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My Grandmother’s Lonely Journey of Integrating Into Malaysian Society by Cheong Huei Ting

We are very pleased to release the first audio essay for our Suara ((( Pembangunan ))) project, “My Grandmother’s Lonely Journey of Integrating Into Malaysian Society” by Cheong Huei Ting. In this essay, Huei Ting narrates her family history by tracing the life of her grandmother (her father’s mother), who lived through the racial riots of May 13th and a new nation transformed by the New Economic Policy (NEP). This story of national development is told through the social and intimate dimension of public housing, specifically the dwellings where Huei Ting’s grandmother spent most of her days.

Reflecting on the wider story of national development conveyed through her audio essay, Huei Ting observes some tensions:

In the whole process of industrialisation, a lot of people were left out, they can’t keep up, they can’t survive. It’s just like a huge machine that runs through everything…

Getting government housing is a blessing somewhat, because you stay there for 20 years and rent didn’t go up. So, I feel like development is very two-sided, development for who? For the people or for the rich?

Huei Ting’s essay teaches us about the manifestation of the government’s development policy on the ground, as lived through the history of her family. What is also revealed through her audio essay is a gendered dimension of national development in relation to employment prospects and citizenship, the latter rippling across generations with implications for our contemporary society.

In Huei Ting’s own words, working on this audio essay has enabled her to see how her family is embedded in the overall narrative of national development in Malaysia, lending them a voice as part of a people’s history:

Most of the time we read about other people’s family history. Usually, people get their family history published publicly, those are like big figures, big narratives and all, but it’s nice to work on this audio essay because I also want to hear it from my family, how national development affects them. Because usually you read it in books and on the news, it’s just “Oh, the government do this and that” and the contributions are numbers, percentage of people that is not in absolute poverty and whatever. So, they’re just numbers and figures; you hear from other people on the ground it’s different. So, I feel it’s nice. It’s like giving them a voice.

Suara ((( Pembangunan ))) is a collaboration between Dr. Aizuddin Mohamed Anuar (Lecturer in Education, Keele University) and Zikri Rahman (Programme Coordinator, Pusat Sejarah Rakyat) and is funded by Faculty Research Fund (FRF) 2023-2024, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Keele University.

I remember my grandmother as an affectionate but lonely person.

Although healthy and able-bodied, she had no friends and never left the house without anyone accompanying her — I only saw her at weekly family dinners.

She immigrated to Malaya with my grandfather in the 1950s, spoke only Cantonese, and had no relatives or friends here.

Coming from an agrarian society in China, my father said that my grandmother had to start a new life and learn everything from scratch, even basic skills such as cooking.

[sounds of busy streets]

AUDIO

Transcribe:
“From the day she landed in Malaya, she got no friends, no relatives, she had to start all from scratch — even cooking! She don’t cook in China, you know. In China, she got sister to cook mah. 佢哋係 farm 嗰度做（工），做咗返回有饭食咯 … 有时冇饭食。”

Mandarin:
自落脚在马来亚的那一天，她就与所有的亲朋戚友失去联络，必须从新开始建立生活，连基本的烹饪技能也要从零开始学习！因为她在中国时都没有煮饭，全家人都从事耕田，只能依靠在家的大姐准备晚餐等他们回家吃。。。有时候甚至没饭吃，只能挨饿。”

English:
“From the day she landed in Malaya, she got no friends, no relatives, she had to start all from scratch — even cooking! She doesn’t cook in China, you know. Back in China, someone else was in charge of the cooking. The family worked on a farm, while one of your grandmother’s sisters stayed at home to prepare meals. After a day’s work, they’ll go home and have dinner … but sometimes, they’ll go hungry without anything to eat.”

My grandparents had 5 children, with my father being the youngest. The entire family lived in a small room in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur — an area that Chinese immigrants populated.

The 1960s were difficult for the family — their lives in Chow Kit were mired by poverty and instability.

My grandfather held a blue identification card and was a Malaysian citizen. [sounds of smooth waves]

It secured him a job as a mechanic at Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad, building railway tracks and doing repair work.

[sounds of railway clinking and hammering behind]

His citizenship also ensured the children were born citizens and could receive formal education.

On the other hand, my grandmother holds a red identification card, marking her identity as only a permanent resident in Malaya. [sounds of rough waves]

Despite her repeated requests to apply for a blue one, my grandfather refused to help because she “does not need to go out for work”.

My aunt said they were still testing the waters here — my grandfather would bring the whole family back to China if anything went wrong.

AUDIO

Transcribe:
爺爺唔係講囉，你都唔使出去，要。。。點講啊。。。使咩要 IC? Apply 來做乜嘢？係估唔好，就返囉。Like that lor, so that is it. 嬤嬤無得 apply 囉。Men ah, they are very 大男人 want. Lady have to work… only at home.

