THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

Anti-Imperialism and Anti-Feudalism 63
Convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Malays must ‘go into
business to prosper’ and to answer the recurrent calls made by Malay
newspapers, he assigned me as an assistant to his Arab trader friend,
Sheikh Hassan. The location: Changkat Jering Sunday Market, seven miles
from Taiping.
At 6.00 am every Sunday, Sheikh Hassan and I pedalled our old
bicycles to the Sunday Market, balancing several white cloth bundles on
our back carriers. By 7.00 am, we had already set up a small makeshift
stall on our regular spot. On the dirt ground, we spread a large tarpaulin
sheet, on which we displayed Qur’ans, religious books, rosary beads and
classical style syair storybooks in a most appealing way. The slightly
romantic Faridah Hanum story was the most saleable item. Batik from
Indonesia, pulaikat sarongs from India, prayer mats and colourful shawls
from Mecca were hung on the walls of the stall.
Business was booming as the price of rubber was high and Malays
craved items related to the Holy Land of Mecca or any Arab land. After
all, Prophet Mohammed s.a.w. was from that part of the world. We closed
shop at noon. After packing the remaining items on to our bicycles, Sheikh
Hassan gave me 50 cents and lunch at a Malay shop. That shop is no
longer there, an example of yet another one to have folded. This time, it
was the owner’s mistake. He had sent all his children to English schools
after which they all chose Government jobs, including my friend, the
owner’s fourth son Yahaya, who became a ‘dresser’ (health assistant).
Perhaps we should emulate Chinese businessmen; however bright
their children were, they would send one of them to a vernacular (Chinese)
school, and it was this son who would inherit the family business and
carry on the family tradition, regardless of whether the business was big
or small.
First Exposure to Anti-Imperialism and Anti-Feudalism
Burly Sheikh Hassan, with all his bundles, big and small, spent nights at
my house. He once regaled us with a story of how he evaded paying
taxes on his merchandise. This he did by declaring that ‘all’ his bundles
contained Qur’ans, which were truly part of his merchandise. No Muslim
Custom Officer would dare inspect his bundles without ablution. So,
Sheikh Hassan left the checkpoint with a big smile.
My mosquito net had countless mended spots. On nights I could not
sleep, I did not count sheep; I counted the spots my mother had mended
with care. From within the mosquito net, I could hear my father’s conversation
with Sheikh Hassan drone into the night.