Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Penghulu (Kampong Headman)

For any kampong (village or parish) like ours its a good idea to keep some updated records for reference and for historical reasons. Penghulu (Village Headman) is an important man in a kampong. Though the Penghulu's function is more or less administrative but he is the best link man a village, a village 'Chief', a village 'Elder', a village 'Counsel', in fact a village 'Everything' ...... at least in the old days. Today he still functions as such except that he is very much influenced by the current political situations. But don't forget that he is an important man.

From memory the following are the Penghulu of our kampong (Lipat Kajang)
Penghulu Yunus,
Penghulu Osman
Penghulu Sidek
Penghulu Ismail (orang Kuala Krau)
Penghulu Ghaffar
Penghulu Samsuddin (orang Kerdau).

If anyone would like to add more, it would help. Perhaps also add which year to which year they served.

Perhaps, add their photoes in this blog so that everyone in the kampong may remember how they looked like.


Lipat Kajang people (or decendents) are encouraged to participate& contribute (Orang Lipat Kajang, atau keturunan, di jemput memberi sumbangan idea)

8 comments:

  1. penghulu?
    all that i can remember is, there was one Penghulu Lipat Kajang, also from Kuala Krau, he had his office (cum rumah kediaman, dwelling) in front of the shops di Baruh (we all know where Baruh was, it's overlooking the river, the area near the mosque)
    why there, because during that time, the Balai Raya (Community Hall) was also situated there, majestically facing and overlooking the Pahang River, because visiting Mat Salleh officials must come by boat and stop at the jetty right in front of the Balai, easy for them.....and of course in later years, orang2 gomen from Temerloh also come to Kg Lipat Kajang by boat, only by boat....no other way

    anyone has got any photo of that Balai Raya?

    this Penghulu's tenure i think was between Penghulu Sidek and Penghulu Ismail,
    his name i'm not sure but maybe Abdullah, Penghulu Dollah, fat and short.....betul ke tak betul, it's just my very vague memory

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  2. Anyone having old photo of anything Lipat Kajang, please scan and pass them over. Or get it directly into the blog please.

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  3. in my earlier comment, i have asked if anyone has got a photo of that Balai Raya which stood majestically @ Baruh (di Baruh) overlooking the Pahang River?

    that Balai Raya surely reminds a lot of us about those days when as small kids we used to play in and around the Balai Raya, run and chase after one another, and so on
    finally all jumping into the river for a good bath, well, not really bath but for fun dipping into the river water

    Penghulu Tok Sidek's previous house was just adjacent to the Balai Raya (sebelah hilir) and Tok Mukim Salleh's house was (and maybe still is) only a few houses away (sebelah hulu) - i am quite sure descendents of both these two respectable elders must have got one or two photos of the Balai Raya, left somewhere in a corner to collect dust, why not search for it and upload it, syukran

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  4. there is a photo of Tok Mukim Salleh's house somewhere, with Jabbar I think. I will see what I can do. Jabbar, if you are reading this, please post that photo.

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  5. this Penghulu issue:
    the argument is the Penghulu must be a son of Kg LKP as a first preference, first choice by whatever reason at all
    ...if and only if we have exhausted in our search for the right candidate from among the LK community then only we can appoint the next (second) preference, someone having connectiion with Kg LKP, then again it must not be based on political influence, it must be based on democracy, let us be fair to ourselves and our own people, and not simply agree with any political appointment of a crony as the Penghulu of Kg LKP
    whoever is reigning now must resign in favour of another Penghulu who is born and bred LK-ite fairly and justly elected and agreed by the whole community
    do i sound intimidating ???

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  6. who appointed this present Penghulu?
    was he appointed in a democratic way being elected and chosen by the people of Kg Lipat Kajang Pahang, or was he appointed unilaterally without any consultation whatsoever with the kampong people?
    What was the basis, the rationale in electing him other than being the brother of the MP, his crony?

    these questions must now be answered by someone,
    remember - the Penghulu is the focal point of reference and the source of inspiration or dissuasion
    nothing personal or emotional about this issue, we want justice and
    fairness for the kampong so that it can move forward and not get derailed and remain stagnated

    i beg everyone's wise thoughts about this issue, and act accordingly to remedy an unjustifiable situation hanging over the heads of Kg Lipat Kajang people, for many many years already

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  7. kenapa tidak dilantik seorang anak jati Kg Lipat Kajang, dilahirkan di Kg Lipat Kajang sebagai Penghulu Kg Lipat Kajang ata Mukim Lipat Kajang Temerloh Pahang?

    adakah semua anak anak Kg Lipat Kajang layak hanya setakat menjadi Tok Empat? tidak ada yang layak menjadi Penghulu?
    ini sesuatu yang amat tidak munasabah, amat pelik dan amat menghairankan...

    Kenapa Penghulu Mukim Lipat Kajang yang berasal dari luar tidak tinggal berkediaman di Kg Lipat Kajang sepanjang tempoh dia menjadi Penghulu Mukim tersebut?

    sewajarnya anak jati kampong menjadi pilihan utama sbg calun, dan dilantik supaya dapat menyumbang jasa dan bakti kepada kampongnya sendiri



    Dimasa masa hadapan penduduk Mukim Lipat Kajang sewajarnya mendapat Penghulu seorang dari kalangan penduduk kampong tersebut, tanpa mengira apa jua sebab atau alasan kenapa orang luar mesti dilantik menjadi Penghulu kamnpong oleh kerana tidak ada sebab atau alasan langsung kenapa orang luar mesti dipilih dan dilantik.

