Mencari Johan

Teks penuh Prof Dr Solehah Ishak, Penyandang Kerusi P. Ramlee, ASWARA memperkatakan buku Jejak Seni: Dari Pentas Bangsawan Ke Media Prima Berhad oleh Johan Jaaffar sewaktu majlis di DBP pada 20 Januari 2017. Buku terbitan DBP ini dilancarkan oleh Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, Penasihat Sosiobudaya Kerajaan Malaysia.

Jejak Seni: Dari Pentas Bangsawan ke Media Prima Bhd (2017: terbitan DBP). Inilah tajuk buku hasil tulisan Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar—penulis (yang menulis rencana, esei, kritikan), penulis kreatif (yang menulis novel, cerpen, drama (sama ada drama TV, radio, pentas, adaptasi, terjemahan), pelakon, pengarah, tokoh budayan, tokoh korporat. Melalui kaca mata anaknya, Syahida, dalam bukunya Mimpi-Mimpi Ida “...many people know you as many things: journalist, writer, stage actor, Chairman, CEO, businessman, farmer, “ tapi pada Ida, Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar “ialah ayah, si penglipur lara, pengumpul cerita.”

Jejak Seni adalah kumpulan cerita peribadi seorang penglipur lars glokal yang tersohor. Saya mula melihat Johan Jaaffar melalui lakonan beliau dengan watak Mahatahu dalam Angin Kering, di Universiti Malaya, walaupun pada masa itu beliau tidak mengenali saya. Saya mula berkenalan dengan beliau dan isterinya Puan Sri Sarah, sejak dari zaman Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka mereka lagi. Pada saya, mereka ialah Jo dan Sarah. Sesungguhnya, Jo, sangat luar biasa orangnya.

Pada Dec. 29, 2016,  pukul 6:30 pagi,Jo menghantar mesej kepada saya, yang berbunyi “Hi Sol. Good morning. Would you be available on Friday, the 20th of January 2017, 3:00pm” diikuti dengan gambar kulit buku Jejak Seni [Johan Jaaffar] dengan nota “for this.” Diikuti lagi dengan mesej “I need you to talk about the book, please. Wherever you are going, tangguh le dulu....”

Sebenarnya, apabila saya diminta memperkatakan dan memperkenalkan buku Jejak Seni, oleh Jo sendiri, saya menerimanya dengan serta merta, kerana saya tidak berani menolak permintaan atau “arahan” itu.

Saya telah lama meneliti dan akan sentiasa mengikuti perkembangan Johan sebagai seorang dramatis yang berwibawa yang berwacana tentang dimensi sosio-budaya-politik-ekonomi negara dan masyarakat dalam pelbagai strata sosial dengan beraneka liku dan ranjau kehidupan melalui nada beliau yang begitu tajam, sinis dan kritis.

Pada 2014 saya menterjemahkan bukunya, Drama Pentas Johan Jaaffar (2012: terbitan Balang Rimbun Sdn. Bhd.) dengan tajuknya dalam bahasa Inggeris, Johan Jaaffar: These Are My Plays (2014: diterbitkan oleh Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia). Dengan demikian saya boleh mengaku bahawa saya telah tahu dengan mendalam bukan saja tentang tujuh skrip drama karya Johan Jaaffar, tetapi juga tentang minda kepengarangannya.

Dengan hakikat bahawa saya sememangnya tidak boleh menolak permintaan Johan untuk memperkenalkan buku ini, yang diperkuatkan lagi dengan kajian saya tentang drama beliau yang saya terjemahkan, dan dengan persahabatan kami dan keluarga kami yang merentasi zaman, lautan dan pelbagai sempadan, saya dengan rendah hati,menerima pelawaan/penghormatan ini.

Saya pun menunggu untuk membaca buku, yang apabila dihantar kepada saya, disertakan dengan nota tulisan tangan Johan “Hot from the oven/press.” Buat sekian lama saya mengenali Johan, dan dalam proses menterjemahkan drama-drama beliau, sedikit sebanyak saya sudah tahu apa yang akan diperkatakan tentang pengalaman kehidupan beliau dari kecil sehingga dewasa, dari pelakon kanak-kanak ke pelakon dewasa sehingga lah ke masa terkini.

Saya pun membaca buku setebal 340 halaman ini dalam masa dua hari, siang dan malam. Saya ketepikan kerja saya yang lain untuk menghabiskan buku ini, kerana selepas saya baca, suami saya, Kamaruddin juga, perlu/mesti membacanya.

Kamaruddin mesti membaca sebab saya memerlukan feedback dari pembaca “outsider” yang walaupun sudah lama kenal dengan Johan, tidak mengkaji dan meneliti karyanya sedalam yang saya lakukan. Pada Kamaruddin,  semua yang dibaca semasa Johan tergila-gila dengan dunia bangsawan amat mengelikan hatinya. Beliau mengata bahawa “Johan ni lucu dan gila-gila la. Pecah perut baca buku dia.”

Saya pula membaca buku ini sebagai seorang pengkaji yang “dibebankan” dengan tugas saya untuk memperkenalkan kepada khalayak pembaca. Justeru itu minda saya tidak terlepas bebas untuk membaca dan menikmatinya sebagai sebuah buku secara santai!

