OBITUARY, Feb 12 — I am never fond of writing commentaries but after learning of Datuk Hasbullah Awang’s death earlier this afternoon, I was called upon, as if by duty, to write my memories of him.
After all, who doesn’t know Datuk Hasbullah?
His unique commanding voice boomed from our television sets even before those of my generation were born, and he continued to be “the” voice we so dearly held onto during those riveting moments when our boys or girls were just seconds away from either victory, or defeat.
Be it in football, badminton, hockey or even swimming, his dramatic and unorthodox use of words like “kecundang” or “menarik” often evoked the same powerful mix of emotions.
Some of it was suspense, but mostly it was a sense of pride, that feeling of necessity, of duty.
His voice commanded us to join him in displaying that same passion he had for his country, never mind the fact that neutrality is required of a professional sports commentator.
But that obvious display of bias never bothered me. I am certain it never bothered other Malaysians as well.
And how could it have bothered you?
That endearing voice was also a source of comic relief, amid all that nerve-wracking tension which, ironically, he himself had helped create thanks to his thrilling tone and random shouts.
Lines like “Lee Chong Wei garang menerkam bak rama-rama”, or his teasing of national football striker Amri Yahya’s fruitless run on the field “Anak muda yang dilihat lari-lari di permatang sawah” or the classic “sepakan beliau yg melencong sungguh unsangkarable (un-sangka-rable or unexpected in English)” have filled Malaysian hearts with laughter.
His favourite lines like the dramatic “Oh sayang sekali” have been impersonated albeit jokingly by countless of Malaysian sports fans, young or old.
And of course, his ridiculously funny shouts of “Gol!!!” Only to reverse it with an emphatic “oh... tidak” have become a timeless classic.
My personal favourite was his amusing pronunciation of European football clubs, which he often had poor grasp of.
He would pronounce the Russian club Spartak Moscow as “Spartak Mos-ciau” or the German giants FC Bayern Munich as “Bayern Mu-nieche”.
I laughed and laughed. And as the game played on, I laughed some more.
But despite his poor grasp of the English language, he still commanded my respect.
Why? Because before there was Astro, there was Hasbullah Awang.
He was already there long before the English re-colonised our mind with their “poncy” commentaries.
He had helped shape our love for the beautiful game even before there was what is now known as the British Premier League.
And despite the advent of cable television, Hasbullah Awang’s voice remained a force to be reckoned with.
I’ve witnessed Chinese viewers asking the mamak restaurant owner in Sungai Petani to switch from an Astro channel to RTM when Datuk Lee Chong Wei was playing against Lin Dan in the All England finals.
I’ve had Indian friends texting or asking me if I heard the classic Hasbullah Awang quotes asserted in his commentary of a international football match.
To me, such is the calibre of Hasbullah Awang’s character. He united us. He inspired us. He entertained us.
Now he is gone. For those who grew up with his voice, sports will never be the same.
Rest well Datuk Hasbullah Awang. You will be greatly missed.
Al-fatihah
