I was asked by the Human Rights Committee of the Bar Council to make my observation of the SKY KINGDOM in Jerteh, Terengganu a week before the raid, that is, 26 June 2005. This was my second visit to Ayah Pin, the first time was some time in 2000 when I held a watching brief for the Bar Council for the Apostasy case in Kota Bharu.
When I arrived there at noon, it was blazing hot, and I was an hour late having gotten lost. I had asked for directions, but the directions were not as specific. There were no signboards.
I was greeted by a pony–tailed gentleman who quickly ushered me for an "audience" with the now infamous Ayah Pin. As I made my way, I looked around and saw more structures had been built than when I last went there. And there were about 50–60 people circumferencing these structures reminiscent of when I was performing my Haj. They ended up near the Telaga Ayah Pin where they drank and washed their faces with the water that was reportedly so magical and mystical that it can make a dead man alive.
I was introduced to this "charm"ing silver–haired man wearing a smart dark coat jacket. (Ahem, did I not tell you it was blazing hot!). He was protected from the blazing heat by his royal yellow sequinned umbrella which was faithfully carried by another pony–tailed assistant. The umbrella was similar to the ones the Royalties used in formal functions. He quickly remembered my name and asked how I was. I was surprised, and he asked me how old my baby was. (I was puzzled because my baby is only 20 months old, how could he have known?) He reminded me that the last time I went there I was pregnant. I told him I miscarried a few weeks after I met him. ( I thought he knew EVERYTHING!)
I asked if I could take a photograph of him using my handphone and he obliged. The umbrella bearer quickly put away the umbrella, and I protested and told him that I wanted to photograph Ayah Pin just the way he is, umbrella and all. His assistant did not seem too happy with my request. As I snapped photos of him, Ayah Pin graciously smiled and said that he was not handsome. (Where did I hear that line before?) He then proceeded to invite me to his "court –yard". He took off his shoes and I followed suit as a matter of respect. I took off my high heeled shoes and carried it with me dangling it in my hand. One of his wives quickly came up to me and asked me how I was and quickly took my shoes away. I walked in the courtyard bare footed like as if I was walking in a mosque. I guess it was to prevent dirtying the marble floorings. I was brought to the same place I had been to 5 years ago. Very much the same, but there were more chairs. He sat on the blue sofa with the royal yellow cushion. By then a few people from SUARAM had arrived and they took their places. Several journalists and photographers had their field day. I had not brought my note pad, but I jotted down these few things he had said.
"Tak lama lagi seluruh dunia akan tertumpu ke sini."
"Orang kata bila tengok Lord Murugan, maka nampak muka saya, bila tengok salib, maka muka saya di salib itu, bila tengok tokong Buddha, maka nampaklah mereka muka saya. Bila lihat muka saya, timbul rasa begawan di hati (Translated: when people look at my face, they will love me.) Saya tak kata, mereka yang kata.Tanya mereka lah...."
"Saya boleh menyelesaikan segala masaalah" "tanyalah semua orang yang saya sudah menyelesaikan masaalah mereka, yang penagih dadah...."
"Saya selesaikan masaalah berhubung kuasa ghaib, kena tanya tuan badan sendiri"
"Saya turun dari langit, nak sekat macam mana?"
About the structures and its meaning, he answered, "Tanyalah orang yang binanya, saya hanya bagi tanah saya saja". His answers were non–accusing, very properly structured. He had been practising I thought. He did not want to point any fingers at anyone, not the Majlis Daerah Besut, nor the Pejabat Tanah nor anyone for that matter although there were many threats by these authorities to demolish the structures.
I gave the structures a second look, a giant yellow umbrella with a huge base. (It rained a little later when I was there, and heck, the giant umbrella did not stop the rain from wetting my dress!), a beautifully crafted wooden sampan with two seaters – they called it Bahtera Ayah Pin (I asked whether if the tsunami struck, would it be able to help thousands if it only had 2 chairs?) (The sampan was supposedly a replica of Noah's Ark), a giant tea–pot that occasionally poured water into the Telaga Ayah Pin. There was also a wakaf with sand surrounding it, (supposedly to look like the Kaabah in the olden days). To me, all these structures remained structures with no value, except for the Sampan which I liked very much due to its handicraft and not for anything else. It was a work of art much like the tombs we see near the Tugu Peringatan Negara in Lake Gardens KL. There was nothing religious in it. I saw no harm in the owner of the land building any structure or tomb in their private courtyard. I have seen many bungalows of my rich friends having a statue of a naked boy peeing into the pond, or of storks or of a naked woman holding only a book in her hand. I have seen statues of a woman holding a torch symbolising nothing more than works of art. These structures remained mere structures. I had no intention of giving it any dignity at all (except for the sampan, which I thought I should bring back and put in my garden just in case my husband wants to go out fishing in it!).
