… kata Apek dalam filem Allahyarham Tan Sri P.Ramlee, “Madu 3”
NOTA EDITOR
Membaca artikel berikut yang tersiar dalam akhbar The Star keluaran Khamis, 16 Januari, terus mengingatkan penulis kepada slot kecil kisah Apek dalam filem Madu 3 arahan P.Ramlee, sungguhpun kaitannya tidaklah begitu tepat.
Sebelum dialog ‘Haiya… Hiduppun susah, matipun susah’ ini, Apek telah cuba membunuh diri dengan terjun dari atas sebatang pokok tetapi jatuh ke dalam kereta tidak berbumbung panduan ‘Ramli’, yang sedang melarikan diri daripada tiga madu yang mengejarnya.
Sementelah berada dalam tempat duduk penumpunag sebelah ‘Ramli’, Apek diminta memegang bendera putih tanda menyerah. Dan ketika sampai ke penghujung jalan, ‘Ramli’ terjun ke dalam sungai yang cetek manakala Apek duduk pula mencangkung di atas jambatan sambil terus memegang bendera putih itu.
Dan ketika inilah, Apek merungut, “Haiya… Hiduppun susah, matipun susah”, dengan menyalah-sangka dia sudahpun mati tetapi, masih juga ‘susah’ kerana terpaksa memegang bendera putih berkenaan.
Berikut disiarkan kembali artikel The Star tersebut, tersiar dalam halaman 6 di bawah tajuk “Next of kin coughing up more for coffins” atau diterjemahkan bermaksud, Waris simati perlu berbelanja lebih bagi membeli keranda.
IPOH : Those who have departed may rest in peace but not their families, as prices of caskets have gone up in the past year, mainly due to a hike in transportation and material and labour costs.
However, mindful of the sensitive nature of their business, casket owners are striving to keep the costs under control.
Fook Loke Sau Casket Centre director Thung Siew Ching said that since early last year, the prices had increased by between RM100 and RM600.
“A casket that used to cost RM800 is now going for RM1,200. The price of the caskets varies according to the size and materials used. With the increase in transportation fees and the escalating prices of other items, our business also needs to adapt,” she said.
Thung added that she also needed to review the prices for her other funeral services because the prices of fruits, kuih-muih and paper effigies had also gone up.
CONSIDERS CUSTOMERS’ FINANCIAL STANDING
“But I won’t do it drastically and I will be making the changes in phases,” she promised. “We need to take into consideration some of our customers’ financial background.”
Kam Chiew Casket owner Ng Kam Wah said his company would bear some of the costs so as not to burden customers. “If the family is poor, we will offer a discount,” said Ng, adding that the caskets at his shop ranged from RM300 to RM30,000.
Some of the more expensive coffins are made from cengal emas, a kind of hard wood, while the cheaper ones are manufactured from rubber wood.
David Lim, who has a shop in Sungai Petani, said the implementation of the RM900 minimum wage for labourers had worsened the situation, adding that prices had shot up by 10%,
“The prices of the coffins last went up almost three years ago,” he said. “Our sales have also decreased by almost 10% as there are shops that have not increased their prices.” – Khabar