Mandarin:
爷爷说，“你都不用出去做工，何必申请蓝色身份证？若在这里过得不好，我们就回中国。”
就这样，嬷嬷无法去办身份证。以前的男人都很传统，他们都认为女人必须呆在家工作。

English:
Your grandfather said, “You don’t even go out for work, why do you even need to apply for an identification card? If things get tough here, we’ll just go back to China.” That’s it — grandmother cannot apply for an identification card. Back then, men are very conservative; they only want women to stay and work at home.

My grandmother was unable to work in formal sectors without a blue identification card.

She was confined to the house, doing domestic chores and low-paid jobs including cooking, laundry, and nannying to supplement the household income.

[Sounds of peeling vegetables]
[Sounds of scrubbing]

There was little privacy living in a cramped space, and neighbours often quarrelled.

In 1969, they were caught in the bloody racial riots of May 13th.

On that day, feelings of tension and unrest cast a shadow across Chow Kit.

[sounds of rioting and police sirens]

Chinese-predominant Chow Kit was next to Malay-predominant Kampung Baru, and these areas were the hotspot of clashes and fights.

That evening, my grandmother came home and frantically locked all the doors and windows and switched off the lights.

[sounds of closing doors]

My grandfather was out of town for work, and the responsibility of keeping the children safe fell upon my grandmother alone.

The entire family sat quietly in the dark through the night, and my uncle recalled the fear and panic that shrouded them.

AUDIO

Transcribe:
個時候，哇，我哋都 panic 咗囉。佢講啊，“must get ready to move out lo, since the situation so tense，嗰陣時啦。睇到前邊死咗一個，後邊又好似 fight，我哋睇個 situation 點囉。Looks tense, you know. After that，嬤嬤 asked us to dress up — shoes get ready, all the shoes get ready — put at the side there la. ”

Mandarin:
那时候，我们全家人都陷入恐慌。嬷嬷说，“要准备随时搬出去，因为情况十分紧张。” 当时，我们看到屋前死了一个人，屋后又有打架搏斗的声音，我们也不知该如何，只能视情况而定。你知道当时的情况有多么的紧张吗？然后，嬷嬷也吩咐我们赶紧穿好衣服，把鞋子放一旁，准备逃离。

English:
We were panicking at that time. She said, “We must get ready to move out anytime since the situation is so tense.” We saw a dead body in front of the house and heard fights going on behind the house — we just observed the situation to decide what to do next. The situation at that time was very tense, you know. After that, mum asked us to dress and get our shoes ready.

After the racial riots, the government introduced the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970. It led to mass urban migration and resulted in housing shortages.

[sounds of the audience cheering and clapping]

To solve this problem, the Perumahan Awam Kos Rendah (PAKR), a low-cost public housing programme, was launched in 1976.

One of the earliest low-cost flats they built was the Flat Sri Pahang in Bangsar, and units were allocated according to racial composition.

[sounds of construction sites]

My grandfather applied for the flats and successfully obtained a double-bedroom unit by drawing lots. It felt like a cascade of blessings had descended upon the family.

They moved in in 1976. My uncle said life has changed for the better; low-rent public housing moved my family up the social mobility ladder.

AUDIO

Transcribe:
Now, 我哋 find it better la，無 friction ah，all by ourselves, then we had something like, we had our own house，唔使講幾時 we need to shift out 又乜嘢。Moreover, the rent is cheap. 無 raise 過，你知道無？The rent ah, from the starting until we shift out that year ah, still maintain, you know.

Mandarin:
现在的情况好很多，不必听到邻居之间的争执，有个属于一家人的空间，而且不必再烦恼搬家和找屋子租。况且，政府组屋的租金也很便宜；从入住到搬走的那一天，这 20多年来租金都没起过。

English:
Now, we find it better to stay in Flat Sri Pahang. There is less friction among neighbours, and we have a space all by ourselves. Most importantly, our family finally had our own house, without worrying anymore about finding places to rent. Moreover, the rent for government housing is cheap — do you know that they never raised the rent for the 20-plus years we lived there?

The icing on top of the cake was getting a unit on the second floor because my grandmother only used the stairs.

She never dared to use the lifts on her own because she worried about getting lost and being unable to ask for help in Bahasa Malaysia.

[sounds of the elevator]

Even though the family lived in a community where more than 80% of the tenants were Malay and Indian, my grandmother still struggled to pick up the language because of her limited education and lack of access to jobs in the formal sector.

Nevertheless, life at the flat was less lonely for my grandmother. She made a few friends, worked for the fishmonger at a market, and often went for walks at the playground.

[sounds of children at playgrounds]

My father recalled their time at Flat Sri Pahang as “harmonious and peaceful”.

AUDIO

Transcribe:
So, the community more muhibbah. Of course, 我哋無乜嘢參馬拉人啦過度。第一，嬤嬤又唔錫講馬拉話，so 我哋 still young and 舊陣時 also a bit naive, 我哋都無乜嘢參馬拉人。But, generally, the community ok la, quite harmony.

