The cartoonist, real name Ibrahim Anon, recalls the lowest point in his life: being declared bankrupt, facing lawsuits from a publishing company over the rights to his popular comic magazine and the “Ujang” character he had created in 1993, and shouldering RM1.8 million in printing debts.
Overwhelmed by the situation, “I lost touch with reality, and not just by a little”, he said.
“I panicked, forgot my wife and children, and left my family. I wandered around aimlessly, carrying a grave marker (batu nisan) everywhere I went.”
Ujang recalled hitchhiking in cars and lorries until he found himself at Tasik Kenyir in Terengganu. “That first year after being declared bankrupt, I fasted and spent Raya alone at Tasik Kenyir.
“Later, I travelled by boat into the heart of Taman Negara but refused to return with the others. I remember sitting on my own on a fishing platform deep in the jungle. Luckily, some villagers found me and brought me back to celebrate Raya.”
The 60-year-old’s legal battle involved the publishing company claiming ownership of the “Ujang” name and characters he created. Multiple lawsuits had been filed against him, forbidding him from producing, printing, or selling any work under the Ujang brand.
Unable to pay off his debts, the father of four was forced to sell all his assets and mortgage his business. His children had to live in hardship while pursuing their studies.
Ujang was finally discharged from bankruptcy last July under Section 33A of the Insolvency Act 1967. “Alhamdulillah, this is my first Raya as a free man after all these years,” he said.
Asked how he would be spending this Aidilfitri, he said they might celebrate “as usual”, explaining: “We grew accustomed to things being difficult during Raya over the past two decades. And my children are now all grown.”
At the peak of his career, Ujang owned a four-storey building and employed over 70 workers. But despite his success, he shared that his mother had been unaware of the extent of his achievements.
“She only knew I was drawing cartoons. One day, my sister brought my parents to visit my office in Kuala Lumpur. My mum scolded me: ‘What is this? What kind of job do you have? Whose office is this? Where did you get the money for all this?’”
Following his legal troubles, Ujang returned to his hometown in Juasseh, Negeri Sembilan, and had to face his concerned mother.
“One moment, her son was famous: everyone in Malaysia knew him, and people assumed he was wealthy – the next, he was homeless. My mother didn’t understand what had happened. She didn’t know about trademarks or copyrights. I just told her, ‘I was cheated’,” Ujang recalled.
Her response? More scolding, he revealed with a smile. “She said, ‘That’s why I told you to sell roti canai, but no: you wanted to do big business! Look at your friend – he’s doing fine selling kuey teow.'”
Now, Ujang remains active in the creative industry and runs houseboat fishing trips at Tasik Kenyir. To avoid a repeat of his traumatising experience, he has been diligently registering his intellectual property to protect his work.