"The tissue paper uncle"
Travelling is one of the best experiences you can get in life.
by: Sim Pei Qi
Uncle Najib was selling tissue paper at the entrance of Jurong Point when we approached him. He sat in a wheelchair, with a plastic bag at his side, filled with colourful packets of tissue, and jovially greeted us in fluent English. He seemed glad to have our company for a moment, as busy passer-bys walked past us to the mall.
Through our conversation, he revealed that his proficiency in the English language is all thanks to his parents, who urged him to take on English when he attended primary school, as they believed English was essential for their children.
Interestingly, Uncle Najib also revealed that he is not as fluent in Malay as he is in English. He also commented that many people who bought tissues from him were surprised that he was so fluent in English, as many thought he could only speak Malay. We could tell from the look in Uncle Najib’s eyes that he was proud of this.
As we continued our conversation, Uncle Najib shared with us his life and struggles.
Before selling tissue papers, he had worked in Batam for 35 years as a factory foreman. With this job, he earned quite a high salary each month.
In the past, he even went to London, Brussels and Paris to look for his friends. When he was only 28 years old, he embarked on a trip to Europe, a remarkable feat for someone from a humble family in his time. He recounted his experience excitedly, sharing with us about seeing The Big Ben in London, as well as visiting the Eiffel tower in Paris.
However, Uncle Najib was forced to return to Singapore after he retired. As he was based in Batam, he did not have any CPF that could help him with his retired life.
When he returned to Singapore, a friend recommended that he start selling tissue papers. Uncle Najib started as a tissue paper vendor at Choa Chu Kang a few years back, but moved to Jurong Point when the Choa Chu Kang bus interchange underwent renovation.
Now, Uncle Najib is married with two sons, and is exceptionally proud of his younger son who is a chef. However, Uncle Najib mentioned that he is not on talking terms with his wife due to some personal reasons, and it seems that his wife has not been feeling well for a while.
Despite the ups and downs in his life, Uncle Najib still continues to look forward to life. Even though he now lives a simple life, Uncle Najib still treasures his past memories when he had a chance to travel the world.
