Court of Justice of the Highest Order

I must have been a very keen observer of of the carriage of justice even at a very young age. It was 1954 before I was selected to go to school in Tanjong Lobang that I saw what it meant to go to court.

An adultery case had been mentioned in my longhouse and at an appointed day the court was to convene.

It was the most unusual court case but to me it had a great aura of poetic justice and it was deeply imprinted in my young mind.

In the early morning of the court case a clearing was made and no one went to their farms. The plaintiff was my aunt Emor who had accused her handsome husband Galang of committing adultery with a young lady called Enkrama. Emor was one of the most beautiful ladies in our longhouse at that time. Galang was handsome and big in size.

On that eventful morning Emor had hired my grandfather's fighting cock and Galang and Enkrama had hired theirs from Apai Tajak. Before the cock fight was to take place the "president" of the court who was my uncle gave the definition of adultery and mentioned the case. Apai Tajak also stood up to say something in defense.

Everyone was respectful and quiet that morning because the gods or spirits were invoked to be present with us.

When the two fighting cocks were released some how Galang's hired bird took fright and ran into the bushes. The court had thus decided that Galang and Enkrama were guilty. I remember seeing Enkrama looking embarassed and kept her face down. Galang looked very sad and walked away without even bidding good bye to his three young children then. He immediately packed his little bag and took his boat away.

I particularly remember his boat because he had the best outboard motor engine at that time in our longhouse.

Galang was known to have settled in Song in Batang Rajang and later remarried. Emor too remarried and had children. Both of them passed away not too long ago.

Today I am still in touch with my cousins who are children of Emore but I am glad that I have the opporutnity to meet one of Galang's sons from his second marriage.

Justice was carried out in a divine way. But it was sad to see a good couple split up in that way.