This is a letter written to the ‘Singapore Free Press And Mercantile Advertiser’ on 11 August 1922, regarding the closure of a makeshift eating centre of (unlicensed) hawkers by the British municipal authorities. (Quite possibly Battery Road, near the Singapore River). It is fascinating for the language used, and perhaps even more surprisingly, the fact that it was not corrected by the editors. THE CASE OF AH FAT Mister Editor, Sir, I poor coolie man long time live in Tanjong Pagar. Now very susah get my Taugi and Mehun, nasi and soy. Long before have got paser, close by mata-mata station, can buy all kinds good eating things. Now this paser shut and motorcars and lorries put there. Poor man very hard get makan close by ships after work dam hard. One man make eating place close by trams. Number one. Tables have got, benches have got, cloth roof have got, and big lamp for night. Come along Brinyu [Inspector] drive away all men sell food. Now where can get makan? Gaji money now more small, must work more long get enough nasi feed this poor body. Pray Mister Editor you talk top-side man can use this place for eating. No house have got. If poor man not use, goat, bullock, dog live there and poor man drive away. Yours respectable, AH FAT before, now AH LIN And here’s the editor’s response to the letter: “This complaint seems to have reference to the triangular plot of land opposite Fraser & Neave’s manufactory, which land belongs, we believe to the municipality, having been acquired for a street improvement. It used to be a famous open air restaurant for the Chinese, till the stall-holders—the stalls were temporary structures of wood with canvas coverings—were driven away. These are hard times for the coolies, and cheap food is very desirable. The use of the place would not seem to interfere with any municipal market or proper shop-keeper who pays rates.” (The authenticity of the letter—that it was written by a coolie—is perhaps in question. For me the giveaway is in the way the writer signs off, with the use of puns [I was formerly ‘fat’ and now am ‘lean’], incommensurate with the level of English in the rest of the letter. But nevertheless it is interesting that someone would try to ventriloquise coolie-English. I looked for references to ‘Brinyu’ and found some in the Straits Chinese Herald. Indeed it meant ‘Inspector’, as in ‘brinyu sampah’ (waste/hygiene inspector). And also in the following 1894 article in Baba Malay: “Samy, satu orang Kling, kalmaren ada dawa atas-nya pakeh satu lembu saket, kena hukom $10. Paglar, brinyu yang jaga orang jangan bikin dosa sama binatang, dawa itu case.” - “Samy, an Indian man, was charged a couple of days for using a cow/bullock that was ill and fined $10. Paglar, the inspector in charge of ensuring that people did not abuse animals, handled the case.”)
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 09:06:44 +0000
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