Pembacaan buku ini sangat bermakna kepada saya.Sebahagian dari cerita lisan yang sudah diceritakan kepada saya mempunyai dimensi yang baru apabila diterbitkan sebagai buku. Saya melihat melalui kacamata yang berbeza tentang keperitan sejarah seni persembahan di tanah air, daripada seorang tokohyang amat luar biasa, yang sudah mula terlibat dalam dunia seni persembahan sejak semasa beliau di zaman persekolahan lagi, pada umur yang masih amat muda.

Membaca buku ini membuka pintu minda saya seluas mungkin. Minda akademik dengan teori seni persembahan saja tidak memadai untuk benar-benar menangkap pelbagai pengertian dan beraneka sub-teks yang disajikan oleh Johan.

Jejak Seni bukan hanya membincang tentang evolusi seni persembahan di Semenanjung Malaysia, tetapi juga, malah lebih penting lagi, membincang tentang transformasi sosial dan budaya, pendidikan dan teknologi, kemiskinan dan perubahan sosio-ekonomi, dan makna kehidupanyang terjadi selama 50 tahun, yang mempunyai dampak terhadap seni persembahan, berdasarkan pengalaman peribadi Johan Jaaffar sendiri.

Johan bukanlah sekadar seorang “orang seni”, tetapi sesungguhnya beliau adalah seorang pejuang yang tergila-gila berenang dalam ombak badai dunia seni persembahan, tanpa menyerah kalah. Oleh itu, memahami kisah perjalanan seorang seniman yang tergila-gila dalam dunia seni persembahan di tanah air kita ini, membangkitkan dimensi baru dalam pandang dunia (weltanschauung) saya terhadap evolusi dunia seni persembahan di Semenanjung Malaysia.

Buku ini mengandungi 76 bab. Sebahagian besar (48 bab) daripada keseluruhan buku ini ditulis oleh Johan sebagai rencana yang diterbitkan dalam majalah Dewan Budaya selama 48 bulan (Julai 2007 hingga Jun 2011). Bab-bab ini membincangkan pengalaman pahit-manis, suka-duka beliau dalam dunia seni. Bab yang lain membicarakan tentang pengalaman beliau mengarah drama adaptasi, drama tv dan juga tentang tokoh-tokoh seni dan seniman yang melintasi atau singgah dalam kehidupan beliau.

Buku ini merangkumi perjalanan seni Johan Jaaffar dari kampungnya, Kampung Sungai Balang Besar, “pekan koboi” di Muar, Johor. Dekad 1960an ialah era hiburan funfair dan juga era seni persembahan bangsawan masuk ke kampung, sebagai satu produk yang diperniagakan. Pada tahun 1965 itu, kumpulan Bintang Timur Opera masuk dan memperniagakan persembahannya kepada penduduk Kampung Sungai Balang Besar, tempat Johan Jaaffar dilahirkan dan membesar.

Ketika kumpulan Bintang Timur Opera mula mengadakan persembahan bangsawan di pekan koboi tersebut, Johan sudah berusia 11 tahun, iaitu di darjah enam di Peserian Primary English School, di pekan Semerah.  Kumpulan ini diketuai oleh Bakar M., dan dibantu oleh anak-anaknya iaitu Rahman B, Rahim B, dan Rohani B. Johan merapatkan dirinya dengan kumpulan bangsawan ini.

Pada mulanya dia bekerja sebagai pembekal barang tertentu yang diperlukan (buluh) dan tukang beli barang keperluan dapur, minuman dan rokok untuk mereka. Kemudian dia diupah sebagai penarik tirai panggung bangsawan tersebut.

Johan melihat seni persembahan bangsawan pada pertengahan dekad 1960an itu dengan ingatan yang tajam. Dia melihat pelakon bangsawan terpaksa mengepam lampu gas yang menerangi panggung, kerana ketika itu Kampung Sungai Balang Besar belum mempunyai bekalan letrik. Oleh itu, persembahan bangsawan tersebut tidak dapat menggunakan teknik pencahayaan tertentu. Pada masa itu juga, panggung bangsawan penuh dengan serangga yang datang kerana tertarik dengan cahaya lampu gas tersebut. Dia juga melihat bagaimana Bakar M menjaga disiplin kelurga kumpulan operanya itu.

Pada usia sebelas tahun tersebut Johan sudah tergila-gilakan kecantikan dan bakat Rohani B, primadona atau seri panggung kumpulan bangsawan itu. Oleh kerana Rohani B tidak boleh membaca, Johan menjadi tukang baca surat-surat yang diterima oleh Rohani B daripada para peminatnya, termasuklah surat cinta daripada tokoh penyair yang sudah pun terkenal ketika itu.

Amat lucu cara Johan menukilkan kisah membaca surat cinta tersebut, menapis isi surat tersebut (di mana perlu) sebelum diceritakan kepada Rohani B, dan memakan kuih-kuih yang diberikan oleh para peminat primadona tersebut (kerana Rohani B takut memakannya. Subteksnya ialah kerana beliau mungkin takut dikenakan ilmu pengasih terhadapnya).

Bangsawan mengisi kalbu Johan Jaaffar. Dia mengkagumi dan hidup bersama bangsawan hinggalah kumpulan Bintang Timur Opera berkubur tanpa nesan di pekan koboinya itu. Keluarga Bakar M menghilangkan diri. Rohani B, seri panggungnya, juga menghilangkan diri. Tiada lagi surat peminat yang akan dibaca. Tiada lagi tirai panggung akan  ditarik. Kalbu Johan kehilangan panggungnya.

