Television Part II

My father bought the small Setron television set from a Chinese-owned electrical and electronic equipment shop in town. He bought it in cash.  At that time owning a radio or tv sets needs a license called lesen radio or lesen tv.  Radio-license costs RM12.00 per year while tv licenses costs RM24.00 per year. Anyone owning both a radio and a tv have to pay only RM24.00.

Human nature is such that one always tries to avoid paying tax in whatever form. My father too was no exception. He didn't pay the tv license.   People in my kampong took various measures whenever the Information Department van came around to check. Some took out the radio batteries from the slots. Others hid the  radio or - later - tv sets in the bush behind their houses to avoid detection.

We were very unfortunate when one day the Information Department officer came to our house and asked for the tv license of which we could not produce. We were worried but my father did not show any kind of such look on his face.  Finally he had to appear in court to answer the charge of having a tv set without a license.  He showed the court the 'receipt' for the purchase of the tv set as 'issued' by the electrical and electronic equipment shop.  By 'co-incidence' the date of purchase as written in the receipt was just two days before the day the Information Department conducted the check.  My father told to presiding judge that he bought the tv only on trial at that time and the shop-owner promised to accept the tv set back after three days if there was no good reception.  The judge bought my father's story and he was spared the fine.  I was and am not sure if the judge agreed with my father's explanation or was just out of his sympathy with a poor kampong folk.  I didn't know my father has the potential of becoming a lawyer hahahah!

On the fourth day, he obtained the tv license.   Actually my father went to the shop and asked the owner to issue him a new receipt after the check.  For the record, the radio and tv license were later on abolished.