This is My Malaysia, by anonymous from Shah Alam
Title: This is my Malaysia
I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, but my Malaysia is much more than the skyline of the Petronas Twin Towers or the bustle of Jalan Masjid India. My Malaysia lives in the small moments that stitch us together – neighbours calling out “sudah makan?”, the smell of nasi lemak at dawn, and the chatter at a mamak stall where everyone, regardless of race or faith, gathers over teh tarik.
In school, I sat between Kumar, who shared his mother’s Deepavali murukku, and Mei Ling, whose lanterns lit up her home every Mid-Autumn. When Hari Raya arrived, both of them came to my house, tucking happily into rendang and ketupat. At the time, it felt ordinary. Only later did I realise how rare and precious this natural togetherness was in a world often divided.
When I studied abroad, I began to miss it deeply. I missed the Ramadan bazaars where people of all backgrounds queued for ayam percik. I missed conversations that danced between Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil, sometimes in a single sentence. Differences here at home were never barriers – they were invitations to share, to taste, to learn. That was when I truly understood what it meant to belong to Malaysia.
Of course, our country faces challenges. I will never forget the floods of 2021, when parts of Klang Valley turned into rivers. My neighbourhood was badly hit, yet what stood out was the response. Volunteers arrived with boats, food and blankets. Teenagers waded through waist-high water to deliver supplies to elderly residents they had never met. Suraus opened their doors to non-Muslim families seeking shelter. Nobody asked who you were or where you came from. In those moments, everyone was simply Malaysian, helping one another stand again.
That is the Malaysia I carry with me. Not a flawless Malaysia, but one that finds strength in diversity, compassion in hardship, and joy in sharing. A Malaysia that believes we are always better together.
As Malaysia Day approaches, I think of what it means to call this place home. It means remembering that unity is not just a word in the Rukun Negara, but something lived daily in our choices – in kindness, in empathy, in treating one another as family.
My Malaysia is the nasi lemak makcik who slips an extra packet of sambal into my order. It is the uncle who lets me merge into his lane during rush hour. It is the friend who greets me with “selamat pagi” one day and “vanakkam” the next. It is a tapestry of cultures, languages and traditions that, woven together, create something greater than the sum of its parts.
This is my story. This is my Malaysia. A place where, no matter how far I go, I will always find my way home.
Written by: anonymous, Shah Alam, Malaysia. published with permission from the author.
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