Decades on, dedicated Ah Seng plies his 'bot penambang' daily along Sungai Perak
TELUK INTAN - Without fail, every day from sunrise to sunset, ‘bot penambang’ (passenger boat service) operated by Lee Lam Seng will ferry passengers back and forth, from the Pokok Asam jetty in Teluk Intan town to the Kampung Cina jetty in Seberang Perak, along Sungai Perak.
Despite being the only passenger boat operator left standing there, the native of Teluk Intan, fondly called ‘Ah Seng’, 62, still slogs about 600 metres one way, for the survival of his family.
"Right from the age of nine, I helped my late father do this work. When he died, I continued because this was the only work I was good at.
"I never feel worn out, nor want to throw in the towel. So long as my body is able, I will work as long as I can, as this is my livelihood to eke out a living,” he told Bernama at Pokok Asam jetty here.
Lee said that he was the only owner of a boat service which still operated at the jetty from 7 am to 7 pm, even though at one time, the service was the lifeblood of the riverine community.
"In the 60’s to the early 90’s, there were indeed many who plied this boat service at Pokok Asam jetty. At that time, there were still many residents in Teluk Intan and Seberang Perak, using ‘bot penambang’ to go to work or to source daily necessities.
"However, as time went by, many people were able to buy their own cars; the demand for this boat service dipped, and many boat operators switched to other businesses,” he explained.
Apart from that, he said that another factor which caused the passenger boat service to be increasingly sidelined was the existence of the Sultan Yusof Bridge at Jalan Sitiawan-Teluk Intan, as well as the bridge connecting Kampung Gajah to Teluk Intan.
"However, there are still folks in the surrounding area who need the service of my ‘bot penambang’, because it takes less time than using the land route which goes over the two bridges,” he recalled.
The father of two also explained that, besides carrying passengers, the over-four decades-old boat also offers the same service for light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles.
Of the archaic fare, which is unheard of in this present era of e-hailing charges, the humble Ah Seng disclosed that he only charges each passenger between 70 sen and RM1.00 for a one-way journey, which takes about 10 minutes.
"For one passenger, the charge is 70 sen, while if you bring a bicycle or motorcycle, it is RM1. The maximum capacity for this boat is around 15 passengers and 10 motorcycles.
"In a day, I can earn around RM100 to RM250, depending on the situation. If it’s a holiday, I might pocket more, but on a normal day (Monday-Friday) my income is less,” he said.
Meanwhile, one of Ah Seng’s regular passengers, Suhaimi Asnahar, 48, said that he often uses Ah Seng’s boat service, because it saves him time and money.
Suhaimi, who is a security guard at Felcra Changkat Lada, added that the service is usually used for specific purposes, including work matters.
"I prefer to use ‘bot penambang’ instead of the road due to the distance and time saved. If you follow the road from my house in Felcra Changkat Lada to Teluk Intan, it will take about one hour to travel some 60 kilometres.
"By boat, it only takes 30 minutes to get to Teluk Intan. The fare charged is also dirt cheap, which is as low as RM1 ringgit for a one-way trip,” he said.
Meanwhile, T. Moorthy, 50, called on government agencies to assist Ah Seng in maintaining the boat service, as well as turning it into one of the tourist attractions of Teluk Intan.
"I think this boat service is unique, and if possible some authority, especially tourism agencies, ought to look into this matter for further action.
"It needs to be maintained because besides being an ancillary service to the residents of Teluk Intan and Seberang Perak, it can also be turned into a tourist attraction other than the Menara Condong and Pulau Bangau,” he said. - BERNAMA
