Heads turn at unusual kampung wedding in Tasek Gelugor

Old friends were reunited at a joyous celebration of the wedding of ‘bridge-builder’ Abdul Rahman Kasim’s son Izzani and Nor Azila in a kampung in Tasek Gelugor on mainland Penang this afternoon.

Among the special guests were Bishop Sebastian Francis and Fr Marshall Fernandez from the Catholic Church and Rev John Kennady from the St Mark’s Anglican Church along with his church warden.

Also attending the wedding reception were Bishop Sebastian’s friend from Tasek Gelugor, the genial, soft-spoken Ustaz Soib Mohd Amin, and another resident Hussein Ahmad, the son of the country’s first opposition MP, the late Haji Ahmad Tuan Hussein, an Islamic scholar who won the only seat for Pas and the opposition, thus averting a clean sweep by the Alliance of the 52 seats in the pre-Independence 1955 general election. That seat was Krian, now known as Parit Buntar, the incumbent MP for which is another bridge-builder, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who works closely with Abdul Rahman.

Guests heading for the reception at this village off the beaten track did a double-take upon seeing the churchmen venturing into the area, but most flashed a friendly smile at the out-of-the-ordinary visitors.

Abdul Rahman lives with his family in Tasek Gelugor in a village appropriately called Kampung Aman (Peace Village).

Parting thought: I don’t think Abdul Rahman, a chicken seller at the local market, is particularly impressed with those who needlessly and provocatively spilled chicken blood in a recent protest.