I only knew Bapak was in politics when a classmate told me that Bapak was standing against his father as head of the political party's division in Kuala Kangsar.
That was in 1983. I was 10 years old. I was not sure what he meant, and we continued playing marbles.
Bapak became a wakil rakyat for Bukit Chandan when he won the state constituency election in 1986. Bapak became extremely busy and could no longer drive me to school.
During Ramadan, Bapak could join the family for buka puasa only on the first day. For the rest of the month, Bapak would attend buka puasa events and congregation terawih prayers with the people.
There were also many weddings, especially during school holidays. We would attend at least three weddings a day.
During Hari Raya, we rented several canopies to be set up around our house to accommodate the large number of guests. Mak would suggest to have our lunch as early as 11am, as once the guests arrived she would not be able to attend to us.
Usually, on the third day of Raya, Bapak would bring us to visit his constituency. I recall attending a Raya celebration in a small dewan at a village where I listened to Bapak's short speech.
He spoke fluently without a proper script. The people in the dewan listened attentively. I felt proud. After a while, I decided not to join as I preferred to stay home and watch TV.
Even when Bapak and Mak were not at home, we would still receive guests. My siblings and I would attend to them, serving coffee, lemang and rendang, pre-prepared by Mak.
We ended up not getting the chance to enjoy the Raya TV shows. For me, it was like Raya every weekend, serving drinks to guests.
I remember one occasion when Bapak promised he would bring us to Kuala Lumpur for the school holidays. As we were about to load our bags in the car, a guy came and had a serious discussion with Bapak.
After a while, Bapak apologetically told us that we had to cancel the trip. Mak tried to cheer us up by promising that we would go to Cameron Highlands instead on the subsequent weekend.
And, Bapak managed to take us to Cameron Highlands. We had to leave late as he was caught up with people who wanted to see him. It was raining. We arrived at 10pm.
As we checked into the hotel, Bapak received a telephone call that required him to go back to Kuala Kangsar as there was a row of shophouses on fire.
It was almost midnight, Mak advised Bapak to go ahead without us. She arranged a visit to the Strawberry farm the next day. Bapak managed to join us later that day. It was still a memorable moment.
Bapak's political career ended in 1995 after serving two terms. I remember the day when our house was crowded with more than the usual guests, who looked downcast.
Bapak was relaxed. He gave a short speech, thanking everyone and requested them to be loyal to the new leader, as he would be.
He continued "serving" for 20 years until he passed away in 2014.
I remember a time at a mamak restaurant, Bapak decided to join a man, who was alone, for breakfast. The man told Bapak that his son graduated three months ago and could not get a job. Bapak asked for the son's resume, and passed it to me, requesting me to help.
I made a few copies and gave them to friends and colleagues. He got a job offer two months later. Since that day, I became Bapak's "proxy". We helped a husband get his wife, who was a teacher, transferred to a nearby school.
A student from a poor family was awarded a scholarship as I personally submitted his application to the Public Service Department office, with a friend's assistance. There were many more. I find it very satisfying.
Some of my friends recently asked me to join politics, just like Bapak, but I declined.
Politics demands passion and sacrifices. I may be of Bapak's blood, but I do not have his stomach for politics.
The writer reminisces about his politician father and why he prefers to be outside politics
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times