In Memory of Maah Ajuh (Updated)

Today I take a break from my 'Happiness is....' series. Something rather 'unhappy' happened.

I am referring to the death of Mr Maah Ajuh.

Today, Friday 27 November 2009 is a public holiday in Malaysia due to the Hari Raya Aidil Adha, otherwise known as Hari Raya Haji in conjunction with the Haj season in the Muslim Holy Land. It is also known as Hari Raya Korban (Feast of Sacrifice) to commemorate patriach Abraham's (Ibrahim in the Quran) obedience to God by his preparedness to sacrifice his son. God however was only testing Abraham's loyalty and stopped him from killing his son just in the nick of time.

Apart from that, it was of course Thanksgiving Day in America. Thus, I was in no hurry to wake up. On a holiday, I normally wake up only when my stomach tells me to.

However, Friday morning, I was awaken by a phone call. The caller said Mr Maah Ajuh had passed away in our hometown of Tamparuli a few hours earlier.

I forced myself out of bed, much as I would like to sleep for at least an hour more, washed and dressed up to go to Tamparuli and breakfast.

The late Maah was more than a childhood friend. He was also the drummer cum singer for our band, The Hornbill, in the late 1960s. He is seen in the centre of the picture above, holding his drum sticks. I am seated second from left.

The picture was taken in 1968 or sometime thereabout. It was taken soon after our band won the Tuaran-district level Battle of The Bands. As you can see, the picture, taken at the only studio in Tamparuli, was in black-and-white, which was the norm those days. And mind you, one has to wait for a few days then before you get to see your picture; compared to a few minutes (and in colour) now!

If I remember correctly, the picture was published in the local newspapers to announce our victory as well as the fact that we would be performing at the up-coming Tuaran Tamu Besar. The Tamu Besar, then held annually, was the biggest event of the district. The highlight was the beauty contest, just like the Kaamatan (Harvest Festival).

But the late Maah 'disappeared' just a few days before the Tamu Besar. He apparently left quietly for Kuala Lumnpur to be trained as a policeman! Luckily we had a standby drummer, though not as good as he.

Upon graduating from the Police Training Academy, the late Maah returned to Sabah to serve as a policeman, of course. Whenever he was off-duty, he would still play the drum for us.

Sometime in the late 1970s, the late Maah was seconded to become ADC (bodyguard) to the then Deputy Chief Minister cum Tamparuli Assemblyman, the late Dr James Ongkili.

After the defeat of the Berjaya party by PBS, the late Maah served Ongkili's successor and my classmate Datuk Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing in a similar capacity until recent years.

In between serving as a policeman and a bodyguard, the late Maah tried his hand in small businesses including starting a car-wash business beside his house by the main road which is still in operation.

The late Maah was a younger brother of the late Wugau Ajuh (also spelt Ugau) who was the Ketua Kampung (those days called Orang Tua) or village headman for Bontoi which is just next to Tamparuli town itself. Those days, the Orang Tua was influencial and highly respected by the native community.

Following Berajaya's victory in 1976, the late Ugau was promoted to Ketua Anak Negeri or Native Chief (NC) for Tamparuli. An NC oversees a group of village headmen. Ugau remained the NC until his death in the late 1970s. Co-incidentally, and if I am not mistaken, he also died on Hari Raya Haji day, just like his brother Maah.

The late Ugau was father to two of our singers in the late 1960s, Malim and Maliana Ugau. Malim and Maliana also appeared on local TV in the early 1970s, those days still in black-and-white. Together with our band sometimes, they also sang at various functions. Those days, entertainment or night life was limited (no Internet, no Video games, no Karaoke, no nothing. Even the Disco was not invented yet.) and people would hold a dance party and call a band at the slightest excuse - wedding, engagement, birthday, etc. Yes, the catch-phrase or password those days was 'party' and whenever teenagers or young adults met they would ask each other when and where the next party would be. I thanked God for my musical talent as the payment that we received though small helped me pay my school and exam fees.

Malim is now Datin Hajjah Malim (forgot her Muslim name), married to a successful businessman and veteran journalist Datuk Wahid Norbinsha. Maliana is also a Datin, married to Datuk Jahid Jahim, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports cum Tamparuli Assemblyman. For the benefit of my non-Malaysian readers if any, a Datuk and Datin is something like Sir and Lady in Britain; though not neccasarily the same rank.

I am not sure how old the late Maah was. A few years my senior, he must have been around 60. But all I know is the people of Tamparuli will miss his jokes and antics. There was never a dull moment with him around in any function. Mind you, he was multi-lingual. Apart from his mother tongue of Dusun Lotud, he also spoke Malay, English and even a smattering of Hakka which always amused his Chinese friends. This was partly due to the fact that he actually grew up among the Chinese in Tamparuli town as his late brother Ugau operated a sundry shop. In short, he was a fun person to be with.

Maah became a Catholic before he died and personally chose the Christian name Moses. He must have been facinated by the Moses movie which we used to watch as kids at the Tamparuli cinema in the 1960s. The cinema, which was our only form of entertainment at night although it was in black and white and the place warm, noisy and dirty and they needed to change the film half-way, is now a supermarket, just like most cinemas elsewhere in Sabah.

May he rest in peace.