Most people look forward to a relaxed life once they retire but not 57-year- old Mokhtar Shah. He is still up and about. Mokhtar is his own boss and keeps busy driving a taxi, more as a hobby than anything else. Mokhtar’s life tells us the reason for the contentment he feels today. How did it all begin?
Mokhtar was originally from Muar, Johor. After leaving school at the age of twelve, he worked for his uncle at a small food stall. He earned RM30 a month. After three years, he decided to set out on his own instead. He became an odd-job labourer doing different things for different people. He manage to make a little more.
Not along after that, Mokhtar moved on to greener pastures. He worked as an odd-job labourer in Kuala Lumpur. Later, he was employed as a gardener, keeping a rich man’s lawn neat and tidy. During this time Mokhtar got married and began to raise a family. However, the pressures of raising a family of four children and living in the city were too much for him. So, he opted for a better –paid job and became an ambulance driver with the General Hospital in Jalan Raja Muda.
Those were difficult days. He realized that the duties of an ambulance driver included duties like picking up patients and doing dispatch work. At other times, Mokhtar had to ferry sick students to and from examination centres. The working hours were long and the salary was still not enough.
Mokhtar had to support his growing family. He decided to become a part-time fruit and vegetable seller. In the evenings, after he had finished his work at the hospital, he would go home and pack fruits and vegetables to market them at the pasar malam in his neighbourhood. The extra income he earned came in useful to pay for amenities, medical bills and his children’s education.
His four children became the focus of his life. Mokhtar had only completed primary six and therefore wanted his children to do better than he had done. He believed that although he could not teach them, he could give them support by being there with them while they were studying. He made it a point to take his children to the public library and often spent his hard-earned money on books for them.
In the 1980s, when his children were growing up, Mokhtar and his wife were worried. They needed to ensure their children would not influenced by the teenagers in the neighbourhood who played truant or indulged in unhealthy activities like using drugs. “My wife and I kept a strict eye on our children,” he said. “Every time they went out, we would check on them to make sure they were in good company.” Once in a while , the Mokhtar family could be seen at picnic spots enjoying themselves. Mokhtar’s children have grown up to be responsible and independent adults.
A typical day in Mokhtar’s life now begins at 5 a.m. with morning prayers. Then, he has breakfast and begins work. His work ends before lunchtime after he has done at least four hours of driving his taxi.
It has been some thirty years since Mokhtar left Muar. He is a contented man. “The years of hard work and the sacrifices I made for my family have paid off.” he said. He takes pride in his children: one is a lecturer, another, a development project consultant, the third, a secretary and the youngest, a bank employee. As for what the future holds, Mokhtar’s only hope is that he remains healthy and is able to lead a useful life, both for his family and society.
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