Ah Seng, the Samseng

Part II

He marked his return with some spectacular victories over the rival gangs. With his leadership and tigerish ferocity, he revitalised the group and inflicted painful thrashings on his rivals. His group won control of many areas and became prominent in the underworld. But this new-found fame also attracted the attention of the police. Ah Seng was arrested in 1983 and detained under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act.

Even while he was in prison, Ah Seng’s stocks went up because of the belief that only “heavyweights” get detained under the Act. As a result, he showed no remorse for his misdeeds. But things changed when his mother died in the mid-1980s. Her death hit him hard. Being in jail, he could not see her for the last time, and that to him was unforgivable. He regretted the sorrow he had caused her and his failure to take care of her when she was alive. He vowed to turn over a new leaf.

When Ah Seng was released in 1989, his friends tried to get him to rejoin the gang but he refused. He told them that he had made up his mind and was determined to keep his promise to his late mother. Although disappointed, they respected his decision and left him alone.

At around this time, Ah Seng fell in love with Mary, a sweet 23-year-old administrative officer who worked in the same company as him. It was love at first sight and he courted her assiduously. Mary knew about his past but was won over by his sincerity. They married in the 1990s and soon after she bore him a daughter. Now a family man, Ah Seng was even more determined to steer clear of illegal activities.

But he was unhappy with his lack of progress at the company where he worked. Despite working hard, he was going nowhere. Now that he had a family to feed, money was important. He wanted to provide his family with a higher standard of living, but he also knew that on his meagre salary, he could not do so.

In his moment of frustration, Ah Seng found his friends’ tales of easy money tempting bait. Although he did not rejoin his gang, he still kept in touch with the members. He knew about developments in the gang and even acted as their counsellor. As they described how easy and lucrative it was to peddle pirated VCD tapes, Ah Seng listened with growing interest. As a sweetener, they offered him the position of General Headman if he agreed to come back. It was an offer he could not refuse.

As a General Headman, Ah Seng commanded hundreds of men and masterminded activities like loan sharking, illegal gambling, extortions and the selling of pirated VCDs. Where he once joined the gang for the fame and excitement, he now went in for the money. Takings from these activities provided Ah Seng and his men with a lavish lifestyle of drinking and clubbing.

Being a senior gang member, Ah Seng did not have to be personally involved in the clashes. He played a back-end role and ran the gang’s businesses professionally and ruthlessly. Respect for him shot up further. As his gang became richer, the number of his supporters grew.

But now that he had a family, Ah Seng was no longer the fearless warrior of old. He was afraid that if he died, no one would take care of his family. He started putting younger men in leadership positions to pave the way for his retirement. It worked for a while. Under this new generation, Ah Seng’s SS group continued to grow in number and influence. Satisfied, he left the group and went back to work for his brother. However, he held on to his position of General Headman and was still consulted by members on major issues.

The new generation of SS Headmen proved to be a different breed. They were more reckless and antagonistic, and saw negotiations as a sign of weakness. Clashes between Ah Seng’s group and rival gangs grew more frequent, usually over issues of turf and “face”. Even within the group, there was a lack of solidarity, resulting in numerous disagreements and fights.

Because of the serious situation, Ah Seng had to come out of retirement to mediate the clashes that were happening with alarming frequency. He could no longer keep a low profile. His constant presence at settlement talks made him a target of the Secret Societies Branch (SSB). Soon, the SSB uncovered his involvement in extortion rackets and illegal VCD operations. In 2000, armed with the evidence, SSB officers detained him under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act.

Although he had tried his best, Ah Seng admitted on hindsight that the chances of severing his ties with the SS were slim. His entire life had been built around the SS and his emotional bond with the brothers with whom he had gone through thick and thin, was too strong to break. They had gone into battle together and put their lives in one another’s hands. A friendship forged in battle was not something anyone could give up easily. When it came to the crunch, Ah Seng could not muster the will to walk away from it all. He summed it up best when he said “Once you are in, it will be very difficult to get out. You can stay away from the action, but you will always be regarded as a brother.” Like so many SS members before him, bonding had become bondage for Ah Seng.

Part I

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