Banana Money aka Wang Pokok Pisang

I am sure most of you heard of the Banana Money or Wang Pokok Pisang used during the Japanese era in Malaya.

Well, I heard this from my dad. It's a true and sad story.
My father was not borned yet during that time. It's my grandmother era.

Towards the end of the Japanese Occupation, there's rumors that the Japanese are losing because the British is coming back.

Soon, every seller decided not to accept the banana money because if the war end, the money had no value and useless.

However, there's a grocery shop opposite the place where my grandmother stayed. The owner of the grocery shop was an old man. A really old and single man. He refused to listen everyone because he thought that the British would not return.

So, he kept on accepting the banana money. Since the money will have no value sooner or later, the people exchange it with food and other stuffs. And yet, he kept on accepting the money and felt so happy because his business was very good.

After a few days, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki occured. Immediately, the Japanese surrenderred and retreat.
The pathetic old man broke down immediately. He lost everything in just a day. The banana  money had no more value. It's just as good as tissue paper.

In the end, he packed all the banana money in a sack (kalung guni) and sit outside his shop, crying because he could not accept the fact that he had no more belongings.
Then, he dragged the sack along the street to somewhere and disappeared.

From that time onwards, no one had ever heard of him.