Mandarin:
政府组屋的社区比较和谐，但是我们还是很少和马来人打交道。第一，嬤嬤不会说马来文，当时我们还很年轻，也可能比较天真，所以极少与别的种族沟通。基本上，那是一个蛮和谐的社区，居住在那里的时候也没发生什么不愉快的事情。

English:
So, the community at Flat Sri Pahang is more harmonious, but we never got the chance to mingle with tenants from other races. Firstly, your grandmother does not speak Malay, and we were still young and a bit naive back then, therefore we seldom interacted with other communities. But, generally, the community is harmonious and nothing particularly shocking happened during our stay there.

After a few years of moving in, my grandfather fell sick and passed away, leaving my grandmother alone to care for their children again.

[sounds of walking in nature]

In 2007, the family moved out of Flat Sri Pahang, and my grandmother moved into a new place with my aunts.

It is a spacious 3-bedroom condominium unit equipped with all kinds of facilities, but it is on the 11th floor.

Every day, my grandmother spent her time at home cooking, taking naps, and listening to the radio alone.

[Mandarin song fading in]
Lyrics: 总有一天，总有一天等到你。。。(Someday, I await your presence someday….)

She seldom left the house, we only got to see her at weekly family dinners.

In 2016, my grandmother passed away peacefully at home.

Finally, she can now leave the house on her own without having to worry about how to operate lifts or ask for directions.

[Mandarin old song fading out]

  1. Sejarah Polisi Rumah Mampu Milik Di Malaysia
    https://www.majalahlabur.com/pelaburan-hartanah/sejarah-polisi-rumah-mampu-milik-di-malaysia/
  2. The role of state and market in the Malaysian housing sector
    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1014868908840
  3. Cultural and Religious Tolerance and Acceptance in Urban Housing: A Study of Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
    https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ass/article/view/14615
  4. A call for action: Malaysian government’s commitment to gender equal citizenship — Family Frontiers
    https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2024/03/08/a-call-for-action-malaysian-governments-commitment-to-gender-equal-citizenship-family-frontiers/122144#google_vignette
  5. The Affordable Housing Issue in Malaysia: An overview of the housing affordability gap and its key drivers
    https://www.centre.my/post/the-affordable-housing-issue-in-malaysia
  6. FMS Railways – Part 2: Crossing the Straits
    https://museumvolunteersjmm.com/2015/10/24/fms-railways-part-2-crossing-the-straits/
  7. Zulkifli, A. . and Aminuddin, A. (2020) “Outdoor Space as Integral Component in Home Making at Low-cost Housing in Bangsar ”, MAJ – Malaysia Architectural Journal, 2(3). Available at: https://www.majournal.my/index.php/maj/article/view/42 (Accessed: 8 October 2024)

Credits:
Audio Essay created, written, produced, and edited by Cheong Huei Ting

Voices:
Narrator, Translation: Cheong Huei Ting
Interviewee, Father: Cheong Chin Kuan
Interviewee, Aunt: Cheong Chui Yong
Interviewee, Uncle: Cheong Chin Fatt

Music and Sounds:
Sounds of busy streets
Link: Busy New York Street Ambience
https://elements.envato.com/busy-new-york-street-ambience-WKGM67N

Sounds of smooth waves
Link: Sea Waves Small Waves Crash
https://elements.envato.com/sea-waves-small-waves-crash-NJ9FD22

Sounds of railway clinking and hammering behind
Link: Rail Hits Hammer on Railroad Track Sharp Clank 2
https://elements.envato.com/rail-hits-hammer-on-railroad-track-sharp-clank-2-33KPVS9

Sounds of peeling vegetables
Link: Peeling Vegetables
https://elements.envato.com/peeling-vegetables-PYAF5ZR

Sounds of scrubbing
Link: Water Closet Brush Cleaning
https://elements.envato.com/water-closet-brush-cleaning-KVBGLQP

Sounds of rioting and police sirens
Link: Crowd Fighting and Rioting
https://elements.envato.com/crowd-fighting-and-rioting-GY5RFE4

Sounds of closing doors
Link: Creaky door open
https://mixkit.co/free-sound-effects/doors/

Sounds of the audience cheering and clapping
Link: Spanish Crowd Crowd Applaud And Cheer
https://elements.envato.com/spanish-crowd-crowd-applaud-and-cheer-E8N7RQM

Sounds of construction sites
Link: Construction site indoors ambience
https://mixkit.co/free-sound-effects/construction/

Sound of Elevator
Link: Elevator
https://elements.envato.com/elevator-P8ZB3RG

Sounds of children playing at playgrounds
Link: Kids Playground
https://elements.envato.com/kids-playground-LWRDFEG

Sounds of walking in nature
Link: Walking in the forest
https://mixkit.co/free-sound-effects/walk/

Mandarin song
Link: 总有一天等到你
https://archive.org/details/MartinWin00_outlook_3_201607/Cung+yau+ie+thien+ten+tau+ni.mp3