By Lian Cheng
Saruji Ali, 55, tough, determined, and enterprising, embodies what a Vaie should be — hardy, resilient, and has a mind of his own.
From a humble beginning, where at one point he had to pay a fine using coins, to what he is today, a self-made man with a restaurant and a furniture business, it was a long journey of blood and sweat.
“I remember when that happened, I only had my firstborn. I was working on a ferry. During that time, each passenger only paid 30 sen per way. I was poor, and it was a tough time. I remember many times when I reached home at 8pm, I could only afford to buy a handful of rice for my family.
“And because we overloaded the ferry, which we knew we were wrong, we (Saruji and his colleagues operating the ferry) were fined. We were poor but had to pay RM1,200 for the fine. I had no money. I remember carrying a tub of coins to settle it.”
It was about three decades ago, but the memory remains imprinted on his mind. Despite all hardships, he continued to toil hard until he finally reached where he is today.
When Saruji started his business of selling prawn dishes four years ago, he never envisioned it becoming a tourist product for Jepak and the pride of Kampung Sebuan Besar.
His prawn dishes are so popular that people from nearby patronise the place for various celebrations. At the same time, those from afar would make a special stop at his restaurant before heading to the Bintulu Airport.
The initial idea of opening a restaurant featuring prawns came when he brought his family to visit Mukah, which offers various prawn dishes.
“During that time, we noticed that prawn dishes were found aplenty in Mukah but not in Jepak. Since the Kemena River of Jepak produces plenty of seafood, such as river prawns and fish, we decided to start a restaurant featuring mainly prawn dishes.
“We started with only four tables. Business took off, and I expanded it into what you see now,” Saruji told DayakDaily, pointing at his porch, which he had extended to accommodate more customers.
At his restaurant, Hazzana Prawn Noodle (Hazzana Mee Udang), there is a variety of prawn dishes, including roasted prawns, fried prawns, and prawns served with other staples such as rice and noodles.
A prawn noodle dish with two big prawns costs about RM35, while one with bigger prawns (premium) costs between RM35 and RM40.
Business is good, he said. In a good week, he sells about 30 kilogrammes of prawns.
To keep the quality of the dishes, Saruji makes it a point to keep the prawns fresh by only using prawns kept in the refrigerator for not more than three days. This is something which he insists on to ascertain that the customers get their money’s worth.
That is not all for Saruji. Prior to the operation of Hazzana Mee Udang, Saruji made a name for himself in furniture making.
He started furniture making about ten years ago, where he would create furniture out of discarded wood pallets he collected from wood processing factories or any other factories or companies that dispose of wood pallets which come with imported items.
Due to his diligence and his unique style of design, there have been orders from Miri, Sebauh, and Mukah.
When his restaurant business started to grow and the premises needed to expand, Saruji did it on his own by recycling the discarded pallets to turn them into ceiling boards and walls. One can see that he is proud of his handiwork and the fruit of his labour. Who wouldn’t?
Sitting in his restaurant, narrating his life experience in a soft voice that sometimes can be inaudible, Saruji appeared gentle and mellow. But there was just one side of him.
When he touched on the land issue, his voice had so much hardness and uncompromise. According to him, the government will be building a massive housing project at Jelutong, a place that is about a five-minute drive from his village.
As a man ready for change, Saruji is not against the housing project. One day, the housing project will expand into the land his father handed him, a total of 10 acres. For that, Saruji vows not to give up but is determined to fight until compensation is made for his land, should the government decide to claim it. — DayakDaily