Tetapi kematian bangsawan digantikan oleh seni persembahan “baru”: sandiwara. Walaupun sandiwara di Kampung Sungai Balang Besar itu lahir tidak dirancang dan tidak mempunyai primadona seanggun Rohani B, Johan tetap melibatkan dirinya. Sandiwara ini adalah produk seni orang kampung Johan Jaaffar.  Mereka menggunakan peralatan panggung yang kesemuanya ditinggalkan begitu saja oleh kumpulan Bintang Timur Opera yang terpaksa gulung tikar itu.

Sandiwara ialah genre transisi dalam evolusi teater moden Melayu. Sejak diperkenalkan oleh cikgu Shaharom Hussein di Batu Pahat pada 1930, sandiwara menjadi genre drama yang menggunakan skrip. Oleh itu, pada 1969, Johan mula menjadi seorang penulis skrip drama. Skrip pertamanya ialah “Uda dan Dara” yang merupakan penyesuaian cerita Romeo dan Juliet yang dibacanya di sekolah Inggerisnya.

Sejak itu, pementasan oleh kumpulan sandiwara Badan Bestari Sungai Balang banyak bergantung kepada skrip yang ditulis oleh Johan Jaaffar. Dalam masa yang sama Johan mula terlibat sebagai pelakon drama, bermula dengan peranan sebagai seorang pak pacak dan badut. Dalam era sandiwara ini Johan aktif sebagai penulis skrip dan pelakon drama di kampung. Dalam masa yang sama, Johan juga aktif menonton filem di panggung Kandar, di Semerah.

Johan bukan hanya gila dengan bangsawan atau sandiwara tetapi juga dengan filem dan bintang filem. Kegilaan Johan terhadap bintang filem bermula  ketika bintang filem terkenal seperti P. Ramlee, Saloma, Saleh Kamil, Wahid Satey, Aziz Satar dan ramai lagi pernah membuat persembahan di funfair di Kampung Sungai Balang Besar. Johan begitu tergila-gilakan kecantikan dan bakat bintang filem Latifah Omar.

Johan “bekerja” sebagai pembekal air minuman kepada para bintang filem tersebut dengan upah 10 atau 20 sen semalam. Tugas beliau yang lain pula adalah sebagai “pembaca surat” dan “penyimpan rahsia” yang amat dipercayai. Minda Johan mula diisi oleh kegilaan yang mendalam terhadap seni persembahan. Kegilaan ini berterusan selama setengah abad.

Kerana aktif dalam dunia sandiwara ini, dan mungkin kerana asyek dengan dunia filem, pelajarannya terabai. Akibat drama dan panggung wayang, Johan gagal dalam peperiksaan MCE pada tahun 1970. Johan mengambil peperiksaan MCE pada tahun berikutnya dan berjaya mendapat kelulusan yang baik. Setahun dia tidak terlibat dengan drama.  Ini salah satu sebab kumpulan sandiwara Badan Bestari Sungai Balang juga berkubur tanpa nesan.

Johan melanjutkan pelajaran di tingkatan enam di High School Muar. Setelah itu dia melanjutkan pelajarannya di Jabatan Pengajian Melayu di Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Anak penoreh getah yang miskin ini pergi ke Universiti Malaya dengan menumpang sebuah lori milik orang Cina yang membawa sayur ke Kuala Lumpur. Kemiskinan memaksanya bekerja sambilan. Biasiswa yang diterimanya hanya cukup untuk membayar yuran pengajian. Oleh itu Johan terpaksa bekerja sebagai budak jaga kereta, tukang bersih di kedai menjual motorsikal, pembersih tandas di bangunan NST di Jalan Bangsar, sebagai “tukang nangis” di upacara pengebumian orang Cina dan sebagainya. Johan terpaksa mengharungi ranjau di sepanjang jalan kehidupannya, terutamanya ketiadaan wang. 

Universiti Malaya menjadi tempat Johan Jaaffar kembali aktif dalam kegiatan teater.   Dunia teater di Universiti Malaya tentulah amat berbeza dari dunia bangsawan dan sandiwara kampungnya. Kumpulan Kesenian Universiti Malaya (KESUMA)  dan Panggung Eksperimen Universiti Malaya adalah entiti yang menjadi pusat kegiatan teaternya yang baru. Di sinilah bakat dan komitmen Johan terhadap dunia seni persembahan semakin mantap, terutamanya dalam penulisan skrip drama.

Suasana kampus banyak memberikan inspirasi untuk berkarya: politik kampus, pengalaman menjadi dan bergaul dengan warga miskin, menonton teater karya dan produksi orang lain, bergaul dengan dramatis yang sudah berpengalaman, kehadiran infrastruktur yang mencukupi untuk berteater dan sebagainya. Di kampus juga Johan berhadapan dengan konsep teater eksperimen yang boleh dilahirkan di Panggung Eksperimen Universiti Malaya.

Pada 1975 Johan memainkan peranannya sebagai penulis skrip. Dia menghasilkan skrip “Kotaku Oh Kotaku.” Inilah skrip drama yang dihasilkan oleh seorang anak kampung yang baru berkenalan dengan masyarakat kota Kuala Lumpur. Oleh itu skrip ini menampilkan 19 watak  yang terdiri daripada Pelacur, Tukang Sapu, Pengangkut Najis, Jebat, Penyair Agung, Pengarang Agung, Perancang Bandar, Doktor, Peon, dan pasangan Teruna dan Dara.

