Malaysia at 50: Nostalgia of the good ole days

Malaysia at 50: My journey as a Malaysian

Growing up, I used to watch Bintang RTM with my mum on RTM1, a sort of Malaysian Idol of the time if you will. Rafeah Buang & Jamal Abdullah then Sudirman were some of the pop artistes we grew up with.

Before Hari Raya or Merdeka, we would sing along to songs like Balik Kampung and Tanggal 31 Ogos. And the Merdeka parades shown live on tv. No one goofed off the leaders and parliamentarians like we do today. They portrayed more statesmanship and were somewhat respected. Mum and I would watch out for what the wives of the leaders would wear during the national parade and sometimes diss their lack of fashion sense and have a good laugh or two.

We would watch the parade and swell with pride when the national anthem came on. Till today "Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku" still resonates strongly with my bones. My soul.

We never fail to tear up when the flag is hoisted. Like when we watch a Yasmin Ahmad commercial together. (Still waiting for our anthem to be played at badminton finals championships or the Olympics. Someday!) For Hari Raya, my Nyonya grandmother would make kuih kaput for her Malay daughter in law, our dear Mak Su. Chinese New Year was always a riot of colours, laughter and fun harmless gambling.

I have never lived abroad apart from months of summer school or MA research work though I travel extensively and never am I prouder to declare to a foreigner that I AM MALAYSIAN.

A true product of Malaysian system, I saw through the STPM and saw four years at University of Malaya studying English. For that alone, I'm an Anak Malaysia inside out!

As a child of educators, we spoke English first at home, Hokkien as our mother tongue but could converse fluently and strongly in Bahasa Malaysia. I read Sejarah Melayu from cover to cover before it got politically adulterated.

My friends and extended come from all walks of life and from the multicultural microcosm that is truly Malaysian. Breakfast could consist of toast and kaya, nasi lemak, or tosai with dahl. In the 70s, cereal, milk, spaghetti and all kinds of pasta were considered very Western and exotic foods. Family potlucks would consist of laksa, kapitan curry, satay, KFC, egg sandwiches and carved watermelons!

Deepavali would see us eating itali and vadai made by our Indian helper and was more than just a helper to us. She was family and still is. At my grandmother's Buddhist funeral, she lit joss sticks as a sign of respect for the elderly dead.

Aunty Mimi, Muslim and childless was a favourite neighbour. She made the best ice cream in the world. Her Sri Lankan Malaysian husband didn't eat ice cream so she would always make it for us. Delicious coconut, vanilla, strawberry and all kinds of lovely toppings. She introduced me to butterscotch and caramel even before I could spell!

In Penang, tea-time hawker fare was de rigueur! It was normal to cycle out to pack mee jawa, char koay teow, ice kacang, fresh popiah. The portions were moderate so we never got fat. Mee Jawa was 50 sen a plate on the early 1980s! Delicious and wholesome.

Sabah to me was always a part of Malaysia as my favourite Uncle Larry was posted there by Malaysia Airlines where he worked for 30 years and married a KK girl. They moved to the peninsular in the 1990s but I have fond memories of occasional postcards and letters from him & always looked forward to his visits coupled with ice-kacang afternoons.

I have lived in KL now for twenty one years and all my children were born in our nation's capital. Our life in KL is comfortable; we find pockets of green escapes like the stream up Bukit Kiara, or that jungle spa in Bukit Penchala, or seafood on Carey Island! You can find anything you need in KL and if you know when to avoid traffic jams, potholes or water distruptions, it's one of the most liveable cities we know! Seriously.

Crime those days was perhaps a drug addict breaking into your compound to steal a bicycle or a pair of trainers.

We rarely have shootings or such random heinous crimes reported today! We were not polarised like we are today. There was no reason for it.

The last 9 years have seen a stark change in the political landscape and emerging disdain and disgust of the Malaysian people. Perhaps it's a necessary purge and detoxification that we have to undergo as we turn 50. After all, being middle-aged, you do amass a lot of toxins as you journey through the seven ages of your life.

Hopefully, this 50 year old will hold out with a little bit more dignity than what she has been bestowed upon.

Underneath it all, it's the people. The ordinary people of everyday life that makes Malaysia unique and home. I still hold on to that belief.

What's your favourite 'Malaysia at 50' memory?