Striking up a friendship, the Malaysian way

KUALA LUMPUR: “What’s wrong? Have you been coming here for a long time?”

“My knee has some problems, My legs are painful too.”

Two men were conversing in colloquial Bahasa Malaysia and from their accent, it was obvious they were both Chinese, which piqued my interest.

I turned to the back to take a look at them. Indeed, both were Chinese and they were probably in their 60s.

They stopped talking for a moment when I turned to look at them. We smiled at each other. My curiosity satisfied, I turned back and the two gentlemen continued to chat.

This is what it is like in the waiting room at one of the physiotherapy clinics at Hospital Kuala Lumpur each time I go there.

I have an appointment with the physiotherapist once a fortnight and I usually arrive at the registration counter at about 7.30am. After registering my name, I usually head for my favourite seat right at the back of the room as this ‘ vantage point’ allows me to take a good look at my surroundings.

Whilst awaiting my turn, I pass the time by reading. I also keep myself ‘ busy’ observing the patients, who are of different races, as they chat with each other like old friends although they had just met.

On one occasion I was there, two women in their 70s who were seated in the row in front of me grabbed my attention.

One of them, a Eurasian, was dressed in long pants and blouse and had a walking stick with her while the other woman wore a hijab and long gown or ‘jubah’.

The Muslim woman turned around to greet me and we exchanged pleasantries as she kept watch on the woman who was with her. I overheard the two talking about their respective families, children and grandchildren.

Turning to me, the Muslim woman explained: “This auntie has been a good friend of mine since our school days. I usually accompany her when she comes (to the hospital) for her physio sessions because her children are busy.”

While we were talking, an Indian woman appeared and sat near me.

Smiling at me, she said: “Oh, so you are here too. Did you try the recipe?”

Seeing the look of surprise on the faces of the other two women, I told them I had met the Indian woman at a previous physiotherapy session and that she taught me how to make ‘capati’.

The two women also wanted the recipe and even sought tips on how to make Indian favourites like ‘ tose’, ‘ vadei’ and string hoppers.

It is fun when a motley group of people come together. Our ethnicities may be different and we are barely acquainted, but it seems so effortless for us to warm up to each other.

I was exposed to such congeniality whilst growing up and am used to it. Nevertheless, it still leaves me feeling amazed.

When I was a schoolgirl, I remember my mother, who was a rubber tapper, having many friends of different races. Often they would eat together when it was time for them to take a break from tapping. They would even share their food. It was fun when the Deepavali and Chinese New Year celebrations came as we would get to eat all kinds of ‘kuih muih’.

Yes... this is Malaysia. Wherever we go, we bump into people from different racial backgrounds. It can be a government or private office, Urban Transformation Centre, food stall or restaurant, clinic or hospital, or the train or LRT station – these are all ideal places for us to get to know our fellow citizens of other ethnicities and religions.

Spontaneous ‘ friendships’ can trigger all kinds of conversation, with the topics ranging from politics and family to, of course, food.

The truth is, unity can be forged in any place. Disunity can occur unexpectedly – not necessarily among the multiracial population but within the same racial group as well.

Logically speaking, no one wants disunity, conflicts and, not to mention, war. In fact, there is no religion that preaches hatred and more so, Islam which is our country’s official religion.

Islam teaches us the true meaning of peace, unity and justice. Muslims are taught to understand and respect the religious practices of nonMuslims so that all can live in harmony.

Since decades ago, unity has been the key to this nation’s strength. Remember, the delegation that negotiated for Malaya’s independence was made up of Tunku Abdul Rahman, ( Tun) Abdul Razak Hussein, ( Tun) H.S Lee, ( Tan Sri) T.H Tan, ( Tun) Tan Cheng Lock, ( Tun) V.T Sambanthan and ( Datuk Sir ) E.E.C Thuraisingham.

On June 3, 1957, our first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who upon his return from London announced that Malaya would be granted independence on Aug 31 that year, also stressed the importance of solidarity.

To quote the late Tunku : “The Malays, Chinese, Indians and other races must live together, as well as be loyal and be prepared to defend this country and work hard. Be good to each other because this country is different from other countries in this world.”

Soon we will celebrate National Day 2018 and this year’s theme ‘Sayangi Malaysiaku’ ( Love My Malaysia) is an apt one as it is a reminder to us of our responsibility towards our beloved nation. The theme stresses the importance of unity and spirit of patriotism to ensure the well- being and prosperity of the nation.

Happy National Day 2018.

This commentary expresses the personal views of the writer and does not necessarily reflect Bernama’s stand. — Bernama