The Jannatons

Prologue

GEORGETOWN: Lebih 400 ahli keluarga keturunan Datuk K Jannaton yang dikatakan antara orang pertama membuka Pulau Pinang, berhimpun pada majlis perhimpunan keluarga itu buat kali keempat, semalam. Majlis itu yang berlangsung di Dewan Budaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Minden, di sini, turut diserikan dengan pelancaran jualan buku dan laman web mengenai sejarah Datuk Jannaton.

Presiden Jawatankuasa Ahli Keluarga Keturunan Datuk K Jannaton, Rahmah Aziz, berkata perhimpunan dwitahunan itu diadakan bagi mengeratkan hubungan silaturahim sesama keluarga selain mencari ahli keluarga lain.Katanya, perhimpunan secara besar-besaran keluarga itu pertama kali diadakan di Ipoh pada 2002, disusuli acara kedua di Taiping, Perak pada 2004 dan ketiga di Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, dua tahun lalu.

Majlis diserikan dengan forum salasilah Jannaton, persembahan video lawatan bersejarah ke Padang dan Batu Baru, pelancaran laman web dan cabutan nombor bertuah serta lawatan ke makam Datuk Jannaton.

Beliau berkata, ramai ahli keluarga keturunan Datuk Jannaton berjaya menempa nama di negara ini termasuk bekas Presiden pertama Singapura, Tun Yusof Ishak; bekas Menteri Pertanian pertama, Aziz Ishak; Duta Singapura, Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh dan Hakim Persekutuan, Datuk Wira Wan Yahya Pawanteh.Tokoh lain ialah bekas Pengerusi Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB), Tan Sri Razali Ismail yang juga Pro Canselor USM; bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Bakri Omar dan Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan, Datuk Seri Mohd Zulhasnan Rafique.

(The above was taken from Harian Metro)

I didn't attend the above gathering, I must admit. Heck, I didn't even attend the first one in 2002. A few of my siblings did attend the one in Ipoh, but I am not sure if anyone did attend this one in Penang.

I would like to get hold of the family tree to know my exact position in this lineage. Actually when we were kids, we knew of the name Jannaton as aruah bapak had named his second son - my younger bro - with that name as a family name. In fact as my bro rightly pointed out, at the first meeting, he should be given an 'award' as he is probably the only one with that ancestral name in the hundreds attending the first gathering.

I guess he has the longest name in the family - Abdul Latif Janaton Hariri.

It is fun to be able to trace one's family especially if it is as steeped in history as the Jannatons. By this I don't mean material wealth. For me, the fact that I had rubbed shoulders with many names that are mentioned in local text book is a source of pride to me, and nothing else I guess.

While Mak's side came from Kampung Haraban as mentioned in earlier entry, bapak's sides came from another Minangkabau town of Pagar Ruyung (or is it Batu Bara?), which I believe should be less than 2 hours away from each other.

But these towns, or kampungs could not have been so different, for Pagar Ruyung is the site of the Minangkabau's royalty, though I am sure Datuk Jannaton was not a royalty. I am a bit confused with the town Batu Bara being mentioned in the Harian Metro. Are we from the twon Pagar Ruyung or Batu Bara? Then again, they are probably half an hour away.

I guess I am Minang through and through as there are Minang bloods on both sides. But don't ask me to speak the Minang dialect; I can't, and I don't think I am interested at this stage of my life.

I do wonder though why I am not a good businessman, as many Minang man, whose business prowess is quite well known in Indonesia. In fact, a business acquaintence, from a state-owned oil company in Indonesia, by the name Ricki Riswandi, told me that the Minangs are known as the Jews of Indonesia.

I might have been offended by his remark, made during one of my many business trips to the refinery in oil town of Dumai, if he was not a Minang himself!

Now, if only I can get hold of the family tree....Errr, dear Zaman, are you still reading my blog? Have not heard from you since the election. Must be busy with the March election eh? :-) Would you have access to the presentation materials, the book and the family tree?

EPILOGUE

I found the website www.jannaton.net thought did not have the time to scrutinize it yet. There is a book by Aziz Ishak called Mencari Bako and I would like to get my hand on it soon.