Why?. Well, I found it most interesting. I can still ask my mother for pocket money and food, and it was also during this time that I have many Chinese and Indian other than Malay friends around me.
It was the Chinese friends that I picked up a little of Cantonese and Hokkien. Though it started with all the foul words - over time - I managed to learn more, but unfortunately, I find Tamil is too challenging for me. I can't twist very much of my tongue, so to speak - I ended up with the English version of Tamil.
With Chinese friends mostly - we study together, eat together, play together. In short we grew together until we parted just after the Malaysian Certificate of Education examination.
Our friendship continued till these days and as a matter of fact, I am closer to a few of them than some of my Malay friends - like brothers so to speak.
We understand and respect each others' sensitivity, exchanged help and favors in time of need and we don't see race a barrier to continue living together harmoniously.
They said many Indians are thugs and Chinese being the selfish lot, but I had 3 situations and in those situations it was the Indians and a Chinese that helped me.
Situation 1 - One of my car tires was punctured in the middle of the night along a dark stretch nearing Sg Buluh. Though it was mid-night, there are still many vehicles passing-by, but none of them stop to offer help.
As it was dark and I don't have a torchlight in the car has made my attempt to replace the wheel with the punctured tire rather slow and difficult. Then came a car slowing down and stopped behind my car parked at the roadside.
Flashed by the lights of the passers-by vehicles, I could see it was a maroon proton wira with a male Indian driver. With his car engine still running and the lights on, he came out from his car, walked towards me and asked if I need any help.
I told him that my left front tire is flat and that I'm trying to fix it up with a spare. He then replied, "No worry, I'll help you with the lights," but eventually helping me fixed the spare wheel on to my car.
Now, I am sure among the passers-by vehicles there are Malays and Chinese, but the fact is, it was an Indian that was kind enough to offer and extend his assistance.
Situation 2 - I was in the bank to make cash withdrawal and had to do it through the counter. After getting the queue slip and checked at the last calling number, there are about eleven more customers ahead of me and I had to rush to the hospital as my son met with an accident earlier.
Perhaps, nervousness and anxiousness (to find out state of injury my son suffered) are written all over my face, made a middle-aged female Indian to ask me if something is wrong.
I told her I got to rush to the hospital soonest possible as my son had met with an accident.
Without much hesitation, the lady handed over to me her queue slip and asked for mine to exchange. When I looked at the calling number on her slip, it was just another two customers in front. She then said,"No worry, just do the needful. I have time. I can wait."
Situation 3 - This is rather embarrassing for me to mention, but I wouldn't mind just to prove a point. I got lost in the hearts of the huge housing estates/gardens in Cheras in an attempt to locate one back-yard factory. Since I only had the company's name without the full address, google map on my smartphone just cannot be of any assistance.
I stopped a few motorcycle riders and asked them if they have heard or know anything about the company I'm looking for. All of them said they have not heard. Then came another man on his motorcycle. I stopped him. He was a Chinese "apek" (elderly man) who said he is on his way home from a shop. I was very fortunate when he said he knew the factory. It is located on a plot of land not far from one of the housing gardens, he added.
Before I could ask any guidance , he was quick to say, " I'll lead you there."
Relieved with his offer, I followed his motorbike from behind. Having reached the place, I took out RM20 from my pocket and gave it to him for his petrol money. With a smile, his hands gestured no no no. He then said, "Saya tolong lu saja," ( I just help you only).
Coincidentally - in all the above situations, helps came from Malaysians not of my own race.
That is why, when the religious bigots, the extremist, the racist and the trouble-makers were screaming malicious words that could have stoked racial and religious tensions, I was never with them - far more from getting influenced with their hidden agenda - I just "shut my door" to prevent myself from getting infected by racism and religious bigotry.
