JUNE 11, 2022 marked a watershed moment for the Sarawak Malay National Association (PKMS).
Tan Sri Abang Ahmad Urai Abang Mohideen was named as the patron of PKMS.
For nearly 16 years, PKMS was without a patron as it was meticulous in identifying and recruiting Malay leaders who commanded respect to lead Sarawak’s oldest Malay organisation.
Ahmad Urai, a fan and art activist in his teenage years, was pleased to sing some songs after being officially proclaimed as the patron of PKMS. Among the classic songs he sang that night was Selamat Tinggal Bungaku by the late Datuk Ahmad Jais.
The following day, a devastating news shocked PKMS members and the Malay community in Sarawak. Ahmad Urai passed away on June 12 at 12.30am at a private hospital in Petra Jaya, Kuching at the age of 88 – 14 days shy of his 89th birthday.
The lyrics of Selamat Tinggal Bungaku from the previous night still echo in the hearts and minds of members and individuals who know him. They were taken aback by his sudden demise.
In several meetings and casual chats with Ahmad Urai, he often emphasised some important things to create harmony and unity among the races in a plural society like Sarawak, and Malaysia in general.
He touched on this with PKMS leaders who were invited to his residence for a luncheon on May 27.
Live life guided by the Quran
To young Muslims, Malays in particular, he recommended that Muslim youths fill themselves with knowledge and be dedicated in facing today’s very challenging life.
He shared his adolescent experience guiding youngsters in his village so that they do not forget and stray from the teachings of the Quran.
He was confident that if the teachings of the Quran were studied and practiced in their daily life, Muslim youths would not easily fall into and get caught up with unhealthy social issues.
His contribution to the development of Islam in the Satok area was greatly appreciated, with the construction of the Darul Ihsan Mosque, which later became known as the Al-Hakim Mosque in Jalan Muda Hashim. This mosque is one of his legacies. He never stopped building ‘khaira ummah’ (to develop a good community for the benefit of mankind) in Kuching.
Mindful
According to the late Ahmad Urai, an important aspect that needs to be emphasised in family life and eastern-style society is that we must take care of our family members and society.
An old Malay proverb reminds us to be careful in all our actions and words such as ‘terlajak perahu boleh diundur, terlajak kata buruk akibatnya’ (the words already spoken cannot be retracted and oneself will bear the consequences), ‘ikut hati mati, ikut rasa binasa’ (those who follow their desire will eventually perish), ‘cakap siang pandang-pandang, cakap malam dengar-dengar’ (be careful when talking about others), ‘hidup di dunia biar beradat, bahasa tidak mampu dijual beli’ (one shall be civilised while living in the world and language cannot be traded), ‘bahasa menunjukkan bangsa’ (good and bad behaviour of people shows their true identity), and many more Malay proverbs and sayings, symbolising the importance of being considerate and respectful of other people in the customs of Malay in this archipelago.
There are many examples of disputes in human civilisation that lead to ruin and destruction due to the attitude of not caring for others.
Ahmad Urai witnessed many problems in our society when the hearts and feelings of certain groups are overlooked and not taken care of. As a result, there are conflicts and crises that eventually become complicated and difficult to resolve.
He opined that in making any decision and stance, no matter how small, the hearts of everyone involved must be taken care of and given due consideration so that all decisions would not discourage others.
That is why the Malay community is quite careful and very sensitive in taking care of the feelings of all parties so that they can live in harmony without being intrusive and discouraged.
Good manners, courtesy, politeness and gentleness are the ingredients of Malay culture that are highly valued in keeping the hearts of every member of society. This is the backbone of the survival and greatness of the Malay race in this archipelago, which has succeeded in bringing civilisation and the independence of the Malay race and community to continue to exist and be respected by the multi-racial community as a whole.
In Malay custom, every child must take care of the feelings of his parents, every family must take care of the feelings of its neighbours, and every person must take care of the feelings of his relatives.
Only in this way can there be a life of harmony and respect for each other. This subtle culture is practised and highly prioritised by the late Ahmad Urai in his life until the end where his relatives, friends and family who are far and near are always happy and close to the late.
The late Ahmad Urai’s rank and pedigree did not stop him from being kind to his family, friends and relatives. Even among his relatives, he preferred to be known as ‘Nek Udak or Udak Ahmad’ only. Ahmad Urai is appreciated and accepted warmly by everyone who knows him because of his humility in the association.
Now he is gone forever. All his care and concern guarding the hearts of all he knew, will remain the memories of those who knew him. There is truth in the words of the late P Ramlee in his song Di manakan ku cari ganti? because he has left us forever.
Preserving unity
His experience of almost nine decades has seen many times the unity of the Malays in Sarawak and throughout Southeast Asia fractured due to various crises.
He witnessed the break-up of the Malays in Sarawak due to the handover of Sarawak to the colonial government in 1946. Sarawak’s independence in Malaysia in 1963, the Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, the Ming Court affair in 1987, and others are a lesson to us all on how important unity between races need to be defended if we are to live in peace.
Getting along with others
Among the important things that he emphasised in his casual chat with PKMS leaders at his residence on May 27 was about the importance of us living well with others.
We cannot, according to the late Ahmad Urai, create an atmosphere of isolation and solitude in our lives. The presence of others around us needs to be respected and treated with special kindness if it involves various races, religions and cultures.
Extreme attitude and disrespect are very dangerous in a plural society. The history of our country has witnessed religious and cultural extremists sparking many political and religious tensions that led to serious strife.
If this is not handled wisely and competently, it can lead to serious disputes that can crush and destroy a country.
As a moral and civilised nation, we must accept the presence of others with full understanding, respect and high self-esteem.
The Almighty created us in such a way that we have common sense with one another and may live together while recognising our differences. The differences between us should be an element for unity and unification, not for dividing us.
Ultimately if we respect and get along with others in a kind and respectful way, the differences between us will be able to forge closer relationships and throw away negative and bad thoughts.
Contributing to the development of PKMS and the Malays
He intended to get involved in efforts to increase the credibility of PKMS so that it can return to excellence as the oldest and most respected association like in the past.
This is in line with the position of the late Ahmad Urai as a person who is respected and revered among the Malay community in Kuching and Sarawak in particular.
His noble wishes were translated when he was appointed as the third patron of PKMS. He recommended several things to help PKMS to be able to move actively and effectively.
His dream was to see his Minang and Kampar-inspired architecture become the centre of Malay cultural activities as a way to support the arts and tourism industry that featured a variety of attractive tourism products around Kuching, especially the Malay villages along the Sarawak River.
As the words of the wise say – we can only plan, it is God who decides everything.
In the early morning of Sunday, June 12, Ahmad Urai passed on.
It was as if he had left his last message to everyone through the lyrics in the song Selamat Tinggal Bungaku.
“Goodbye my flowers, I beg to go first, remember this message of mine, take good care of yourself.”
May Allah bless his soul and place him among the righteous.
