Interactions that built trust, unity

When social media amplifies division, we need to return to values that once defined us

A FEW days ago, I received an invitation to a gathering of former classmates in Seremban, Negri Sembilan.

My former schoolmate Ahmad Izany said the reunion was important because we hardly see each other after we left St Paul’s Institution in Seremban, 40 years ago.

I had planned to travel to Medan, Indonesia, to attend disaster response training but after listening to him speak about the value of reconnecting with old friends, I decided to attend the gathering.

It was not just about meeting old classmates but revisiting a chapter of life that had quietly shaped our understanding of unity in a multi-racial country.

Prior to that, four very close friends in Kuala Terengganu invited me to join them for buka puasa and I drove from Melaka to meet them.

As we sat waiting to break fast, the conversation drifted back to the years when I was working in Tereng­ganu almost two decades ago.

What touched me most was when one of them said that he hoped I would always remain their good friend no matter where life took us.

It reminded me that genuine friendships often endured through the years.

For many Malaysians who grew up in the 1980s, racial harmony was a lived experience – not a concept debated on social media or discussed through official campaigns.

Students from different races and religions studied together without being constantly re­minded of their differences.

Many of us would sit in the school’s chapel to wait for our People’s Own Language classes.

To us, it was simply just an available spot to while away the time in between our classes.

Students of different faiths sat comfortably there chatting and revising for examinations.

Almost four decades later, every one of us still adhered to and remained steadfast in the respective religions that our parents raised us in.

What the school gave us was not religious influence but a ­dee­­p­­­­er understanding of how to res­­pect and be kind towards others.

Beyond the school compound, the surrounding community reinforced the same spirit.

Caretakers of Taoist shrines in Rasah New Village and Taman AST would often invite young people like us who hung around after school hours, to help ourselves to the fruits that had been offered during prayers.

Hindu temples along Jalan Rasah, near the Rasah army camp as well as the one in Bukit Tembok served vegetarian meals during festive periods and people from various races would join in without hesitation.

These experiences might have seemed ordinary back then, but it’s this social interaction that strengthened trust between communities.

It was a time in Malaysia when people interacted first as neighbours and friends before seeing each other through the lens of race or religion.

Today, many Malaysians are increasingly concerned about public discourse surrounding race relations.

Social media platforms have amplified voices that sometimes thrive on provocation rather than understanding.

Statements made without context can quickly escalate into heated debates that create unnecessary suspicion among communities.

Recently, Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh expressed concern about such divisive narratives circulating online.

He suggested that mainstream media should continue playing a role in strengthening harmonious living.

His observation highlights the importance of remembering how unity was once built in everyday spaces such as schools, neighbourhoods and places of worship.

For Ab Rauf, harmony is not the result of carefully managed programmes – it grew naturally through interaction, trust and shared experiences.

Our upcoming reunion may appear to be a simple gathering of old classmates.

Yet for those attending, it will also serve as a reminder of a Malaysia where unity is quietly practised rather than loudly proclaimed.

In a time when social media often magnifies division, Malay­sians may need to return to the simple values that once defined our communities.

Respect, kindness and genuine friendship remain the strongest foundation for preserving harmony in a diverse nation.