"Apa woi, woi? Nama saja Melayu, budi bahasa tadda.."

And that's why I really dig P. Ramlee films - so lightweight, so simple, yet so kena! Like Ogy Ahmad Daud loves to say, "Mainan dalaman gitu!"

The line I placed on the title box above was taken from Seniman Bujang Lapok - it was the scene in which the threesome were trying to get into the Jalan Ampas film studio.


^ Above photo borrowed from www.p-ramlee.com thanks! Er.. mana Sudin.. kenapa tadda dalam ini gambar?

Ajis, Sudin and Ramlee each tried their luck in confronting the guard outside the studio - in not so many words and very little effort, they belittled the guard, asking the Indian dude questions choppily as if the stout fella was just a simpleton.

Hence the guard's famous, short but not so sweet snub.

A big ego might get in the way of seeing the real message these actors are putting out.

A more open mind (plus two years of Sastera Melayu in school for that isi tersirat extraction skill) will be more likely to notice that the single sentence, Nama saja Melayu, budi bahasa tadda.. actually signifies a number of things:

1] That Nama saja Melayu is a very literal thing - and that the things people usually notice earliert about other people, among others, is the race one is - which is not a bad thing, tis just the way things are.

2] That back then, Malays and budi bahasa are parallels, synonyms, expected, characterized.

3] That when a Malay is lacking of budi bahasa, it is an appalling condition, shocking, unexpected, should-end-up-as-front-page material kinda thing.

4] That the line is a really, really subtle yet deep-sliced teguran and should only be highly appreciated, as it comes from another fella who is not a Malay but knows enough about the Malays to know that Malays are berbudi bahasa kinda lot. After all the Indian dude must have been a friendly kinda chap and sure have gotten to know a lot of other Malay dudes to know that most of them are berbudi bahasa and rarely he finds one that does not potray the same characteristic.

So that's why when my Malay gal friends come complaining that they're so so so very tired of Malay boys trying to mengorat by making that stupid mouse screeching sound and throwing lines like, "Huiyo, berapa punya banyak la burger dia makan!"

Komen sebodoh itu sesuai betul kalu dibalas dengan, "Bukan setan, syaitan. Sultannn."

It kinda reminds us of the Bujang Lapok boys and the Studio Jalan Ampas guard. Even the Bujang Lapok boys were quick to throw in an apology and revert to their gentlemanly ways, why not do the same?

My suggestion: Kalu nak ngorat tu, just come over our teh tarik table with a smile. Make sure we aren't talking about our menses or body hair, then say la, "Excuse me, I'm Omar. My gang and I would like to be friends with you gals, can or cannot?"

OK what. Susah sangat ke nak buat?

"Aah, Omar boleh!"