SHOP LEADS TO 46-YEAR FRIENDSHIP
Younger generation should always remember muhibbah concept, say Lim and Rashid
LIM Chong Yaw and Abd Rashid Abd Shukor have been friends for 46 years, and it all started out with the latter being a customer of the former’s sundry shop.
Rashid, now 65, said he used to go into Lim’s shop just to buy things, but the duo soon became as thick as thieves and now think of themselves as brothers.
The 75-year-old Lim said he would do anything for his “brother”.
“It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is. As good friends, we must always be there for one another,” he said.
But what exactly is the secret behind their long-lasting friendship?
“It’s simple. If you want to stay friends a long time, you should never take race or money into account, not even a sen can get in the way... if not, you are in for a tough time.
“We became so close that if one person did not contact the other for a while, the other would immediately ask whether something was wrong. If Rashid were to be in any sort of trouble, I would immediately go to his home,” said Lim at his house in Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, here.
He said his sundry shop had closed down 18 years ago, but the duo were still close friends and constantly kept in touch.
“We meet at restaurants at least twice a week, chatting about the good old days... if one of us is sick, we will chat about the best way to treat whatever sickness it is,” said Lim.
And like any close friends from different religious and cultural backgrounds, they visit each other on their respective festivals, except they do things the other way around.
For instance, he said, it was Rashid who visited him during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“During the Aidilfitri, he will come to visit and bring along rendang, ketupat and lemang... and during Chinese New Year, I never fail to go to his house and give him oranges.”
Rashid, who lives in Kampung Tengku Hussain Lama, said Lim had never been petty, and had always been by his side whenever he was in need of help.
“When I didn’t have a car, he would frequently loan his to me, even if the car was newly purchased. He still loans me his car if I need it, for instance, when my car breaks down,” he said.
Rashid said he had several times helped Lim with his sundry shop, especially when new stock arrived.
He also said his best friend, Lim, had even accompanied him for check-ups when he had to go for surgery to remove cataracts from both eyes.
Lim and Rashid advised the younger generation to always remember the muhibbah concept and ensure that such spirit would live on.
They said no one should ever touch on race as this would never lead to anything good.
“We have always understood and respected each other’s culture, customs and religions... those are things we have never fought about,” said Rashid.