"Orang datang periksa Lesen Radio/TV...."

I just wonder whether the manic scenario as posted below occurred in you "kampung" when the enforcement team from the "Kemeterian Penerangan" did their rounds checking whether the "rakyat jelata" possessed a valid "Lesen Radia & Televisyen".

Yup ... Those days - up to late 1980s, I guess - it is mandatory under the law to have a valid radio & television license.The license would normally be valid for 1 or 2 years with a payment of RM12.00 (1 year) or RM24.00 (2 years) and could be bought at the post office.

Most often than not there would be a regular checking by the enforcement team to check on this requirement.

In my "kampung', the arrival of this team would spread quickly like a bush fire.. I could still remember when I was in my primary school the "kampung" folks would be in a hive of activities carrying their radios to find places to "sorok" the radios. The funny part is that the news spread so fast even as the enforcement team was making their checking at the fist house in our small town about 2/3 kms from my "kampung". Those days (in the 1970s), televisions were a rare breed as only a few (in fact only 1 house) owned a television!!!!

Among the favourite places to "sorok' (hide) the radios those days were in "bekas simpan beras" and "reban ayam". I have known of one "Pak Cik" who made an effort to hastiyl went to the nearby river and hid the radio in the midst of "pokok rumbia" b the river side!!!!.

Of course this manic activities only occurred once a year or the msot twice a year and obviously the team from the "Kementerian Penerangan" left happily thinking that the "kampung" folks were such a law abiding citizens. But I have to qualify myself here by stating that not all my "kampung" folks were involved in this funny yet illegal activities.

Looking back I could understand why they do what they did ... RM12.00 was a big sum of money for them ......

I would say the Government did the right thing when the abolished the requirement of having a valid radio/tv license in late 1980s....

You might be asking what about my house? I remember the license was hung on the wall over where the old radio was located .. It was a red in colour and framed. I also remember that it was hung there for years and I could not recalled when it was brought down so that a new license could replaced the old one!!!! He he ....

Till we meet again ....