No more spontaneity

In the old days, Malays, Chinese and Indians mixed freely for simple games, sometimes with made-up rules, and ate and drank freely. I can still remember as a kid, playing football at the back of a sawmill, on soft sawdust, next to a charcoal-making site, drinking from the tap. A Pakistani roti-seller was a welcome sight when we felt hungry after the games. I learned a bit of Hindi like 'kesah hei' and 'Achah hogiah' and 'ek, lo, din, chia, etc.' There were more than one 'Dins', short for Kamaruddin and Baharuddin and so on. The sawmill was next to our workshop land (we were between two sawmills) and incidentally, it was through me that the land was sold to Kah Motor Sdn Bhd in the early 90s!

Fast forward to just before the turn of the century, in Batu Gajah, Perak. My two daughters were then studying at SMK St. Bernadette Convent. Truth be told, studying in national schools made a big difference in the way they mix with their fellow students. But, I noticed the subtle or not so subtle differences in the removal of crucifixes and the introduction of more things Islamic in the school. Even Malay teachers and students felt the pressure of having to wear tudungs despite some having medical reasons not to do so. Food preparation was more particular as to the source of food and who prepared them. Even fresh fruits had to be cut in school and not in a Chinese non-Muslim house. It was alright if in an Indian house!

When Cheng celebrated her birthday one year, inviting school friends, she had to make sure satay, canned drinks and paper cups and saucers were available for Malay friends and only after they have left, were the non-Halal dishes brought out! I think she was put off after that.

Later, as I was more receptive to stories about these new religious requirements, I heard about Chinese families having problems when their son or daughter married a Muslim. Cutlery and crockery have to be separated, besides food. Some parents were put off and refused to be dictated. These days, people are not so accommodating, especially when they are busy themselves. Even children do not have time for their parents, so anything slightly bothersome and the attitude becomes, 'take it or leave it'. A more extreme example was one woman who said, 'My son or daughter can marry a Muslim, but he or she will not get anything from me. Why should I leave property to be decided under Syariah law?' There are evidently less visits between Muslims and non-Muslims. Now, with the ever vigilant JAIS and JAKIM and what have you, non-Muslims tend to feel, why bother if there are so many restrictions? Life is already complicated enough. These are views of ordinary folks, not that of politicians who have to be politically correct in public.

I personally feel race is not as important a factor in segregation, but religion is. Malaysian Muslims seem to be more particular about form rather than substance, sticking to details on the way they dress and so on, but condone corruption.

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