As a result of “chap langkau” (locally brewed alcoholic drink) Abuk (not his real name), an elderly grandfather, slipped and hurt both legs when coming out of a bus.
This happened at the junction of his longhouse, about 22 kilometres from Saratok town.
Pangup, 77, is still strong and active. But on most days, he is not sober by two or three in the afternoon because his regular “langkau” session with a few others at a café in town starts around 11am.
Most of the time this group would miss lunch. Food is not their priority but the drink without control on its alcohol percentage content is.
Once a young man poured the liquor on the concrete floor and used a lighter to ignite fire. Instantly the liquor caught fire. He did it in front of Abuk and a few others.
Abuk just laughed and said, “Let it be. I am nearly 80 years old and have lost a wife, a daughter and even a grandson. There is nothing to live for.”
During the slip incident at the longhouse junction recently, Pangup also hurt his knee and ankle. He was reportedly assisted by another longhouse elder during the two-kilometre journey on foot to their community dwelling.
This was not the first time such incident happened to him. He even forgot to take out from the bus he boarded some window panes that he purchased in town on an earlier trip.
“Once our father even forgot to stop at the longhouse junction as he was asleep when the bus passed by our junction. The bus only dropped him during the return trip from Debak,” said one of his sons who preferred anonymity.
Pangup and his two or three friends who are regulars at the café are charged RM10 for a big bottle or RM5 for a small bottle. The shop is a loyal purchaser and patron of a number of well-known local “langkau” brewers.
The four of them could easily afford to drink an unending flow of the alcohol as they enjoy regular supply of cash from their children who are earning decent incomes.
The special café where Pangup and friends usually gather is also patronised by many other regulars, including those in their 20s and 30s. Together with the grandpas, these young men form the lifeline of the café and the “langkau” brewers.
These younger ones even forget that they have wives and young offspring at home. Their preference is the company of fellow “langkau” addicts.
There have been a number of accident cases in the district attributed to the liquor addiction, especially “langkau” for being the cheapest of them all. In the last three months, no less than 10 of such accident cases occurred along the Saratok-Sarikei/Saratok-Debak roads. Two of them were fatal.
Apart from the accidents due to drink driving as a result of “langkau” consumption, there are also addicts suffering from various ailments.
In my longhouse after the last Gawai Dayak, there have been two deaths. One was due to drink driving whereas the most recent one was due to malfunctioning of body parts such as the kidney and lung as a result of prolonged “langkau” addiction.
He was only 32 while the boy in the drink driving case was only 17 and was supposed to sit for the SPM examination this year.
Currently there are at least three others in our community dwelling who are frequently high on “langkau” and are usually not sober, including a close relative in his early 30s who was almost crushed by a tanker while coming out of a school junction after a drinking session.
These three are among scores of their pitiful counterparts elsewhere in the district.
Saratok is not alone in facing this predicament as this problem is occurring everywhere in the state, in Sabah and surprisingly in Brunei Darussalam, thanks and no thanks to the presence of brewers who are our countrymen — especially my fellow Ibans — in the sultanate.
These brewers enjoy a brisk business, especially with a sizeable patronage from local residents of Kampung Ayer. Even with the strict regulations in the coffee shops, these “langkau” consumers are very smart.
They put Coco-Cola bottles on the tables but place chilled “langkau” bottles inside a pail on the floor under the tables. This group of three or more would likely to remain on the tables and sometimes leave late in the evening.
Be it in Betong, Sri Aman, Roban, Kanowit, Julau, Kapit, Miri, Bintulu and Limbang as well as elsewhere one would likely to come across the same group of enthusiasts and addicts who form the lifeline of brewers.
Most addicts may not share his sentiment but nevertheless they form the lifeline of brewers in the district and elsewhere.
Saratok brewers enjoy brisk business as they are supplying “langkau” to other districts and towns, even as far as Kuching and Samarahan.
I find that this liquor addiction is similar to drug addiction. Those addicted to drugs such as syabu, heroine, cannabis, marijuana will suffer great withdrawal symptoms upon getting rid of such addiction.
In the end they will become addicts again.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
