My father was a Custom officer and has retired more than 20 years ago. He held a quite high post then. But he worked his way up there from the bottom. And I know he was proud of his work. His first pay when he first joined the government was about RM98. But that was light years ago and that amount of money is considered big at that time. Imagine having that kind of pay now. Isyh... tak terimagine.
A picture of my father taken 2 years back.
Anyhow, over the years of hard work, my father develops osteoarthritis in both of his knees and goes for regular check-up in the orthopaedic clinic. Recently, in one of his appointments, he must have mentioned to the attending doctor of his previous job. The doctor jokingly told him the current meaning of Kastam.
K - Kalau
A - Ada
S - Sapu
T - Tak
A - Ada
M - Minta
My father was amused with the joke. Hmm... Joke ke? It's reality smack on the face actually.
My father said, 'Kalau dulu tak ada semua tu'.
Another elderly patient who was also in the same treatment room said to my father: 'Sebab tu you tak kaya-kaya. Tak apa.. patut syukur'.
True... kalau kaya, duit haram pun tak guna jugak...