My IDOL - Usman Awang, Poet

An Idol is one that resembles You

Last but not the least, I want to talk about the person whose biography poem I addressed to. The late poet Usman Awang.

An early master of the sajak form, Usman Awang initially gave it a pantun rhythm, and later developed it as poetry for the sake of society. His poems are characterized by the gentle lyricism of classical literature, giving them an elegant and graceful moment, and themes that progressed with times: from the social issues concerning sidewalk hawkers to questions relating to environment and political freedom. His tone likewise became sharpened. Although not a founder member, Usman later joined Angkatan Sasterawan 50 – this the fact about him told by some else, an expert on biography of famous people.

But I as one of the students and teenagers in remote school learning literature last time, I always feel that I had known this figure long-long time ago via his words, his poems, such as ‘Anak Jiran Tioghua, Ke Makam Bonda, Gadis dan Ayat Suci, Keranda 152, Cikgu, Penjual Pisang di Kaki Lima etc. He truly lives in my heart via the humanism and nasionalism as well universalism that he instilled in my young mind then. He taught me more than my Literature teacher who usually busy with his ‘Guru Bidang’ task in his poems that I spent reading in the absence of that teacher. From his poems I learn how to be more respectable in term of being a citizen in multiracial nation. Other than the Prophet (PBUH), and few other people in the education lines that I do respect, this figure held a very special place in my heart which, I could not clearly explain. I never met him in person, but the values and the message that he conveys via his works especially the poems are something unusual effective and influencing.

Again in teaching literature we usually want the message come across to the audiences, and these messages should be delivered by language, I really hope that some people ‘up there’ in the Education Ministry would look into the matter of having the work of this poet with his thinking to be part of the school syllabus in both language. Really, by reading the correct minds than only you can correct your mind and the minds of your generation, if you read the corrupt one than definitely the generation is becoming into corruption too.. if you have the absurd one that they become weird... for they are unable to do the correct thinking with subtle messages.

Ha, is there anyone by this poet traits - realistic, pragmatic, sensitive and romantics and all that of him out there, still? Then I’ll be in love.. ( ahh… but I am always in love with humanism… thank you again dear sir, you and another one, Tan Sri Profesor Emeritus Awang Had Salleh)

p/s

Hahhaa .. oh by the way, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye awwso… anyone meets these people characteristics, then he can be my friend, huargh…

Military ones…. the late Lt Adnan Saidi, the late Lt Kol ( B) Hassan @ Sarjan Hassan, the still living now, out of list. Thank You.