My late father arrived in Malaya in 1934 after finishing his Senior Cambridge in Ceylon (which is now known as Sri Lanka). All his working life was spent in the estates.
When I was born, he was working as a conductor in Golden Hope Estate in Klang (where the Bayu Mas Cricket Oval is situated) and then moved to Ebor Estate which is now part of USJ Heights in Shah Alam.
Like most parents, there was an emphasis on education because they believed that knowledge is the future of their children. I went to the Ebor Estate Tamil School at the age of five before moving to the Simpang Lima English School which is now known as Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Simpang Lima in Klang and thereafter to Klang High School for my secondary education.
Among my schoolmates were boys from different backgrounds – from the backwaters of Klang to the rubber estates scattered on both sides of what is now known as the Federal Highway.
In our community, there were then (and still) too many people with the same names like Kandiah, Ponniah, Ponnampalam etc.
They were and still identified by their professions and sometimes their places of work.
Because there were far too many people with the name “Rajah” - from Alagarah to Thambyrajah who were working as conductors and hospital assistants in the estates - my dad used to be known as “Ebor Rajah”. The moniker stuck even after his retirement until his death.
Although being born and raised in the estates, it never occurred to me or any friends that I was any different from anyone else.
My friends never looked down or commented on my “estate” background. I wear the “estate” tag as a badge of honour for those who toiled in what were then only rubber estates. Their tenacity is evident from the many professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers and journalists who had estate backgrounds.
Like thousands of others, my father worked hard, with utmost honesty and integrity. His efforts managed to get us to school and give us a decent education which helped us advance made us useful citizens of this blessed nation.
Like many others, I take umbrage at the phrase “don’t behave like estate people” which was used yesterday by lawyer Muhammed Shafee Abdullah.
He made these remarks outside the courthouse where former Prime Minister Najib Razak is on trial for money laundering charges.
“If they want to be fourth estate or fifth estate, they shouldn’t act like estate people,” he was quoted as saying by the media.
My former colleague and now head honcho in the Media Prima Group, Mustapha Kamil shared the same sentiments in his Facbook post yesterday.
Alongside the Malaysiakini report with Shafee’s picture, he posted: “Wait a minute. Now, what does this fellow mean by ‘must not behave like estate people?’ Is there something wrong in the way people in the estate behave? I come from an area surrounded by estates formerly known as Dunlop Estate, Harrissons and Crossfield and Ladang Gaddes in Bahau.
“People of a particular race lived on those estates and many were close friends of mine. There ain’t nothing wrong with their behaviour. So, what was it exactly that this bloke was trying to say?”
For a start, most estate people have ethics, morals and principles. Seldom are these traits traded for a few pieces of silver. Greed never overcame their conscience as we have seen over the past year.
Estate people do not put their hands in the till of his employer or government coffers. They are satisfied with whatever they have and do not crave for things they can’t afford. Generally, most are contented. Their wives are not overly ambitious and don’t demand to have 300 Birkin handbags to match the colour of their designer clothes even if they don’t have funds from legitimate sources.
Neither do they have expensive tastes like diamond necklaces and precious stoned-studded watches.
Generally, they will stick with friends through thick and thin but not to the extent of borrowing millions from their well-heeled clients (who have millions of stolen money at their disposal). They don’t wheel and deal and almost always, they match their words with deeds without expecting to gain materialistically.
Many “estate people” have built their careers through determination, resolve, and fortitude. Above all, sheer hard work had been the cornerstone of their success.
If Shafee has a bone to pick with journalists, do so by all means without invoking “estate people”. As an “estate boy” and a member of the fourth estate, I have certainly been offended by his remarks.
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who has written about the plight of estate workers. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com - Mkini
"Nades should study the back ground of this Ganeson A/L Tangavello @ Shafee Abdullah and see where came from. He might have forgotten his roots. His downfall has also started as he no longer can influence the judges."
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