KINSHIP

Day 1,240, 04:33 • Published in Malaysia Malaysia • by Amli Nujhan

O F F I C I A L--- e M A L A Y S I A N --- G O V E R N M E N T
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

I saw that boy yesterday. Awang is his name.
He was sitting alone with a torn kite in his hands. It was a beautiful traditional kite. The boy must have spent a great effort in making that kite. He’s surely very sad.

Not far from there in the field, there was another boy playing a remote control helicopter.



I know those kids. I know their fathers very well.
Awang and Hartono don’t get along very well. They never really understand why. Ever since those kids were born, they were fed into their mind about their family feud. It was due to the rivalry between their fathers.


Slowly I approached Awang.
“Awang, where are your friend Ninoy and your step brother Lionel?”

“They went home…,” whispered the boy.

“Awang, why don’t you go and play with Hartono?”
The kid didn’t answer me, but I can see his face react in disgust upon hearing the name.

“Boy, you listen to me. Your late mother, Madam Nusa, was a famous prima-donna in the old days. She was married both to your father Mr. Rahman and Hartono’s father, Karno. ”
“I can still remember the night Rahman and Karno were killing each other in a night club… brutally fighting over your mother.”

“But the rest of the bad story is not really important. Let bygones be bygones. Can’t you see that both of you were from the same womb. For the sake of your dead mother, both of you should love each other; and take of care each other. I can’t understand why you can get along well with Lionel, and tolerate with that little brother of yours very much… but not to Hartono.”

“Perhaps you and Lionel are raised together in a same house ever since your mother was gone. You were taught to love Lionel; but now you are grown up enough to understand that it is not right for you to hate Hartono either. Lionel is your step brother, and Hartono is your half brother… Is there any difference?”

“You kids shouldn’t be dragged into your fathers’ old feud. You the young generation should put an effort to correct the blunder of the past”.



Oh my… I was talking alone. But I’m sure the kid got my message.
It’s up to his courage to stand up on his feet and walk on in a new direction.


So, I left Awang and headed back to my favourite ‘Warong Kopi’ to continue playing checkers.






Minister of Education,
eMalaysia