade when Siam emerged as a great power. Siam, now known as Thailand adopted an imperialistic policy expanding its colonies and succeeded in forcing the northern states of Malaya including Kedah to send bunga emas or gold flowers as a tribute. In 1791, Siam conquered the Malay Sultanate of Patani comprising the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat and renamed it Pattani Changwat.

With the support of Britain, Siam was not afraid to do
anything. Part of what had happened could be read in the
account of Sherard Osborn, a naval officer in one of British
warships sent to blockade and to suppress upheaval in Kedah. On his arrival Osborn saw and recorded the deeds of unimaginable atrocities and utmost cruelty of Siamese soldiers on the poor people of Kedah. Sherard Osborn recorded the bloody accounts in his book The Blockade of Kedah in 1838.


He described the various methods of torture. One method
was cooking people alive. Prisoners were stripped naked and
put into a hollow of tree trunks. Then a slow steady fire was
maintained round it. Excruciating shrieks and howls of pain of
the victims was an entertainment to the devilish soldiers.

Ayub incessantly advised his children, nephews and the
younger generation to take the opportunity provided by the
government. Ayub often said to Kamal and Hisham, “You are
both lucky being born when the country is no longer under
invasion and suppression. You can go to school and do business
freely. Your father and I had suffered a lot.”

“But now we face other forms of difficulties especially in
doing business. Not like those who live on a fixed salary like
Kamal,” said Hisham.“The most complicated problem for contractors is managing employees. We are very dependent on labour force. Sometimes we have ample manpower but failed to get any contract. Sometimes we manage to obtain a job but did have
not enough workers.”
Hamid, who had been listening their conversation
attentively chipped in, “The main problem of businessmen
everywhere in this country is keeping reliable workforce.
We have to depend on foreign workers when our own youths
prefer to be unemployed rather than do a labourous job. Last
year our cousin, Salma, pleaded me to give a job to his son,
Mokhtar. Well I thought why not. I was more than happy to
give money to my own relative. But see what happen, Mokhtar
only worked for less than three months. He said I make him
do all sort of things and make up untrue stories against me.
Salma believed his words and did not speak to me. We are not
on good term anymore.”
“I know that Mokhtar. I used to see him playing truant. I
found him wandering in supermarkets during school times.
He had no pity for his mother who worked hard to get him 
money for schooling. He spent money at the game stations.”
Kamal added.

They eat their dinner while talking and observing the
surrounding. From the table they could clearly see the
road, the estuary and the pier jutting out into the open sea.
Unfortunately, the beautiful evening view by the seaside
was disrupted by irritating sound of screeching tires of
motorcycles being driven fast on the road. It was a common
sight of street racing by the youths, mostly local. Hisham who
understood what was lingering in his uncle’s mind said. “Look
at them, what a show-off, causing public disturbance. They
are not afraid to die. The government widen and improved
roads but the youths misuse it to race for cheap thrills. Even
the police fails to control. Yesterday Uncle Halim, our former
chef came here crying because his son met with an accident.
His son went racing all the time despite his mother’s plea and
persuasions to stop. The accident was bad and his leg has to
be amputated. Now, he is causing more hardship and misery
to his parents.”

Ayub took a deep breath and sigh. He heard such news 
many times before. He felt very old and tired of hearing such
news of youngsters wasting their lives away, getting killed in
road accidents due to ruthless driving and racing. Many more
die or leading a useless live as drug addicts. Besides these
there were also news of unmarried mothers abandoning
their babies in garbage bins and everywhere. So many Malay
schoolboys were wasting their time at game stations in the
shopping complexes. With this situation, what is going to
happen to his race and his mother land? Is his race heading
for a defeat while other races are improving themselves and
strengthening their position even sharpening their weapons.

Ayub eyes fixed on the fort of Kuala Kedah across the river.
The fort was still standing like a lonely monument, overlooking
the estuary where blood had splashed and thousands of his
predecessors tortured and killed. There was a scar that cannot
be erased. But how many people passing by it had stopped to
recall the history and read the massage? Ayub recalled the
words of George Santayana, “People who do not learn from
history will be cursed by history to repeat their mistakes.” The
words are often quoted by Dr. Mahathir in his speeches.
The straits was calm and the wave was low. The estuary
was beautiful. There was no more alien enemies to be seen
terrorising his people like what Sherard Osborn had written in
his book. Unfortunately, his people are inflicting injuries on themselves"

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