Mustaffa speaks Kelantan dialect

From Fadzli Ramli

MADINAH,  July 13 (Bernama) -- Right smack in the lobby of the Al Haram Hotel here is a shop which sells dates and local sweets. Which is a common sight in this city where all types of dates and Arabic sweets can be found.

What would not be common is when the local youth manning the shop, opens his mouth and speaks not just in the Malay language, but the Kelantan dialect to boot - something which most Malaysians from the other states find hard to understand, much less master.

Mustaffa, 25, who is of Arab-Pakistani descent, greets Malaysians who pass by his shop with a friendly Malay greeting or sometimes it is “abe makan doh” (Kelantanese for ‘have you eaten?’).

And there are many Malaysians at the Al Haram Hotel which is owned by the Tabung Haji Board (TH)  and a Malaysian flag  is hoisted outside.

There is also a signboard which reads  'Kedai Tamar Malaysia' (Malaysian Dates Shop) which the words  'boleh kecek Kelate' (speaks Kelantanese dialect).

Chattering merrily, Mustaffa hands a tray of an array of dates and sweets to visitors to his shop, saying ‘my treat’.

As his hands swiftly scoop up dates for his customers, Mustaffa revealed that he learnt the Kelantan dialect from his classmates who were from Kelantan studying at an Islamic studies centre here.

"I also learnt the dialect from my girlfriend who is from Tanah Merah (in Kelantan). I learnt Bahasa Malaysia when I was a boy, and working here makes me better at it because many of customers are Malaysians,” he told Bernama.

Mustaffa said the majority of customers at his shop as well as those around the Al Haram Hotel are Malaysians because it is where Malaysian haj pilgrims travelling under TH stay.

His ability to speak Malay well has made it easier for Mustaffa to interact with his Malaysian customers.

In addition, he said, it has also helped him promote his goods to pilgrims from south Thailand and Indonesia.

Other than the Malay, Indonesian and the English languages, Mustaffa is also proficient in Arabic, Urdu and Hindi, which helps him deal with pilgrims from India and Pakistan.

“Many people came here (Saudi Arabia) from other countries, like my family which is from Pakistan,” Mustaffa, who was born here, said.

-- BERNAMA