Kejayaan pementasan teater  “Kotaku Oh Kotaku” adalah mercu tanda kelahiran Johan Jaaffar sebagai seorang tokoh penulis skrip teater yang disegani. Selepas itu Johan menghasilkan skrip “Angin Kering” dan beberapa skrip lagi (lihat Johan Jaaffar:These are My Plays, 2014).  Dia mendapat gelaran “orang teater absurd,” “orang teater moden,” dan “orang teater generasi ketiga,” dan sebagainya.  Jejak seninya semakin ketara sewaktu menjadi mahasiswa di Universiti Malaya.

Setelah bergraduat, Johan Jaaffar bekerja di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka mulai Julai 1977 hingga Oktober 1992. Antara tahun 1977 hingga 1989, Johan aktif dalam kegiatan teater di DBP. Dia menulis skrip, berlakon dan mengarahkan teater. Selepas 1989 Johan tidak aktif lagi dalam dunia teater. Ketika bertugas sebagai Ketua Pengarang Kumpulan Akhbar Utusan Melayu (1992-1998) beliau masih menulis tentang dunia filem. Antara tahun 1998 hingga 2009, setelah tidak lagi bekerja dengan Kumpulan Akhbar Utusan Melayu,  Johan bekerja sendiri dalam bidang penternakan dan pertanian, dan masih menyumbangkan tulisannya tentang dunia seni persembahan untuk majalah Dewan Budaya mulai Julai 2007. Johan meneruskan  kegiatannya menulis tentang seni persembahan Melayu sehingga Jun 2011. Beliau dilantik memegang jawatan Pengerusi Media Prima Berhad antara April 2009  hingga Ogos 2015. 

Jejak seni dan kehidupan Johan Jaaffar adalah sebuah drama panjang yang mempunyai ratusan babak dan adegan yang kompleks,tetapi diikatke dalam satu jaringan lebar oleh rangkaian tali kegilaannya yang jujur terhadap dunia seni persembahan yang mengisi kalbunya.

Dalam Jejak Seni, Johan juga bercerita tentang tokoh-tokoh dalam dunia seni persembahan tanah air seperti Usman Awang, Anuar Nor Arai, Krishen Jit, Zakaria Arifin, Yassin Salleh, Mustapha Noor, Wan Hanafi Su, Hatta Azad Khan, Sabri Yunus, Othman Haji Zainuddin, A. Jalil Hamid, Fauziah Nawi, A. Rahim Muda, Dinsman, Pak Samad Said, Pak Samad Ismail, Anwar Ridhwan, Sutung Umar RS, Zaharah Nawawi, Tiara Jacquelina, Baharuddin Zainal, Atondra dan ramai lagi. 

Peranan setiap orang yang namanya disebut dalam bukunya ini diceritakan seadanya. Jejak seni Johan Jaaffar sesungguhnya bercampur baur dengan jejak tokoh-tokoh tersebut.

Antara ratusan seniman, bintang dan kawan yang menjelma dalam kehidupan Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, saya ingin menarik perhatian kita semua kepada rakan beliau bernama Yassin Salleh, dia ‘halimunan yang baik yang menjelma sebagai sahabat setia semasa susah,” (ms.206). Seperti dinyatakan didalam buku ini “Selama banyak tahun saya berada ‘di luar lingkaran’... Yassin...bersama-sama saya, menemani saya, meladeni saya, memujuk saya, menenangkan saya,” (ms.206).  Zaman berada “di luar lingkaran”ini dinyatakan kepada saya sendiri dengan lebih kesat lagi, “I became a pariah, Sol....”

Memang wajar dan tepat, dalam buku yang membincangkan tentang jejak seni, Johan hanya menyatakan secara sepintas lalu (dalam beberapa ayat, semasa membincangkan tentang sahabatnya, Yassin Salleh) zaman “di luar lingkaran ini.” Saya memberinya fokas sebagai satu lagi ranjau dalam kehidupan Johan. Tetapi kesemua ranjau ini sebenarnya menjadikan beliau seperti besi yang disepuh, semakin kuat dan tajam.

Saya tidak akan membicarakan jejak jejak yang diambil oleh Johan dengan terperinci, sila beli dan bacalah buku ini sendiri. Tetapi, sebagai pengkaji drama dan seni persembahan teater, saya mesti mengimbau khalayak untuk melihat Johan Jaaffar sebagai seorang tokoh penulis skrip teater yang disegani dan dikagumi, sama ada beliau dilihat sebagai “orang teater absurd,” “orang teater moden,” atau “orang teater generasi ketiga.”

Pada saya, buat masa ini, kalau saya terpaksa memilih sebuah drama beliau sahaja, saya akan memilih “Asiah Samiah”, sebagai drama beliau yang terbaik, buat masa kini. Sayangnya, drama ini  masih belum lagi dipentaskan. (Ini satu harapan dan cabaran saya kepada penggiat teater untuk mementaskannya; dan cabaran saya juga kepada Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar untuk menulis drama baru yang akan menandingi dan mengatasi “Asiah Samiah”.

Pada saya secara peribadi,  membaca buku ini, adalah satu tour de force bukan semata-mata tentang kehidupan, tetapi tentang manusia yang bernama Johan Jaaffar. Dulu, pertama kali saya pergi ke pejabat Tan Sri di bangunan New Straits Times, di Bangsar, beliau berkata, “Sol, I used to collect old newspapers here and clean the building;” dan sambil kami berjalan  ke tingkap pejabatnya, beliau  menambah “and I used to work at one of the motorcycle shops down there.”

