Has Kuala Lumpur changed?

 

Many years ago during the sixties and early seventies, Kuala Lumpur was an icon of peace and tranquility. It was so tranquil, you could literally hear its denizens talking in the house even during the height of the day. Coconut trees and pinang tress dotted the landscape of KL and houses did not need to invest in potted plants for their gardens for the gardens naturally compose part of the natural fauna and flora of the land. The place I was staying, Djalan Selatan, Imbi Road, was a haven of greenery. The small enclave nested in a quiet corner of the city and was a place where sportsmen of all shapes and sizes converged in the evenings to test their mettle in their chosen fields. It gave birth to footballers like Zakaria Sharif, a natural and talented maestro of the ball who gave many kids like us a free viewing of his skills every evening at the Postal Club grounds in Imbi.

By  9pm in the night almost the whole neighborhood of Imbi was asleep. Night life and after office hour entertainment was unheard of. All the denizens were civil servants working in government departments and offices. Some houses were lucky enough to own a TV but usually, it is lights out early. Most of my friends were either from Djalan Imbi itself or the nearby area of Pasar Road.

I could not resist myself in between the story telling without inserting above, a video clip about the eating opportunities in the night in the historical city of Purwokerto in Central Jawa. I hope Malaysians of Indonesian descent or heritage or Indonesians the world over can relate to the video. The commentator is Bapak Nex Carlos, a noted and well known food logger from Djakarta Indonesia. It is a short simple story about a simple people and what they usually eat.

Back to Kuala Lumpur, it was a busy, thriving bustling Chinese-dominated city in the sixties. The fresh coat of paint hadn't been uncorked yet. But as we know, things were about to change. The old KL as we know it was to be knocked off its pedestal and in its place, a funny awkward-looking city had taken shape and form. An impostor you might say. Progress had been forced down on its inhabitants sometimes at costs which cannot be recovered. But reality has a way of forcing us to accept things that we cannot change. The new-look KL sang a tune that was jarring and out of place in the modern era. In short, KL now looks like an old lady dressed as a hot young chic, you get what I mean........KL is no more the KL of old, it now looks like a brand new hot young thing working in an old folk home. KL old-timers now can only spend their time on wishful thinking, wishing back the good old KL but inside their hearts, they know this can never happen, nothing can stop the march of time, the hands of the clock can only move in one direction and that is, forward. So they sit in their ruko kopi respectively while they "seruput" their kopi, their eyes looking in the distant where their "Mei kuei, mei kuei......flower of Malaya" once was, now on a battleship sailing for Britannia Raya. Now they belong to an era that is known as history. To explain it all in a nutshell, would be to summarize akin to the Indonesian saying, "Kisah panjang, sepotong rendang", which would e literally impossible.

In the context of the current landscape, the younger generation, those whom we fondly refer to the Millenials, haven't the slightest clue as to the ye olde Kuala Lumpur. The old folks in KL would fondly refer to it with a heavily accented Chinese accent as Ka-Lam-Par or Ka-Lom-Por. Don't ask me it's meaning, I am just as clueless as you. During that era, the cabaret was in vogue and they were mushrooming in every nook and cranny of Greater KL. I was a young un then but old enough to know they were places of happiness and fun for the male gender. I knew some of the male relatives of the older set would whisper in a hush and measured tones about such places among themselves. I don't think their womenfolk were oblivious to their male spouses but they were diplomatic enough not to cause a ruckus from them. It was rumoured cynically among them, that the real pendiri or founder of KL was none other than the famous stripper mademoiselle Rose Chan who has since then departed this realm and now residing with twinkle-twinkle, not so little stars far above the sky. In fact, some of them would swear this beside the big fat ogres residing in the temples. In fact, many among them would make weekly pilgrimages to this sponge bob for the latest kiat or tips on the "hot" numbers to invest in the nomor empat ekor. Sadly this trait is still around and still very prevalent and relevant in today's youth. They would say like, "No taloh, no kaser man!". BTW Kaser is Tamil for moolah or money. Parah banget.......

The three most famous schools in KL were St. John's Institution, Methodist Boy's School and Victoria Institution (my old alma mater). Of the three I guess VI was the most prominent at the time. During my time the headmaster was Mr Murugesu. He was its undeniable ruler from 1964-1969. I say ruler because that's what he did, he ruled over all and sundry like a mighty overlord. I haven't had the pleasure of knowing him personally even after we became septuagenarians and centenarians but woe betides to those who got on the wrong side of him. He was the Maha-thir of VI......note the Maha. But today among some all is past and history, he is your regular chum and guy next door.   I guess he meant well and he was sincere in carrying out his duties. He just wanted the students to give their best shot. I hear now he has attained the age well over ninety. That shows guts and stamina. He is in the last stages of completing his memoirs before it is published. 

The days of Ganyang Malaysia have passed to be superseded by "Teman Malaysia". It does not pay to wage war by military means but should war be considered, an economic-oriented war would be more palatable and palpable.

