Reminiscing Pak Sako

Back in my school days, I was the Chairman of a Society (elected democratically by fellow students against an handpicked guy by the seniors whom I later appoint as my Vice chairman to save face lah. Trust me no vote buying were involved then). So it happened in that particular year, we managed to invite Pak Sako to give talks to the student body. However, a few weeks before (in Pak Sako's famous Di Simpang-Simpang Jalan column) he rambled about disciplinary problems among secondary schools that made headlines, be there ragging (a lot of it!), smoking, truancy etc. He noted a few schools among the Jalan Tenteram (the road to Kg Congo, now Bandar Tun Razak) and conspicuously my school was noticeably missing. So I took the opportunity during the break to pose him the question on why my school wasn't mentioned in his article, was it because he either didn't know the existence of the school or not worth mentioning.?. He took one look at me, inhaled few puffs of cigarettes (he chain-smoked in the school compound!!!), and with a smile he patted me at the back and went off to continue his talk. Then that was it, until a few weeks later, he mentioned the conversation in his Di Simpang-Simpang Jalan column. I recalled he wrote the reason why my school wasn't mention because it is in his good book. Thank you Pak Sako. Even though he didn't mention explicitly my name nor my school, but deep inside I knew it was for me.

Footnote:

However few 'registered-name' generation down, the school was later branded as the worst disciplined school in Malaysia by then the Education Minister one En. Anwar Ibrahim!

To Sopak, Pochong, Waltzco, SirCome, Urther, Weng, Pub, Bulues and others wherever, and whatever you all are now, thanks for the collective experiences in adolescence.