Sememangnyalah, “life is a spinning wheel” -- kita tidak akan sentiasa berada di bawah atau di atas buat selama-lamanya.Jejak jejak kehidupan Johan membuat kita kagum dengan kegigihan beliau dan menghormati beliau  dengan lebih lagi.

Dan pada saya, Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, adalah manusia yang mempunyai “moral compass” yang tidak boleh dirundingi, dan untuk itu saya tabik dan menghormati beliau.Lebih daripada itu, Jejak Seni membuat kita memikir tentang hati dan jiwa Johan, terutamanya tentang nilai kemanusiaannya, kegigihannya, tentang ketulusan dan semangat juangnya yang sentiasa membara, yang menyebabkan tanggapan saya terhadap insan yang bernama Johan Jaaffar ini mengalami pemantapan dan enforcement yang cukup besar.

Buku Jejak Seni ini sangat penting dibaca oleh para pelajar dan aktivis teater, para budayawan, seniman dan ilmuwan yang ingin mengenali dunia seni persembahan Melayu. Buku ini adalah satu dokumentasi yang mantap dan jitu tentang sejarah seni persembahan tanah air. Jejak Seni juga penting untuk mereka yang ingin menyelami makna kehidupan, persahabatan, kuasa, kekuasaan, pemimpin dan kepimpinan.

ends

Book Launch

Book Launch

HB Academy

Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

1^stDecember 2016

By JOHAN JAAFFAR

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am honoured to be here and to be among the best of the best in the incredible discipline of Human Behaviour, the business of this Academy. I must admit I am not familiar with the Academy. But from what I have heard and read, I am thoroughly impressed. HB Academy founders, I found out, were psychologists, counsellors and behaviourists. Strange people this flock, but they represent the “humane” in humanity, I reckon!

And I am even more impressed with the vision and mission carved as the Academy’s guiding principles.

I like the phrase “Being Humane, Humane Being” adopted as the mantra for the Academy.

Behavioural psychology is a discipline little known and least understood. Perhaps even under-rated in the realm of knowledge. Human behavioural psychology is even more daunting to most people. It is a subject meant for the so-called obscure experts. To most people, it is as exotic as a study on metaphysical or transcendence.

Charles Dickens

Trying to understand ourselves by our actions and assessing how we outwardly behave isn’t easy. ‘Knowing thyself’ is always a challenge. Little wonder that Charles Dickens once said, “A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” 

Dramatist Samuel Beckett, one of the propagators of absurd theater, once said about himself, “The danger is always in the neatness of identification.” He was talking about all of us, in fact.

Samuel Beckett

Behavioural psychologists have been trying to unveil the mystery of the human mind and to seek insights on how the mind operates. I am sure it is a fascinating discipline. Perhaps there is more to it than psychology as it involves the academic disciplines of psychiatry, social studies, sociology, and even anthropology.

This is your area of expertise, not mine. But like all things around us, nothing stands alone. I have also been intrigued by human behaviour in my years in the world of culture and the arts, literature, journalism, the corporate world.

As a journalist I covered conflict areas, went to war zones, met not just victims of wars but the perpetrators too!

I met some of the worst despots and dictators. Some of them have no remorse about causing miseries to others.

I have met great statesmen and women such as Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, JP Kalam and Vaclav Havel,to name a few. And I have interviewed Saddam Hussein and Gulbuddin Hekmateyar. Who are these people? Why are they so successful and in some cases so brutal? I have no answer to those questions. You do! 

Margaret Thatcher

I have had many experiences working with people – from being an officer in a government outfit to chairman of various companies and institutions. I have even set up my own companies. I subscribe to the idea of the need for a “platform for synergy”, as the Academy succinctly puts it, and in doing so, positioning key values appropriate for the eco-system.

I was in theater for many years – an accomplished actor during my days. I have acted in plays by Shakespeare, Hendrik Ibsen, WS Renda, as well as by our local greats including Shahrom Hussein, A Samad Said, Hatta Azad Khan, and Zakaria Ariffin.

I learned a lot from my involvement in culture and the arts over the last many decades. I learned about discipline, about the need to be adaptive, about engagement and, more importantly, about having the right mindset. Delivery matters on stage as much as it is in companies and institutions.

I am proud to announce that the memoir of my 50-year foray into the world of theater is to be published soon by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), entitled Jejak Seni: Dari Pentas Bangsawan ke Media Prima Berhad. I started when I was a kid awed by the fantasy and grandeur of the world of Bangsawan performed by a troupe on an open field next to my house. I ended up as the Chairman of Media Prima Berhad, the largest and the only integrated media company in the country. What a journey it has been for me.

I was the editor of a powerful newspaper group for some years (1992 – 1998). Journalists are a different breed of people altogether. I was famously fired in 1998 for my association with someone. They say good soldiers don’t die, they just fade away. On the other hand, good editors don’t fade away, they get fired. And I started a private school soon after. For many years, I was on my own until I was appointed Chairman of DBP and later Media Prima Berhad.

I learned a valuable lesson along the way, on stage, as editor, as chairman, as a businessman: People need to be motivated!

Had I engaged an academy like this to help me all those years, life would have been a lot easier for me. Take an example of my position as chairman of a company that employed 4,700 people at one time. And I knew then that we had a 4,700 people-problem.

I believe companies must take advantage of the good services offered by the Academy. I can say this, from my experience, you are needed, more so now than ever before. The dynamics in society have changed. Things have changed on the corporate front. Creativity and innovation matter now. We need creative and innovative people. Companies that are involved in the creative content industry or related industries need a new breed of people altogether. Not just those with impressive paper qualifications, but those who can adjust, adapt and, more importantly, understand the notion of street-smartness.

