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.
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.