Do you trust politicians, especially the hate mongers from PAS? This Dick is from PAS. Here is how you are treated on the first day at Recruit Training Center. The year was 1972.

1972 Recruit Training Center

I managed to reach the food line, the rice is slopped down into your plate mind you not the white rice you normally get, it’s grayish, on again no time to choose, it’s beef, never eaten beef before you say no, a sarcastic remark is passed with a sneer, can consume milk but can’t take beef, in reference to the fact that I am an ethnic Indian.  There’s one Indian cook who sympathetically with an encouraging smile plunks down a big drumstick with a bit of gravy. More...... 

The Malaysian Army has the largest number of racists and bigots until today in the 21st Century. Next they splash your plate with some vegetables ducked out from a huge container. After this it’s a major operation to find a sitting place. One will observe after a month some of the instructors changing from Lambretta scooters to Italian Vespas, their business acumen paying off.

You will notice who is the most successful of them all by looking at the brass modifications. Motorized scooters were a common mode of transport then. During drill classes the instructors always yell, “Do you understand?” Our response must always sound enthusiastic, happy that we are being abused physically and verbally with a resounding ‘yes’ in unison.

“Yes, sergeant!” I sometimes have a death wish, tempted to say, “Yes, Sergeant, 3 bags full!” I just did not want to tempt fate. I guess I loved me. We are drilled day in day out under the hot sweltering weather, the fun starts whenever the Commanding Officer of the Recruit Training Center arrives to observe the training. This is showing off time. Out of the blue an Indian by the name of Karu fainted.

He went down with a thud and the rifle with a crash on to the hard asphalt The commanding officer was beside Karu in two short strides,” Have him cremated, have him cremated”, he was jumping around immobile Karu like a crazed monkey, for the benefit of the rest of the Indians. They had a lot of derogatory terms for us, because the Malays always considered anybody not Malay as an immigrant race.

The Indians were referred to as “Kelings”. Most of us bristle with anger when it is used on us. A typical Sunday starts off with all the non-Muslims gathering in front of the orderly Corporal, a NCO on duty. He will inspect us, ensuring we are shaved, wear stockings, carrying handkerchiefs, shoes polished and of course that the hair is in regulation cut, meaning nearly bald.

They refer to all ethnic Indians as Hindus, or Hindoo, the way they twirl that word sounds very derogatory, sounds like a dirty word from their dirty full of rotten teeth, gaps. They just don't care if you are of another faith.

We are marched to the main guardhouse, inspected further and also verbally abused with derogatory terms. After all we are a mixed group of Indians, Chinese, and Dayaks with different religious faiths, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs. After being ridiculed as worshippers of idols and Satan we are allowed to proceed to the bus stop.

Freedom is when you are seated in the bus and it moves out of RTC compound. Actually for us this was a respite as most of us were not overly pious, we used religion to take a break from the tortures inflicted in RTC. The Muslims are not so lucky, on Fridays they are assembled and force marched off, to the nearby garrison’s mosque, they do not get to go out to town.

Woe, betide any Muslim who misses Friday prayers. If any Muslim hides and wants to avoid going to the mosque, we non-Muslims, have to finger them out, as to avoid group punishment for all the non-Muslims. As though we were responsible for them not going for their prayers. Whenever we finger them out, they resent us. We lose both ways.

Normally, I couldn’t care a damn, as I believed religion was an individual choice. The instructors who have sucked our blood, become hypocrites when it comes to religion as they believe by attending Friday prayers they are cleansed of their sins, of course they will continue sucking blood until next Friday, the cycle is repeated.

All heave audible sighs of relief as the bus moves pulls out of the bus stop, we had been holding our breath and had not spoken since the assembly, and we did not want anything to jeopardize our movement to a short life full filling freedom.

Some unlucky non-Muslims who do not pass inspections are not allowed out at the very last moment, for minor infractions like the Corporal on duty did not like your face. All of us break out speaking at the same time, first words out are the curses for our orderly Corporals and the people at the guardhouse.

We quickly form groups and present our plans to the various groups. The Christians want to have their breakfast and then proceed to the church, all agree to have breakfast together, and then proceed to their various places of worship. We arrange to meet up at the Hindu temple after mass.