Lengkuas, the Cartoonist from Bota Kiri
Zainuddin Bin Saleh was a highly famous and popular cartoonist known for his works, Mat Despatch and Yob Peon. Many of us today grew up with the Ujang magazine, which was popular throughout the 90s.
At that time, Ujang magazine was one of the few sources of entertainment for a good laugh, featuring comics drawn by some of the country's greatest cartoonists. The cartoonist behind the Mat Despatch and Yob Peon series, which were very popular in Ujang magazine back in the day, was born on September 26, 1964, and is said to have hailed from Kampung Aji, located in Bota Kiri.
Zainuddin Bin Saleh received his early education at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato Abdul Rahman Yaakop (SMKDARY) in the town of Bota Kanan.
Zainuddin Bin Saleh's career as a cartoonist began when he accepted a challenge and condition set by Ibrahim Ujang Anon during an interview, a story shared by Ibrahim Ujang Anon himself on his Facebook status: "If you want to draw cartoons, you have to quit your job and draw cartoons full-time."
The condition set by Ibrahim Ujang Anon for Zainuddin Bin Saleh was made when Zainuddin visited him at the Plaza Pengkalan office on Jalan Ipoh. According to Ibrahim Ujang Anon, a few days later, Zainuddin Bin Saleh returned, smiling, and stated that he had already quit his job. "I've quit my job, boss," said Zainuddin Bin Saleh.
Ibrahim Ujang Anon
Zainuddin was then tasked with drawing a topic that was close to his own life, which was the character Mat Despatch. Ibrahim Ujang Anon also gave Zainuddin the pen name 'Lengkuas' as his cartoonist moniker. Over time, Lengkuas became one of the main cartoonists for the highly popular Ujang magazine in the 90s.
After more than 30 years of creating art, Lengkuas passed away on Friday, August 11, 2017. The late Zainuddin, better known as Lengkuas, is believed to have died due to complications from kidney disease and high blood pressure. He passed away at 10:30 AM, two days after being admitted to the ward at Hospital Selayang.
credit comicoreclub
Lengkuas was laid to rest at the Taman Raudhatul Sakinah Cemetery in Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur, after the Asar prayers. The late Zainuddin left behind a widow and three children: a 10-year-old and a pair of 15-year-old twins. The passing of Lengkuas is considered a massive loss to the cartooning industry. Al-Fatihah to this great cartoonist from Bota, Zainuddin Bin Saleh, also known as Lengkuas.
