On 16 September 2000, 5 guys and gals from Think Centre bundled into a small car and headed across the Causeway to attend a youth conference at University of Technology Malaysia. There they learned about the Malaysian youths passion for their country. But the trip was an adventure of sorts with out of range handphones, wrong street directories and intense manual labour! Who said cross-straits relations was easy. Here's the scoop!
Saturday morning - the day's comedy action started with us being woken up from slumberland by an energetic and jovial voice over the telephone "Oei!" exclaimed Shin Leong in his ever-present Singaporean gusto. "Time to wake up!"
The rendezvous was Kranji MRT by 7:30am, not to beat the horse racing crowd, but to meet our driver who'll get us safely across the straits of Johore and back - Yaw Shin Leong, Project Director for Think Centre. Along with us were frequent fliers Irvin, Melvin Tan and myself. Tagging along was our only Malaysian counterpart, Hui Mei, a former student activist currently working in Singapore - also our vehicle ambassador (i.e. she's the only one who could speak Malay!).
Unfortunately, our vehicle commander (read: navigator), Irvin did not get his map reading certificate on Singapore roads (i.e.. we were lost in Kranji). By the time we found the Causeway, it was 8am.
Across the Causeway, we discovered another problem - Shin Leong forgot to bring the address of the Conference venue (oops, need to organise ourselves better next time). However, we did have a "pretty good idea" of the general direction to head - Skudai! (Malaysian road signs were "very" helpful). Fortunately, Shin Leong had a copy of Johore's street directory (no Mei. I definitely don't think the Singapore Street Directory's any good in Johore) as our vehicle commander had finally discovered the inadequacies of his tourist's map of Johore - it doesn't go beyond Skudai! Tough!
Before we start our journey up Pontian Expressway, we had to top up our gas tank. However, being an "old princess", Shin Leong's car is very particular about its diet - Esso only. However, Johore's short on Esso petrol kiosks. We settled for Caltex. Somehow or other his car didn't take too well to Caltex, we ended up pushing the car to jump start the engine. Shucks! Should have read the fine print on my contract!
After rounding a few corners, the truth finally dawned upon us - we were lost! Attempts to contact the organisers on our handphones proved futile - SingTel and StarHub doesn't go this far! Irvin's M1 Chat (CDMA) didn't work either. Even when we found a payphone in the campus grounds of University of Technology Malaysia, the phone numbers we were given were all engaged! After a few more twists, turns and speculations of where the venue was, we finally managed to contact the organisers, who rescued us from the entrance of a resort.
By the time we reach place, the conference was already under way. We quickly got up to speed - er... who's better at Chinese? As the conference was conducted in Chinese, we had to pair up - the more conversant Chinese with the lesser ones (thankfully, the Malaysian undergraduates were pretty good with their English). I paired up with Mei whereas Melvin, Shin Leong and Irvin did their thing together - this was more for the small group discussions.
The speakers varied in terms of their linguistic styles, depth of their content, personal experiences and voice projection. We seems to have quite a repertoire of activists in the Panel of speakers. A student activist leader, a journalist, a writer and an ex-Malaysian MP. All spoke on various issues pertaining to race relations in Malaysia. Many of them voice concerns for the lack of cohesion amongst students as a force for change in Malaysian society.
It seems that all present desires better relations amongst the different races and that dialogue between the different races is the key in jump-starting the process. The conference highlighted the need for mutual understanding and appreciation of the different background (religious or otherwise) and cultural context in which the different races come from to improve the chances of success in these dialogues.
The latest being the recent SuQiu 17 Point Petition for "national unity, reform of political institutions, human rights, economy and social developments, education, multi-culturalism, environmental protection, women, media, workers and the indigenous people" (http://www.suqiu.org).
For me, this conference was an opportunity to see for myself, our Malaysian counterparts in action. Most of the participants of the conference were undergraduates from the university - coming from faculties which were traditionally apolitical in nature. I found future civil and electronic engineers, accountants and mathematicians involved in the vibrant discussions. This was extremely heartening as I see in them a passion that I find lacking in many Singaporean undergraduates - a passion for a better society.
The exchange of cross-straits views and experiences in ethnic management was mutually beneficial as we gained insights into the different events happening in contemporary Malaysian and Singapore politics. Most of the Malaysian students were eager to find out more about the latest developments in Singapore politics - the top on their list being the Hong Lim Speakers' Corner.
Indeed, the future looks promising for Malaysia. If the trend towards social cohesion between the different races continues to blossom in similar youth groups and universities, a day will come where youths will become a variable force for political and societal transformation towards a democratic Malaysian Malaysia.
As we left the conference earlier to beat the Causeway traffic, I carried within me a renewed desire. A desire to see the same passion - the so-called "Singapore Heartbeat", to be found in more of my fellow Singapore undergraduates - just as they burned so brightly in the eyes of those I see here. A desire to make Singapore's business our own business. A desire that will make a difference in Singapore society.