I believe strongly that we are far behind in the behavioural sciences. We are a nation that believes in getting people to do things. We drive. We want productivity. We lecture on the need to develop proper work ethics. We want to emulate others in their work culture. We expect workers to perform miracles. But we fail to understand the very core issue that is being encompassed as your mission: Improving productivity through human attitudes and behaviour.

Let me repeat: Human attitudes and behaviour.

That I believe is the Holy Grail of human resource. The very construct that makes up a successful workforce.

My question is: Are we paying enough attention to these?

We talk about bringing the country up to the next level. We talk endlessly about training, retraining, and providing impetus to nurture a sustainable and productive workforce. We spend millions on training. We get motivators, even celebrity preachers, to inspire. But memories are short, interests and commitments are shorter. We don’t even understand why we need to train people. Values are not changing. Productivity suffers.

I believe the workforce is the most valuable asset of any company. Yet it is easier said than done. We are dealing with a workforce that covers people of my generation, those of Gen X and Y, and the Millennials too. You can’t cut and paste to please everyone. They have their wants, needs and demands. No such thing as one-size-fits-all.

Where lies the difference? The Academy knows better. We are talking mindsets here, attitudes and values – things that HR departments can only scrape the surface in understanding the real issues. They need help.

Taking the cue from the company I was with. Being a content creation company, Media Prima Berhad has to harp not just on content and materials but CURATION, LOCATION and DIFFERENTIATION. Old ways have long gone. Even in a company like that, age-old wisdom about managing people has become less applicable.

Nicco Mele’s book,The End of Big: How the Digital Revolution Makes David the New Goliath, gives me the jitters. It is as thought-provoking as it is scary. Small is Big now. Big is in danger. The companies worth billions are run by a handful of people. There are, however, companies that employ thousands, yet making less profit each year. 

Productivity sucks and bureaucracy is killing whatever is left of the chances to be better. Understanding the new dynamics of business today is critical.

This is a book that will change our perception of how we use technology. We will never look at technological advancement in the same way again. Mele asks whether it is now the end of ‘Big’. 

He makes a very compelling argument on how our new-found connectivity is affecting the media, governments and politics, but more so businesses.

But it is his argument that “the thumb drive is mightier than the sword” today that warrants attention. Mele wants us to think hard how radical connectivity is pushing power to individuals and away from established institutions at an alarming pace. Yes, there are promises and hope. He admits that he wrote the book with a dark view of the future. He sees trends that are both powerful and dangerous, of which many current leaders are oblivious. But he believes the power that technology has given us can create something new, something different.

We must take heed of Mele’s warning about not allowing ourselves to be cowed by technology but to embrace it to build a better future. However, those are things that make sense when we look at the big picture. What about the effect on the human mind? How is technological advancement today creating deeply conflicting moral impulses on human beings? And how are people corrupted by power, wealth and such?

We must understand that our actions are not based on impulses alone but are affected by factors such as genetics, social norms, core faith, attitudes, the environment, and people around us. I read somewhere that behaviour is impacted by certain traits each individual has. In short, it is a complex realm.

The Academy must look for new opportunities to help businesses, institutions and governments. The sky is the limit. Make the Academy relevant especially to industry. You will fly. 

I must congratulate the Academy for the good work so far. And for coming out with three more publications. I am sure that, other than in book form, they are also to be available online – as part of the Academy’s move to promote itself digitally. Having these publications online is a smart move to encourage “converts” to the discipline that you are in.

I shall refrain myself from talking about the books for they have been introduced earlier. I have found out that the Academy has published books about issues other than training and helping companies to get the best from their employees. You can’t go too far wrong when you have publications with catchy titles such as Trapping the Cunning Fox or I See, I Hear and I Conquer!

And the three books today – I must say that you have bought me over. The titles are incredibly sale able: To Eat or To Be Eaten, The Flintstones Management (wow!), and Ordinary People, Extraordinary Leadership: Humane Being, Being Humane. They are written by people who know what they are talking about. Some of them are legends in their own right.

During my years in the media, one thing that annoyed me most was the inability of my people to tell stories effectively in not too many words. Headings matter in a newspaper business. Titles matter in a drama or film. Great movies are best remembered when their titles are catchy, crisp and cool. Casablanca, Star Wars, Forest Gump, Antara Dua Darjat, Penarik Beca, to name a few.

Half the battle is won if you have books with titles like I See, I Hear and I Conquer or To Eat or To Be Eaten.  Guys, whoever came out with those titles, he or she is not only a marvelous copywriter but an incredibly clever marketer.

With a little nudge, a bit of re-branding and clever PR, I am sure the Academy will be better known to the public and particularly its target market and stake-holders. You have great stories to tell. Make behavioural science hip, classy and sexy. Companies need that. The country needs you. Learn from David Beckham. He is not even the best midfielder in the history of English football. He hung his boots some years ago. But today he is iconic. We remember him while other football greats have become mere footnotes in the history of football.

Learn branding from him. Brand well. Branding is everything today.

Moving forward, the Academy needs re-branding. That is my area of expertise. 

Again, I commend the publication of these books by the Academy.

