Tajuddin S Merdeka Reflection In A Sea Of Faces I Was Never Apart

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While politicians draw lines of division, academic Tajuddin Rasdi reflects on the four years he spent in a Chinese school that nurtured in him a Malaysian worldview, and an enduring ability to behold beauty in plurality.
The architecture professor has never shied from striking at those who exploit racial divides for political gain - a candour that has earned him not only the ire of certain quarters, but also the bitter charge of betraying his own race and faith.
Having attended an alumni dinner with his former classmates from the Hua Lian High School in Taiping, Perak, earlier this month, Tajuddin reminisced about his youth, how his teachers and friends embraced him as one of their own, never once making him feel different.
“I was the only Malay alumnus among 870 Hua Lian boys and girls - but in that sea of faces, I was never apart. I was one of them. I was Malaysian,” he told Malaysiakini.
Tajuddin, 63, said he studied at the high school from Form Two until Lower Six - before leaving to pursue his studies elsewhere.
“In school, I was the minority race. But I was never bullied, ostracised, or ridiculed. I was accepted.
“We bridged our differences, found common good in each other, and became friends who saw beyond trivial matters such as skin colour,” he added.
Wells of strength
For Tajuddin, these memories are wells of strength in the month of Merdeka, a reminder of what Malaysia can be, even as some seek to tear its spirit apart, blind to the truth that the wounds of division will be borne by all, not by a single race alone.
The son of a police officer also paid tribute to his teachers, both from his primary school and secondary school, recalling how his art teacher, “Mr Chung”, left him awestruck after showing him how to construct a miniature house with matchsticks, which then grew to become a village of matchstick houses.
“I guess my interest in architecture began as early as Standard Five at St Marks, Butterworth,” he quipped.
Tajuddin also expressed gratitude to the Alliance leaders of the 1960s - those from Umno, MCA, and MIC - who, he said, laid the foundation for opportunity.
Tunku Abdul Rahman“It was their vision and resolve that allowed the poor son of a police constable to board his first plane, bound for the United States on a Public Service Department scholarship.
“Some of today’s politicians may be utterly useless, but certainly not those of the Tunku Abdul Rahman and Abdul Razak eras,” he remarked.
Ironically, it was on that journey to a foreign land that Tajuddin found the woman who would become his lifelong companion.
“She was one of the 11 Malay students in our batch on that first plane ride to the US.
“My wife has stood by me through every season - my career, my struggles with mental health, and even my battles with physical illness, keeping vigil by my side in hospital wards, sleeping on hard chairs and makeshift beds.
“Together, we weathered five children and many mortgages - and we endured,” he added.
Sense of gratitude
Now with UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, Tajuddin expressed his gratitude to its chairperson for offering him a place after his early retirement from public universities.
“He believed not only in my experience as an architect, but also in my ability to serve Malaysia,” he said.
Tajuddin recalled how his professor applications to three public universities were rejected because his writings were branded as “anti-Malay” and “wayward of Islam”.
Yet, he stood firm, arguing that his compass is the Prophet Muhammad and Rukun Negara, guiding him both as a Muslim and as a Malaysian.
“This Merdeka, I share with you, my fellow citizens, the true colours of my life - hues no flag or coat of arms can ever eclipse - the pride and gratitude I hold for every Malaysian who has crossed my path.
“As the Malay saying goes, ‘berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing’ -our fate rests in all of us, together, as we weather the tempests of time,” he added. - Mkini

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