Tomorrow Saturday, November 28, 2020, my son-in-law will be travelling to Cambodia. He's being posted there. He is an accountant and his Chinese bosses require him to be there. I pray the Lord shall be with him and sustain him in his duties and responsibilities. His young family will surely miss him. Today's workforce is very mobile and their services are not restricted to one geographical area. Thus the need to be flexible and have a positive outlook. Kuala Lumpur is no longer self-sufficient and its citizens are needed to take on more responsibilities every day. 

I have forgotten to include a very important section of Kuala Lumpur in my writings and that is the enclave known as Bukit Bintang or Star Hill in English. Backlanes like Djalan Alor come to mind. Bukit Bintang during the nights is an incredible fairyland with a myriad of lights, sounds and smells of aromatic food filling and saturating the electric atmosphere in the air. I have walked the main street of Djalan Boekit Bintang in the night and truly it is comparable and on the same plane as London's West End or Tokyo's Ginza. The food served in Djalan Alor is the mecca of food enthusiasts in KL as well as Malaysia. In a way it beats even Gurney Drive in Penang Island which is now a haunted street. All the major hotels have a presence here. Even with the negative impact of pandemic, business has been hardly hit by it. The sustaining power of this street is awesome. During my schooldays, the place was still not developed to its full potential but the presence of BB Park alone was still sufficient enough to make it famous among locals and foreign visitors. In the sixties and early seventies, there were two theaters or cinemas servicing the district, they were the Cathay cinema and the Pavilion. Both of these have since been demolished to make way for super or hypermalls. Incredible as it may seem, the hustle and bustle of yesteryears have been increased after the total makeover of Djalan Boekit Bintang. The old may lament the vanishing of certain landmarks like old prewar cafes but the young in general welcome the new makeover with outstretched open arms. Boekit Bintang was near where I studied and that is Victoria Institution. BTW, a notorious character i.e the current Minister of Defence for the Republic of Indonesia i.e. General (Ret.) Prabowo Subianto studied also at the famous school. The famous Lot10 where the most expensive branded goods are displayed and sold to the rich and famous is also to be found at the main intersection of Djalan Boekit Bintang. When I was studying for my O levels at VI, I used to visit the Cathay cinema for a movie and then head for Djalan Alor for a cheap meal. BTW, everything here is non-halal so for Muslims, it is better to stay clear of this area when they are hungry.

Egad, if anyone were to condemn Djalan Boekit Bintang, it would only reflect badly on the person concerned. The three main sub-domains of Kuala Lumpur, i.e. Pasar Loot, Pudu Loot and Boekit Bintang Loot are the main attractions and honey pot of KL. They are the "andalan" or mainstay of the city. Batu Loot unfortunately lost its status as a honey pot sometime in the eighties for reasons we would not go into lest we be accused of being anti this and anti that, a prevalent culture here.

Just to digress a little, the above video clip shows the food logger Nex Carlos devouring tengkleng (goat's bones with some meat), sate klatak (sate wrapped around jeruji besi or iron bars) and tongseng (ribs soup or sop tulang iga). Sorry for the Indonesian words, this is for the benefit of Indonesian. readers. Well any way, rerouting back to good olde Boekit Bintang, it says in travelogues that this part of KL never sleeps. In the old days Boekit Bintang was infested with crime dens and criminals of the worst kind. But this has changed with the march of time. These criminals have been absorbed into the new landscape of Boekit Bintang and contributing to its revenue by being respectable businessmen. I view this as a positive sign of a change in the mindset of people who hold uniquely different occupations in the past.

The skyline over KL has indeed undergone an incredible transformation. This is due to the rapid progress made by Malaysians in the fields of technology and the art of acquiring wealth. Both these characteristics have driven the change in KL and its surrounding area e.g. Petaling Jaya. During my school days, many school students used public transport or leg power to get to school and back. But many today have their own transport in at least a scooter. Today's teachers are much younger and better qualified as far as their credentials are concerned. During my days, many of the teachers were past middle age and some even about to retire. In yesteryears, KL was less smoky and dusty. This could be attributed directly to the number of mechanized vehicles. present. Motorized transport is very popular these days and only a fool would be caught walking as a means of transport. The area where I stayed had a huge number of the university student population. Many were outstation students who had gained entry to the University of Malaya. University of Malaya then housed the cream of Malaysia's brains. But much of its lustre and shine have been robbed by private institutions of higher learning. Private educators in Malaysia have teamed up with their western counterparts in a win-win situation where many twinning courses are made available at affordable prices. My three children are such locally-foreign trained graduates. Hence the standings of Malaysian public institutions have plummeted invariably to the depths of despair. However, the bulk of the students in public universities are from the rural areas of the country. Unfortunately, these do not represent the best in the country. The quality of food however has not diminished with the march of time. 

Above is a clip of the evergreen traditional Djakarta-Betawi song, "Inilah dia Si Jali-jali".  This haunting melody never fails to stir up many very old memories in me. Memories are the centre stage where the spotlight shines on the protagonist who performs the dance routine which in this case tells the story of the life of a human being.