Stories from my dad - Japanese occupation

My dad used to tell me about his experiences during the Japanese occupation.

Being a mechanic, he was enlisted to work for them. He was given an armband as some sort of identification. It had its pros and cons working for them. There was no shortage of food and other items taken from the people. But being honest and timid, he dared not and did not take any which were offered to him, unlike his nephew.

One day, he realized that his nephew smoked a branded cigarette and seemed to be able to afford things that he could not. Later, he found out that he had secretly stolen petrol from his vehicle.

My dad bored a grudge against the Japanese because he was hit on the head by one of the soldiers by mistake. It happened because he had absent-mindedly threw some old bullets which were meant to be thrown away, into a fire! The loud explosions alarmed the soldiers and some even came out of the bathrooms naked!

Because of the lump on his head, which was not fully cured, he had occasional headache even after more than 20 years. During a period of years, he actually boycotted all things Japanese! He could never have foreseen that 55 years later, one of his granddaughters spent a year living with four foster Japanese families under the Rotary International Student Exchange programme! She attended a top Japanese school in Tokyo and was pampered by the host parents. Perhaps it was the Japanese ‘payback’ time!

My dad used to have a phobia whenever he was driving the big tow-truck. It had a metal structure, which he thought could be mistaken as anti-aircraft gun by Japanese fighter planes. He said the bombs dropped from the planes looked like bunches of “rambai”, a kind of fruit which looked like “langsat”, now seldom seen because it is unpopular.

One of the things he commented about the Japanese was that they liked their red bean soup very sweet. It seemed when the Japanese arrived, some small traders and barbers revealed their true identities and they were Japanese spies. It was a period of confusion and a person’s identity or membership of political parties like MCA, known to a perceived enemy like MCP, could even result in death.

I would like to think that because of his honesty, he was fortunate when he bought a piece of land, brokered by his father-in-law. He paid for it, half in British currency and half in Japanese currency, which was still acceptable then. As we all know, the latter currency became worthless. However, this is arguable, as I am sure some genuine notes (with proper numbers) if kept today, are collector items. Its value is anybody’s guess.

Soon after he had bought the land, he was offered a few other pieces nearby, which are presently owned by Low Yat group. He used to say that had he been more ambitious he would have been very rich indeed. He happened to be one of those who was easily contented and preferred a stress-free life. Only those who had the same philosophy will appreciate this point, as people in our present materialistic society always look up to those with power, wealth and luxury.