You don’t know Dollah Kassim.
If you knew Dollah Kassim, maybe you would know what a gracious, soft spoken, big hearted man he was.
If you knew Dollah Kassim, maybe you would have known an entire generation of legendary
footballers who fought and won something simply astounding, but are now lost and forgotten
If you knew Dollah Kassim, you would know Michael Jackson,
for both were “Gelek Kings”.
If you knew Dollah Kassim, you would know how much he helped a new film maker like me,
make a good film about Singapore and football.
About a time when a nation’s pride and perspective on local football was high,
Only to see that the modern day football talk, is now about EPL rights.
Such that, instead of pumping more money to develop our own talents.
We pay and pump our hard earned good money to buy european club jerseys,
new cable television set up boxes,
to give playboy footballers their multi billion salaries,
while our own country’s football and footballers
are being criticized harshly by ourselves
for lack of enthusiasm.
If you knew Dollah Kassim, you would know that his generation were part time footballers,
that didn’t complain, put your head down, hard work and move forward. Paid little, and yet a
nation’s expectation fell on their shoulders. So it couldn’t have been money they were playing
for….but something else.
If you knew Dollah,
you would know Anwar Hadi, who played him to perfection, but who like Dollah, will shy from
the limelight, never self promote, waiting only for you to discover that he could possibly be
the next big thing in the Singapore acting circles.
if you know Dollah, you would know ezaad, his son. One of the finest gentleman, and unsung
hero, i have met in my life, who dedicates so much enthusiasm to helping people, who is now
praying hard with head bowed beside him in Tan tock Send, awaiting his recovery.
If you know Dollah, you would know his comrades, his band of brothers
who went through hell
training under Uncle Choo, and who will stick by him.
and who are planning a party for him once he wakes up.
If you knew Dollah Kassim,
you will not only try to find out why the Kallang stadium is empty
but do something about it
because no matter what excuse we give,
There should never be more Singaporean Liverpool fans in Kallang Stadium
than Singaporean Singapore fans.
It is simply not acceptable.
This is Kallang Stadium, not Anfield.
If man utd were to come, I will proudly don a Singapore jersey,
and support my lions.
I will always know where i stand, because i was born here.
If only you knew Dollah Kassim….
But, you don’t know Dollah……………
Neither do i, to be honest.
I only know him as this nice Uncle, who had the skill and drive to complete
a dream i always had.
to do something great and be proud of being Singaporean.
So like most of you,
I only know him as that good samaritan that helped me alot.
But what i do know
is that we should always remember our legends,
Just as Uncle Choo is still missing in the sports council’s museum of heroes.
A country without heroes, is a country with no need for patriotism, no need for unity,
of self sacrificing for you neighbour, and that is a very scary thought.
Dollah Kassim like all the footballers of their generation did these things
Sacrifice family time, their jobs, putting everything on the line,
to teach us what it means to be us.
to try to fight for everyone else, a world that not many people can understand
Why football is the very fabric of our nation, just like our ARTS industry.
the final missing piece and soul of meritocracy Singapore.
A country cannot live cannot breathe without legends.
Wake Up Dollah Kassim,
The Kallang Roar still needs you…
Sincerely
Ding An
Subscribe to RSS
