There are three legends in Jeram Panjang. The first legend would be the river itself, the second the tales about the river and the third is regarding the village chief. The venerable Sani Ahmad or better known as “Tok Batin” was born in 1929 in Seremban. He developed Jeram Panjang in 1972. His father worked in the palace of Negeri Sembilan. During his childhood, his father always brought him to the palace to observe as well to learn the etiquette of the royalties. This exposure marked the beginning of the four phases of his life; as a monarchist, a communist, a police and a sorcerer.
The aftermath of WWII saw the peak of communist’s movement in Asia. Malaya then was undergoing some confrontations between the British and Malayan Communist Party. The ambitious Tok Batin joined the movement in 1962. For twenty months he witnessed the inhumane acts of the communists. The camp in Asahan, Malacca was the place where the spies for the Japanese are centralized, tortured and executed. These spies were mainly comprised of Chinese. Without exception, everyone was commanded to participate in the process of tormenting the spies. Most of the times, he was ordered to beat the spies with a cane, and if the strokes were not hard enough, he would be punished instead.
The most unforgettable experience came when Mat Kerbau, the most wanted spy for the Japanese was captured. Mat Kerbau was top on the list of the most wanted spies. He was believed to possess an incredible Malay art of fighting. Tok Batin and his comrades were informed that a ‘fantastic’ show would be played one night. With much anticipation everyone waited for the show. Little do they know that the so-called show was the execution of Mat Kerbau. The night finally came. Everyone was called to the center of the field. Refreshment was provided. Strangely, it was a mixture of coffee and tea. The head made an announcement. The crowd went wild when they discovered that the captive this time was the infamous Mat Kerbau. Mat Kerbau was carried to the center of the field. He was tied on a table, half naked. One could detect the fire of defiance burning in his eyes. A few communists, with a cane in their hands came forward and start beating him. With blood in his mouth Mat Kerbau cried in pain. The crowd went wild. A communist was ordered to execute Mat Kerbau. Without a second thought he performed the execution in a most cruel way. He cut open and tore out the innards from Mat Kerbaus’ chest. The eerie cry of Mat Kerbau pierced the evening sky. Then came the most spine chilling moment when Mat Kerbau’s heart was dug out. He died instantly. Blood spilled and drenched the table. Fearlessly, they took the heart and dumped it into a pot of boiling oil. The prized 'delicacy' was later shared out among the communists. The sight of how the communists took the heart out, and cooked it; until now, still kept Tok Batin awake at night. The idea of escape has been playing in his mind ever since.
A good opportunity presented itself when he was called for an operation. Tok Batin kept himself behind the line when traversing the jungle. Then came one of his comrades who whispered to him “Come, let’s escape”. Tok Batin was surprised that he was not the only one who had harbored the idea of escaping. Surreptitiously and slowly, they dropped back from the line, before they finally run off into the pitch-dark jungle. Tok Batin understood that it is not merely an escape to freedom but also an escape from death. They know deeply that if their comrades captured them, the consequences would be unimaginable. They ran non-stop until dawn. Fatigued, they rest near a well in a village. Suddenly, they heard some noises, it turned out that an old man had came to the well for his ablutions. When the old man saw them, he couldn’t help but screamed in fear “Communist!” Tok Batin knew that he had to disguise his real identify in order to placate the old man. So the said to the old man “Don’t worry, we are not communists but we have lost our way in the jungle when we are out searching for rattan”. Convinced, the old man brought them to his house. The old man's wife gave them breakfast. They rested in the house for a few days. Realizing that it is only a matter of time before the communist will find them, they decided to turn themselves in to the police after much deliberation. So the next day, with the help of the old man and his friend they rode their bicycles to the police station in Jementah. The moment they reached the police station, Tok Batin and his friend held their hands high up in the air and shouted, “We are communist, we are surrendering ourselves.” Seeing this, the old man was really surprised. However, his surprise soon turned into joy when he was rewarded some RM2,000/=. The police treated Tok Batin and his friend well. Both Tok Batin and his friend were rewarded handsomely. After much encouragement and persuasion, Tok Batin and his friend became policemen. With the aid of Tok Batin and his friend, the police managed to find the campsites as well as the bivouacs left behind by the communists. However, no communists were captured. It seemed they had evacuated and abandoned the area long before the arrival of the police. 
He resigned from Royal Malayan Police in 1972. With the help of a few of his friends, he developed Jeram Panjang and became its chief. Under his leadership, he managed to procure allocations from the government to build mosques as well as roads. Due to his age and the regular traveling for meetings etc; he gave up his post in 1989 and had since devote much of his time to his family. 
Though the youthful looking man never has the chance to go to school, he had inherited enchanted skills from his ancestors. Using his skills, he helped and healed the poor and the weak in the village. This is where he earned his  respect from the people. Nowadays, other than going to the rubber estate, he will attend to the problems faced by the villagers. Jeram Panjang is most fortunate to have him around.

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