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  8. we have no control over the apppointmnent of a Penghulu in a kampong. In the days of the British the Peghulu had very wide powers but today the Peghulu is ....... not really that powerful anymore. So a local Lipat Kajang-ite who wants to be a Penhulu has to do a lot of campaigning with the 'power that be'.


    YES we have no control over the appointment of the Penghulu BUT we as anak anak Kg Lipat Kajang have got our rightful say, "vote" if we want to call it from a political angle, which nobody can deny us that right;

    we all are directly affected by such an appointment, rightly, it will benefit us and wrongly, it will inflict on the whole community unnecesary stress and strains, problems !
    nobody not even the "powers that be" can just simply appoint anyone he/she likes/prefers as a Penghulu (of any kampong (sub district) for that matter) without referring such appointment to the kampong community, not for approval but seeking their honest sincere and rightful opinion (say) about the appointment, the community cannot be regarded as "dumbs" or "stooges" (who knows nothing about "government") and simply forced on to them a Penghulu who i am sure they have misgivings about but damn scat and afraid to voice out...if at all they can depend on him for leadership, guidance, authority and assistance

    we are not concerned about how much power that the Penghulu nowadays can wield, compared to those British days, what we are disputing is if the Penghulu is not a "born and bred local" how can he function effectively wholeheartedly conscientiously empathically and fully identifying himself with the community, 24/7 ever ready to answer any distress call from anyone in the community, at any time of day or night,
    that actually is esssentially the function of the Penghulu immaterial of whatever is his job scope or JD or KPI
    and we know fully well that this Penghulu is being slotted there because of the allowance, lets not deny it, lets not be hypocites, and nobody from the community had ever dared to open his/her mouth to say that the most suited to be their Penghulu is a "born and bred local" as first preference, this is really a political blackmail (i am not talking about politics, no political sentiments) but we must be very clear and honest about the underlying juggles and quiet slapstick (lakunan) that had hypnotized the community into a silent agreement;
    a second preference will be a man married to a woman from the kampong (any kampong for that matter, in this case Kg Lipat Kajang Pahang) and this is totally agreeable to everyone i am sure, no one will dispute it if we sincerely invite their honest opinion, after having exhausted a search across the kampong for a suitable anak jati kampong to be the Penghulu, i have said earlier;

    now this is a very serious flaw in the governing of this sub-district of Kg Lipat Kajang knowing very well that all the issues that we have been discussing here hinges heavily on who is rightly or wrongly sitting on the Penghulu's chair in order to get things moving the way we want to without encountering too much hick-ups,

    that is the logical reason why the Penghulu must be knowledgeable enough about the "history" (of course we don't have any history, do we?), the "selok belok" of the kampong (who lived/lives where which precints? recognising most if not all of the LK faces, not just by look but by name/nickname, having the bits and pieces about LK at his fingertips and at the back of his mind, no need to ask anyone about it)and only a "born and bred local" fits into that
    non-physical mental/emotional "sarung", not just anyone can fit in

    can an "outsider" Penghulu, living km away from the community, be what/who we want him to be, readily available 24/7 ?

    i am not touting, not canvassing nor campaigning against anyone, my conscience is very clear, and i am not saying anyone of us is aspriring to be the (right candidate) Penghulu of Kg Lipat Kajang, I am saying what is undeniably wrong but be made right, straighten out, iron out, negotiate and compromise, and above all be honest with ourselves, ask ourselves questions we have never asked before - >

    the Penghulu post must be returned to the community to be filled as the community desires and recommends altho' they don't have the final say in the appointment;

    the Penghulu can be likened to the "Panama Canal" or the "Suez Canal" between the community of Kg Lipat Kajang and the District Office (the Government) in Temerloh; if the "canal" is mentally blocked by some hidden agenda then nothing can go thru either way, thus depriving both ends of the necessary communications required for good transparent efective governance that can benefit the kampong community...

    i for one have no interest whatsoever in this matter, in as far as my present abode is concerned and where i live now whoever is the Penghulu there makes no difference

    HOWEVER i have a lot of personal interests in the kampong by way of my roots, and my land, my soil...apart from the interests of my kampong (which historians cannot read anywhere) and my kampong people, i say again "enough is enough"

    i would also recommend anyone with vested interest to read carefully all that i have written about this issue, i have no malice no bad intention towards anyone, even a person who is married to a woman from Kg Lipat Kajang is also related to me, no question about that whatsoever
    my kampong my people and i personally have been "ardent" and faithful fans of "the powers that be" for more than 50 years already, can anyone dispute our loyalty and patriotism?

    and please don't forget, "the powers that be" also need every single vote from Kg Lipat Kajang in order to "remain alive" therefore while we all are something like being "blackmailed" or "induced" (whichever way you define it?) we can also do the same in return, because together we are a power, a force to be reckoned with, insignificant as we have been !!!

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