With the lafaz, Bismillah…, I hereby officially soft-launch the publication of Flintstone Management by Prof Tan Sri Amrin Buang and Prof Leow Chee Seng; To Eat Or To be Eaten: Managing Y Generation by Prof Dato Wira Awang Kechik Hj Abdul Rahman, Mohd YusairyJamil and Prof Dr Leow Che Seng;and Ordinary People, Extraordinary Leadership  by Tan Sri Mohd Shukor Hj Mahfar and Prof Dr Leow Chee Seng.

Thank you.  

“Muar Stories Encore – A Colourful Past Revisited”

Foreword to More Pages From the Past by Kamaruddin Abdullah

By JOHAN JAAFFAR

 Many things have happened in ‘Muo’ (that is how the town of Muar is referred to by its proud inhabitants) since Pages From My Past by Kamaruddin Abdullah was published three years ago. Muar Town, now Bandar Di Rajaor ‘Royal Town’, is undergoing transformation. New buildings are reshaping its skyline. The Tanjung Emas area, once a sleepy hollow, is alive with development and activities. New housing estates are sprouting all over to cater for its growing population.

Three murals are providing another good reason for people to stop over at the town. The first one is at the Jalan Bakri roundabout. Entitled The Loving Sisters, it is an 11.86-metre by 9.75-metre work by young Russian artist Julia Voichkova, which was completed in 14 days. The other one atJalan Yahya was painted by Spanish artist Sabek and the third mural is at Dataran Tanjung Emas, done by a British, Thomas Powell.

Culture and the arts used to be part of the identity of Muar since time immemorial. A writers association, Persatuan Penulis dan Peminat Bahasa Muar (PPPBM), affiliated to GAPENA, the national writers’ federation, was home to many good writers from the district. I was one of its members in the 1970s. Besides the Malay ghazal and zapin, performing arts were flourishingamong people of Javanese descent in the form of kuda kepang, ketoprak, cempuleng and wayang wong.

At last something is ‘happening’now in what used to be bandar pencen (pensioners’ town). With new and hip eateries for the young and old alike,Muar is perhaps changing for the better. But like all things Muar, progress is cautiously embraced. Muarians (the people of Muar) like it their way – the Muar way.

Let the world shift and shake, Muar would rather move gracefully with time, preserving the identity and the uniqueness that is peculiarly and unmistakably Muar. After all, this is no ordinary town. This is a town replete with history and rich in tradition.

As proven by history, modernisation came early to the state of Johor. But Muar was a few steps behind Johor Bahru, the state capital, progress-wise. Abdul Malik Munip’s book, Bandar Maharani dan Daerah Muar 1884-1920:Peribumi dan Pemodenan, published in 1984 is really an eye-opener. (‘Bandar Maharani’ is another name for Muar). Abdul Malik, a Muar-born scholar, was a lecturer with the History Department of the University of Malaya. He later joined politics, even represented the parliamentary constituency of Muar for some years. The book is a study on how the district of Muar was administered between 1884 and 1920.

Muar was already a ‘special’ town in 1901 in the eyes of The Malay Mail. On 8 March of that year, the newspaper carried an editorial regarding the backwardness of the indigenous people, particularly the Malays in the Federated Malay States (FMS). It commented on the failure of the colonisers in winning the hearts and minds of the people despite creating “civilizing institutions” such as schools, hospitals, post offices and such. 

Yet the Malays were largely left behind in the economic sphere. Interestingly, the editorial made this observation:“The great fact remains that the Malays of Muar have a national life of their own and, taking part in the administration of the country, naturally take a keen interest in it.” The editorial was comparing the administration of Muar with that of other districts in Malaya at the time.Managed by Malay administrators, the management style was highly regarded by the newspaper.

In his study,Abdul Malik found that there was stability and relative prosperity in the district during the period. That was the period of no interference from the British. Even with the appointment of a Deputy British Advisor in the district in 1911, most of decisions were still made by pegawai anak negeri (local administrators) till 1914.  Muarians certainly have reasons to gloat that long before British advisers were poking their fingers into the administration of the district, Muar was already well administered.

Yes, Muarians gloat a lot. You are a Muarian not by accident. You are destined to be one. Being orang Muar (Muar People) even today is a badge of honour. Talk about Bangsa Johor (yes, Muarians are undeniably part of that) but for Muarians,they are Bangsa Muar first. Hey, after all, the current Prime Minister has Muar genes. His mother is a full-blooded Muarian, born to a distinguished Muar family.

What is so special about Muar? The penambang (jetty)? There were other rivers where ferries were used to get across back then. The tanjung(cape)? Until recently, only old mansions dotted the area. The panggung (cinema)? The Asiatic was not the only cinema offering cheap matinees in Malayan towns. Or the stories about people with Italian-sounding names who were part of the ‘satay cartel’ of the 1960s and 70s in Muar? 

Those satay sellers were of Javanese descent with names like Marion, Suarno, Mantono, Karto and Santini. Based on the names, one can’t get anymore Italian than that. These families dominated the satay franchise back then. And they were controlling certain areas so as to avoid conflicts. Ask Kamaruddin, he can write a book about them.

Or is it about the railway line at Parit Jawa in the district, said to be one of the earliest in the country? Or the fact that the town had two of the most active publishers churning Malay novels and other publications as early as the 1930s – the Muhammadiah Press and Jamiliah Press? Or that Muar High School, where I studied in Form Six, is more than 100 years old and has produced almost all the menteri besar(chief ministers) of the state?Do you know that Muar produced the most number of ‘Tan Sri’for any district in Malaysia, minus the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur? I may be wrong but Muarians believe this is true.

