My early childhood days

My early childhood days

I was born in a small village called Sungai Itik in Gopeng on 1st March 1943. Malaya as the country was then known as was under Japanese occupation following World War II. So in my original birth certificate it was stated that I was born in the year 2003. Obviously that was according to the Japanese Calendar. My father was a Malay school teacher. He was trained in Sultan Idris Training College in Tanjong Malim Perak. It was then the highest institution of tertiary education for the Malays. It is now known as Universti Perguruan Sultan Idris (Education University Sultan Idris)

The population of Sungai Itik (for that matter the other Malay kampongs in Gopeng like Gunong Mensah) was then and still is largely of Rawanese descent. Their forefathers came from a small town in West Sumatra called Rao (pronounced Rawo). Upon my father’s untimely death when I was about one or two years old my maternal grandfather brought my mother and me back to his village in Selangor called Kampong Kalung in Hulu Yam, in the District of Hulu Selangor. My grandfather was a retiree from the Malayan Railways. So it was he who brought me up until he passed away when I was five years old. Comparatively he appeared quite well-off. He had a pension from the Malayan Railways, a big house and two plots of small rubber holdings. I would look forward to the first day of the month when he would take me to Kuala Kubu Bharu, the capital town of the District r where the District Office is located to collect his pension. I enjoyed the bus ride and the treat he would give after collecticting his pension. My grandfather must have loved me dearly. Besides taking me to Kuala Kubu Bharu every month he would also take me to town almost every morning to have breakfast and then to buy groceries. The town was about one mile from our house in the kampong. We had to walk to town and back. It was alright walking to town. However I was not strong enough to walk back partly because it was already hot. The old man took pity on me and he would carry me on his shoulder all the way home. Of course I enjoyed the ride very much. On the way we would stop and had a dip in a small river called Sungai Liam. I enjoyed the dip very much. May God bless the soul of the old man Kasim bin Abdul Samad. My grandfather and my grandmother were Minangkabau people . I am told his forefathers came from a town in Sumatra called Telu.

I must have started going to primary school when I was only five years old because I was already in Standard Seven by the time I was twelve. That was the year I applied for the National Registration Identity Identity Card as required by law. For other children this must have been done by their father or guardian. In my case I did it mainly by myself. There was a problem to be sure. I did not have my birth certificate which was required. Fortunately there was a kind petition writer near the post office who helped me write a letter to the National Registration Department in Kuala Lumpur to apply for an extract of my birth certificate which I received in due course. This was when I discovered that I was born in the year 2003. My name was spelt as Yusop bin Ahmad. I did not like the spelling. So when I went to secondary school I changed it to what I thought was a more stylish one, Yussof. Nobody minded! Nobody asked for a statutory declaration or worse still a Deed Poll. If asked I would probably done one by myself! I subsequently discovered I was not that smart after all. The correct spelling should simply be Yusuf if its Arabic spelling is properly transcribed into English or Malay language. The spelling Yusoff too to my mind is not correct. So is Eusoff. I would like to suggest if I may that the Government should enact a law to provide for names be used in birth certificates should be according to a list approved by the authorities. I understand there is such law in France and Indonesia.
Perhaps the reason why I started going to school earlier than most kids is my eldest sister’s influence. My sister Che Wah also known as Zahrah or Kak Long as I call her must be conscious of the fact that I already had some knowledge of reading by the time I was five. This was her doing. She thought me to read before I went to school. She always had a very deep interest in my wellbeing right from the time I was very young. And this continued until now. It was Kak Long who decided that I went to secondary school in stead of becoming a school teacher like her at an early age of thirteen.