Every 3 to 4 weeks I would make a call to Gapar. He's a Timorese who's been in Sabah for over 10 years now. He's been moving from one odd job to another. Now he cuts grass from house to house, of which he's charging RM20 to RM30 depending on the size of the compound. He's quite a jolly chap; and he's also inclined to reminisce on his experience living in Sabah.
As a keen student of psychology, I try to find the time to talk to people from all walks of life, including Om Gapar. Recently, after he had finished with my garden, I walked out to him for a chit-chat. And he was all too willing to indulge in a lively conversation with me. Within an approximate 30 minutes chatting with him, I was able get a glimpse of his life in Sabah.
Over 10 years ago, Gapar first entered Sabah through Nunukan—illegally, of course. From Nunukan, he entered Tawau, an eastern town of Sabah. After spending a short time in Tawau he found his way to Keningau and eventually all the way to Nabawan and Pensiangan. He ended up in one of those timber camps. He was employed as a "tukang kupas". Essentially, his job was about removing the barks from the many round logs in the jungle. He quickly became an expert in his job and was therefore able to de-bark a huge number of logs, thus earning a big salary.
I watched him sitting on a stool, smoking a cigarette, reminiscing on the good 'ol days. He used to earn as much as RM7,500 per month. However, it's quite a norm in the timber camps that salaries would only be paid in full when the logs had been sold. In the mean time, labourers would be paid only portions of their salaries. He gave an example: If a labourer achieved an income of RM5,000, then the manager would pay him RM2,000. The balance would be paid after the logs were sold.
Once every month the labourers would have a few days off after they received their salaries. And it was a norm that the labourers would take the opportunity to go to the nearest town, i.e. Keningau. They would usually spend 3 nights in Keningau, and while there they'd spend most of their time drinking and getting drunk all the time. To make full use of their time in Keningau, they would hire the service of prostitutes at the cost of several hundred bucks per night. They would normally book these women for the entire 3 nights while they're in town. After 3 nights in Keningau, they could spend up to RM1,500 to RM1,800. When they're running low on cash, they'd go back into the timber camp to earn the money again.
That was how Gapar lived his life for some years. Then his taukeh ran out of concession areas and the timber camp had to close. Gapar had no more job, and his taukeh still owed him RM8,000, which proved to be a debt up till now. Gapar sought employment in other camps, but they all ended up with depleted timber resources.
This job, that job; this town, that town. In the end Gapar found his way to KK where he raised a bit of money to buy a bush-cutter. He then bought a second-hand bicycle and started going from house to house in housing estates in KK.
He still remembers the good old days when he was earning loads of money. He said it is very hard to "look" for money these days. And occasionally he has to share his income with the police too. He regrets wasting all the money he had earned in the past. When he left his village more than 10 years ago, he was supposed to send money home to his old folks frequently, but he ended up not sending a single sen all those years.
I see so many people living their lives like Gapar—even the highly educated ones. Very, very few people actually bother to save their money. Whatever they earn, they spend. Whatever they can borrow, they will borrow as much as possible. It's not really about how much they earn.
In Malay, there is a saying: Bila periuk nasi semakin besar, maka kerak nasi pun semakin besar juga. It means that when the rice pot is bigger, the rice crust (scorched rice that adheres to the inner side of the pot) will also be bigger.
Can you remember the time when you earned your very first pay cheque? I bet it was a small amount when compared to what you're earning now. Yet you were able to survive with that small amount, weren't you? As you earn more, your appetitie will grow too. Very few people will reach a point where they earn enough to be able to save a portion of their incomes. The appetite will keep growing so that whatever improvement in earning power will never be enough for savings.
And so Gapar is still waiting for the next break when he will have the opportunity to earn big money again. He said this time he will make it a point to save up.
Yeah right!
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