The mysterious Kulup Lembang of Tambun, the man who changed his name and identity to signify the abandonment of his pursuit of positions and power.
Is it true that the famous Gunung Datok has been commercially exploited (Editor: exploited, not conquered or ‘kongkek’) by the operator of the highly acclaimed Lost World of Tambun theme park?
Is it true that the famous Datoh of Kinta, also known as "Datoh Hilang di Jalan", and his companion, "Puteri Bendang Ayer Hangat", are enjoying their afterlife in the spiritual realm, perhaps even at the Lost World of Tambun theme park?
Kulup Lembang, Panjang Osman, and Harun were some of Tambun’s and Tanjung Rambutan’s well-known mining landlords or entrepreneurs during the heyday of Kinta tin mining. They were the real deal, real-life local Malay mining icons.
But why in the world did Abdul Rahim bin Abu Bakar not mention Kulup Lembang’s mining endeavours in his 1977 thesis?
How could Abdul Rahim bin Abu Bakar mention Panjang Osman’s and Harun’s mining endeavours in his thesis but not Kulup Lembang’s?
As the second great-grandson of a mysterious man who hid behind the alias Kulup Lembang, a few years ago, I was eager to undo the damage caused by a thesis submitted by Abdul Rahim bin Abu Bakar.
It all changed when I began to realize that the issues behind the questionable thesis were no longer about ignorance or blatant factual omissions but, in reality, had become an instrument of conspiracy to hide the truth regarding Kulup Lembang. A conspiracy that involved not only so-called relatives but also some descendants of Kulup Lembang themselves.
“to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery”1
By force or treachery?
Those are very strong words, but that's how Merriam-Webster defines the meaning of "supplant." This is a subject that needs to be looked into because it might explain why a mysterious man chose to change his identity and hide behind the alias we all know today as Kulup Lembang.
I find it quite perplexing that a major event involving the office, which had been put in cold storage for so many years—the office that has been the subject of passionate and emotional discussions by many Perakians of Bugis descent—has come and gone without any fanfare at all. Even our local social media scene is awfully quiet, and no trace of it being mentioned can be found anywhere!
I have always found some, if not all, claims brought forward by folks from Kepayang to be not only rather bizarre but also quite outrageous. Unfortunately, in the last few years, very few people share my views, mainly because the Malays in this part of the world simply do not have the courage to question local mainstream history, no matter how preposterous it could be.
I have noticed lately that the younger generations today often say that Bukit Gantang is located somewhere in Kinta. I don’t know what has led them to say so, but they'd better get their bearings right. Any good old or new maps of Perak would clearly show that Bukit Gantang is a locality that is certainly not located in Kinta.