In short, we are talking about a town people look up to and talk about. Muar is famous for its home-grown Kopi 434, mi Bandung, satay served in the morning, and asam pedas. Little wonder that t-shirts proclaiming ‘Muo People: We Eat Satay in the Morning’,Menantu Yang Baik Adalah Orang Muar(The best son- or daughter-in-law is a Muarian) and Orang Muo Gaya Muo (Muo People Muo Style) are worn proudly. It is perhaps the consciousness of being a Muarian or the fact that Muarians are clamouring for their own identity within the Johor construct. Call it identity contestation.

I was born many kilometres away from the town. Muar was a ‘far away’ town for me and my family. I would take a bus ride to Muar with my father when he had urusan (business to attend to) in Muar, like paying taxes. The one-hour journey from my kampung, Sungai Balang Besar, to Muar was always eventful, at least by my standard back then. The business at the Land Office might take no less than an hour but I can’t forget the thrill of strolling along the Muar River bank, having tea at a Hailam shop at Jalan Abdullah, visiting Kedai Manap (the bookshop) or, when Ayah had enough money, having mi Bandung at one of the shops.

I wasn’t raised in the town, but Muar is always part of my consciousness. Pergi Bando (going to town) is always the magic phrase. When I was a student at Muar High School (1972/1973),I learned to appreciate the town even more – frequenting places mentioned in Kamaruddin’s first book, even getting to know many of the characters he later mentioned in his work.

This is the Muar stories’ encore.

Kamaruddin must have many stories to share from his past. I was told that he has become a minor celebrity now in Johor, especially in Muar, andin places frequented by Johoreans, and especially Muarians,in Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. Everyone has an episode or a character to add to Kamaruddin’s stories. I am happy that he decided to come out with this second book about growing up in Muar. 

Like the first book, this is not an official history of Muar or its people. It contains stories of the town and its people. Kamaruddin is no historian. He is a blogger and a writer and, more importantly,a Muarian writing about his early life in colourful Muar. You can’t blame him for being irrationally exuberant about the place where he was born and bred. Perhaps nostalgia is good for us. When we reminisce, life feels more meaningful.

We often can’t help but bring back our fondest memories – whatever left of it at this age – with whim and longing, rewinding our follies of youth on replay, perhaps to relieve us of the pressures of the present. Kamaruddin is doing just that and more. He reminds us of our younger days too. Kamaruddin is not exactly writing his official memoir, he is reliving his memories of the good (and some bad) old days.

In this book he is sharing with us many more Muar stories, ranging from “Bobby Cliff and the Teenage Blues” to “In Memory of Pak Malek, My Beca Man” to “The London Circus is Coming to Town”. You want to know who were the “Muar Tanjung Boys” or the “Muar Town Girls”? Read the relevant chapters! Like the first book, he uses his licence to name names and talks about the characters of people whom he knew and encountered, replete with gelaran (nicknames), and get away with it. He does it with lots of humour and finesse.

Would you care to read about someone else’s first day in school or his tree-climbing adventures or about livestock and pets? But these ‘nothing’ stories become a compelling read in this book. Kamaruddin is a good story-teller after all. He writes effortlessly without proving himself to be a wordsmith extraordinaire.

Just take a look at the chapter on Sangam the movie. Like Kamaruddin, I wasn’t a great fan of Hindi movies before Sangam. The 1964 film about an ill-fated triangular love affair acted by Raj Kapoor, Vijayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar was a classic in its own right. It was one of the best remembered Hindi movies of all time. Kamaruddin, a sceptic before entering the cinema,came out besotted and singing one of the signature songs in the movie, Dost Dost Na Raha.

Kamaruddin has a chapter on “The Cinemas of Muar Town”. One of the cinema halls he mentioned, Asiatic, was my favourite too for it offered cheap matinees on Saturdays. Asiatic reminds me of the cinema in Semerah, where my primary and secondary schools were, known as Panggung Kandar. The cinema is my ‘Cinema Paradiso’ – the place where I discovered the magic and grandeur of cinema. Cinema Paradiso is a movie directed by Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore in 1988. It was a rite-of-passage movie for me.

Like Sangam, Penarik Beca (directed by P Ramlee in 1955) and Citizen Kane (helmed by Orson Welles in 1941), Cinema Paradiso lured me into the world of films and performing arts, an obsession I continue  to this day. My book, Jejak Seni Johan Jaaffar: Dari Pentas Bangsawan ke Media Prima Berhad (published by DBP), is the story of my involvement in the world of performing arts and content creation over the last 50 years.

I must admit that I am attracted to stories from Kamaruddin’s past. Even if you are not from Muar, you will be swayed by Kamaruddin’s simple yet arresting way of telling stories. Perhaps even relate to his stories. It is not surprising that the first book was a success. 

I am honoured to be given this opportunity to write the Foreword for the second book. It is always a pleasure to be associated with this project. I must thank the publisher of the book, Datin Kalsom Taib, who incidentally is the writer’s aunt and his former teacher. Kalsom herself is the daughter of the legendary Tan Sri Taib Andak, in whose house the late Tun Razak stayed when he was studying in London. Taib was the first Chairman of Felda. Like Kalsom, Kamaruddin too came from a distinguished family in Muar. And I thank Kamaruddin for his faith in me, despite losing patience at times for my procrastination in getting the Foreword done according to schedule.  

I am looking forward to more Muar stories by Kamaruddin. I enjoyed them immensely. I am sure you will too.Happy reading.

ENDS