I just saw no harm in it. These were works of art. To my mind, anyone who gave any more thought into it, must be mad. Really mad.
Then Ayah Pin invited me for lunch, and although I was very, very thirsty, I declined all the drinks offered. (My son had warned me that his school mates told him that Ayah Pin would actually **** in the well water). (The last time I was there I did not drink anything either) But I was hungry..... and it was well way past my lunch time.
We were invited to a wonderful spread of home cooked food, and I quickly downed the food without the drinks. I told the plainclothes policeman escorting me that I tak berani nak minum air di situ, and to my surprise he told me he had been eating and drinking the food and drinks there for three years already while he was put there to spy on the activities and there was no effect on him. (To my surprise, the week later, his face appeared in the newspapers, yup, the police inspector follower!)
To me, any one who believes him or in him are probably nuts. It is called idolatry. (But even Tok Guru Nik Aziz has healing powers!) But if he has succeeded in curing the hardcore drug addicts, then in my mind, he should just be left alone. Perhaps all drug addicts should be sent to Kg Batu 13, Jerteh. Perhaps, he may be beneficial. But until that time comes, let us just leave him and his followers in a world of their own. – Nik Elin |
After lunch, I ran to my car to get my bottle of Evian water. I drank half the bottle. Then I asked for the Orang Asli Tok Batin that Ayah Pin had introduced to me earlier as the man that he had brought back to life. The Tok Batin had offered to cure the pain in my knee. (I had a bad fall last year resulting in a limp due to the knee pain. I had seen my orthopaedic surgeon friend, and he suggested surgery). He touched my legs, then he asked me to bring him a bottle of water and so I got up and went to my car and took out my half bottle of Evian. When I came back he had prepared me a chair to sit on while he sat on the floor, Hmmmm interesting position..... He smoothened his (....Yuck... ) saliva on my knee, and he muttered something like, "bukan kerana aku tetapi kerana Ayah Pin".
I asked why and he said, Ayah Pin was his GOD.... And then he proceeded to mumble something and hey behold a pink stone (hey, my favourite colour) came out of his saliva.... He told me I must drink the water (eiyyyyyyuuuu!!!) and he dropped the stone into my only bottle of Evian..... then he started spitting into my Evian..... GROZZZZ! He told me that within 3 days of me applying it to my knee, I will recover.....
Ayah Pin came over to me soon after and as I sat on the same level chair as he did, his followers did not seem to mind. I questioned him ferociously, to the extent of being very rude to him. I asked his religion and he replied that as all faiths converged here, he could not seem to take a single religion, but he said that according to the law, he is a Muslim. In my heart, I see him just as a man who thinks he is a god. (But hey, so do many other men that I know, my husband including....) Here was a man living in a fantasy world, no less than Michael Jackson's Neverland. He fantasised, and there were his believers who were equally whacko.
To me, any one who believes him or in him are probably nuts. It is called idolatry. (But even Tok Guru Nik Aziz has healing powers!) But if he has succeeded in curing the hardcore drug addicts, then in my mind, he should just be left alone. Perhaps all drug addicts should be sent to Kg Batu 13, Jerteh. Perhaps, he may be beneficial. But until that time comes, let us just leave him and his followers in a world of their own.
If you look at the pictures that I had taken of the structures, you would see that there really was no harm in it. It did not deserve any dignity. But now that someone had demolished it, everyone overseas is going to converge their interest there and make a whole BIG fuss over it. Ayah Pin's prophecy that SELURUH DUNIA AKAN TERTUMPU KESINI would not be too far off track. Now, I am sure we would only be making Ayah Pin's dream a reality when we demolish those nothing structures. You know what I mean?
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