The supremacist group Perkasa which has taken a hardline stance against what they perceive to be infringements on Malay right, Islamic non-government organization (NGO) Malaysian Muslim Solidarity (ISMA) which involved with Islamic propagation activities particularly focused on the Malay and Muslims in Malaysia based on their slogan "Unanimous Malay, Supreme Islam", Pertubuhan Permuafakatan Majlis Ayahanda Malaysia (Permas), Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islam dan Dakwah (Pekida), Pertubuhan Kebajikan Insan Bakti Malaysia (Perkib), Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) and Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM) are among Umno-friendly NGOs that were identified to have their role in several incidents which could have escalated into racial tensions.
Council of Islamic NGOs for instance, which initially thrown a reward of RM500 before revising it to RM1200 had offered anyone who dared to slap Seputih MP, Teresa Kok and to provide photographic evidence of their act to claim the reward.
Group leader Zulkifli Sharif said the reward is open to all Malaysians. "This offer is open to anyone who can slap Teresa Kok. But they must provide a picture to claim the RM1200," he told The Malaysian Insider.
Zulkifli told the Malaysiakini news portal that the chicken slaughter and blood smearing ritual was hark back to the "bloody " May 13, 1969 racial riots.
"It is symbolic of the bloody incident, this means we are sending a serious warning to Teresa Kok not to provoke and create something that threatens the peace and feelings of the Malays.
"The blood represent the May 13 incident... It should be easily understood," he said.
The group then stomped on the "faces" of the opposition leaders (pic).
The banner also contained reference to the May 13, 1969 racial riots.
The incident took place following Kok's Chinese New Year satire.
Kok has since lodged a police report on the numerous threats she had been receiving after her controversial Chinese New Year video went viral, report The Malaysian Insider.
The above is one of the several incidents where hate-fuelled acts stoked racial and religious tensions in the country. Others include the incidence where a meat believed to be pork was hurled into a mosque in Bukit Mertajam.
Tension was tensed following the seizure of over 300 Bibles with the word "Allah" in it on January 2, 2014. The move have since attracted protests with many police reports made.
Malaysians began to feel uncomfortable with some expressing fear and concerns over the heightening racial and religious rhetoric, while many opined racial tension in Malaysia is reaching a dangerous level.
We saw the outrageous outlook and preposterous mindset of Malay rights group such as Perkasa which had been at the forefront on numerous issues affecting the nation. An ambitious NGO with plans to spread it's wings abroad and that has often maintained of defending the special rights of the Malays and Bumiputras as enshrined in the Federal Constitution has attracted criticism for it's racist views and controversial statements.
Equally vocal is Muslim group ISMA which Syed Hasan of Perkasa claimed being Perkasa's "brothers-in-arms".
ISMA made the headlines for labeling Chinese in Malaysia as "pendatang" or trespassers. The statement not only angered the Chinese in Malaysia, but non-Malays of foreign origin.
In an open letter to Malays and Muslims in the country, ISMA president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman told the group that they were under siege from all directions and being "conquered" in their silence.
"Realise, my people, that our homeland is under constant threat, from all corners, from various forces acting as proxies to the Jewish Zionist evangelist seeking to dissolve our racial construct and bury Islam as the national identity," he said in the letter.
"They want the Malays to remain shackled in their minds and desires. They want to us humiliated as we watch the rape of our religion, the trampling of our pride and pawning of our country because we are powerless to act.
"If today the Malays and Muslims remain hesitant, eventually they will lose hold of this beloved land," he continued.
These groups have become bolder in their deeds and what is frustrating is that it appears as if they had the immunity against the law. Most frustrating is when their acts also appear to be condoned by leadership of the nation.
What is most disappointing is when politicians here started pitting the Malays against the non-Malays, using race and religion as their bullets for political gains. The work of unscrupulous politicians who would flee for cover when their antics turn for the worse.
When racial issues continue to be used and abused by our politicians, rise the fear of Malaysia turning into a state of lawlessness.
I wish to quote Marina Mahathir after she attended the first meeting of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) ; "They talk so much rubbish."
As a nation, Malaysia should not allow situation between races to deteriorate while racial unity is the right and responsibility of all Malaysians and one of the ways to achieve that is when religious groups and politicians stop inciting racial tensions among the people. They must sow seeds of love and not hatred.
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