I am not a 'pendatang'

COMMENT | “It’s a fact. You are a pendatang. The British brought in people of your kind from the lowest caste to work in the estates. It’s a historical fact. Don’t try to manipulate facts.”

Someone wrote the above comment following a statement by an Indian minister claiming that the Indians in Malaysia are not pendatang (immigrants).

However, he received a backlash from society, some of whom happily reminded the minister and his fellow Indians of their place in the society, giving them a short crash course in history.

Reading the comment as well as many other comments of a similar wavelength, I found myself dumbfounded.

You see, while the minister and his haters were busy determining who are pendatang and who aren’t, I, an Indian by parentage, spent my whole week talking to my children about their own personal growth and how important it is to develop their skills and talent in order to contribute to the country.

While many over the past week advised others never to mess with the historical facts which place certain people above the rest, I was busy advising my children about staying clear on their purpose in life – that a life spent on contributing to the wellness of others around us is a life worth living for.

And while many got stuck in the discussion about where one's ancestors came from, I told my children that no matter where their fate takes them, their feet should always find the way back to Malaysia, because this is home...