Living among the natives

I live with the natives of Malaysia since 1.1.2005. It is not in the jungle but in a housing estate like any other in Malaysia. There are proper roads. Proper utilities and infrastructures. With all the needs and wants of a modern living fulfilled. Its just that right in front of my terrace house, the whole block of nearly 30 houses, most are occupied by the 'orang asal' or in short, the natives.

My housing estate was an uncharted territory in Shah Alam, a few years ago. I bought my house after my wife fell in love with the architecture of the unit that we came to look when the housing estate was still being build. As I know the owner of the developement company personally, he gave me and my wife a personal tour trying to sell us just one of the nearly supposedly thousands of houses, which include bungalow, semi-D and a few blocks of apartment. This developer was notorious for being close with the then Chief Minister and did not play by the rule. Heck, he didn't have to build low cost house in an area which is supposed to be too big for him not to get it waive.

Back to my lovely neighbourhood. I was told by the developer that I would be living in a house fronting houses built for the natives. Their houses are also terrace houses but of lesser quality. These houses were their transit houses before they are given bungalows according to the agreement between the developer and them. They also have other consideration which basically means they don't have to work for the rest of their life, if they choose to. For me, I know of these facts and I have no problem about it.

Imagine my surprise, when I got to know, this fact is not a general information known to all the other housebuyers when they were buying the houses. They got to know this fact after the houses were delivered to them. Some accepted it as it is and some took it quite badly. Some even refused to come and live at the house they bought as they just couldn't accept the fact that they have to live with these natives that they think would disrupt their way of life.

As nearly 80% of them are Muslims, I actually don't know what is the problem of living with the natives. Even if they are not, it is not as if that really matters. If religion was the only issue for these people. As for me I have been brought up in the jungle of Pahang as my parents were Felda officers who had to manage the natives there who still lives in huts and I have to go to school with them when I was only 10 years old. It is not them who must change as they actually came way before us to Malaysia. We are the one who must accept them as they are. We are the 'immigrant' however far back we can see our past.

Maybe that is just me...

p/s : But my wife lives in the middle of Kuala Lumpur which can be considered as an urban jungle and she is better at befriending these natives. Maybe it is just people, who sometimes have certain prejudices....