could start drinking, one person in the group of seniors, Chan Kian Hin, who was obviously their leader (and later became my good friend), told us to leave the drinks on the table and to stand up. It was barked out like an order which shocked us. I refused to stand up and because of that, my friend remained seated too. The seniors became very agitated and started shouting at me. They repeatedly asked me to stand up but I continued to refuse. They left my friend alone. There were about eight of them and they all sat down at the table. Kian Hin said I was outnumbered and that none of the group wanted to get physical but if they had to, they would. I remained quiet but refused to stand up. Then one of them tried to lift me and I grabbed my bottle of 7-Up. When they saw me reach for the bottle, some of them panicked and moved away. Kian Hin then asked me why I was going for the bottle. I told him very calmly that I was going to crack his head with it and then stab at least two of them before they got me. I could sense they were scared. A few other senior students who knew me intervened. They said I had no business being in Union House as I was not even a union member and told me to get out. They told my friend she could stay if she wanted to. She rejected their offer and walked out with me. Much later, when I was courting the same girl, she told me she was very surprised by the way I acted that day. She said she was trembling inside but I looked so cool and unafraid. She then asked me whether I would have done what I had threatened to do. I told her I would. She laughed and said she thought I enjoyed the whole incident.
I was a marked man from that day onwards. When term started and ragging officially began, every senior gentleman was after my blood. I had to be tamed. As far as the seniors were concerned, it would be a disaster if I wasn’t. They waited at every corner to confront me, but I refused to buckle. None of the freshies was allowed to be with me. They were threatened and so I walked alone with no friends. I refused to be ragged and humiliated by a bunch of morons who took great pride and satisfaction in humiliating a fellow student. Most of these raggers found courage only when they were in a group. On the occasions when I met any of them alone, they scurried away like the cowards they were. That one month of orientation was hell for me. I had no friends and everywhere I went, I saw hostile faces.
We were coming to the end of the orientation period when I was told secretly by some students that I should watch out for the seniors. They were plotting something against me. I normally sat alone outside Union House near the pond. Sure enough, one day, a group of students led by Karpal Singh (who is now an opposition member of parliament with the Democratic Action Party in Malaysia) confronted me at my table. I realised all the students were from the nearby Dunearn Road Hostel.
Karpal Singh asked me, “Are you a gangster?” I just kept quiet. He told me that silence under the Evidence Act meant yes. I remained quiet wondering what the Evidence Act was about. He then asked me what number I played, meaning what gang I belonged to. I kept quiet. “I am asking very politely, so I expect an answer. Tell me what number you play?” he said.
I told him that if he wanted to speak in that type of language, this was not the right place. Karpal Singh said that as far as he was concerned, it was the right place. I looked at him for some time and said that since he had chosen the place, it was only fair that I chose the time. He nodded his head. I said that I was sick and tired of what was happening to me and that at 7.00 pm that day, I would be at the same place and he was welcome to ask me what number I played. I also told him that this was a serious business and not to take it lightly as people could get hurt. He asked me what I meant by that and I replied that he would find out at 7.00 pm. I had decided that enough was enough.
I was a marked man from that day onwards. When term started and ragging officially began, every senior gentleman was after my blood. I had to be tamed. As far as the seniors were concerned, it would be a disaster if I wasn’t. They waited at every corner to confront me, but I refused to buckle. None of the freshies was allowed to be with me. They were threatened and so I walked alone with no friends. I refused to be ragged and humiliated by a bunch of morons who took great pride and satisfaction in humiliating a fellow student. Most of these raggers found courage only when they were in a group. On the occasions when I met any of them alone, they scurried away like the cowards they were. That one month of orientation was hell for me. I had no friends and everywhere I went, I saw hostile faces.
We were coming to the end of the orientation period when I was told secretly by some students that I should watch out for the seniors. They were plotting something against me. I normally sat alone outside Union House near the pond. Sure enough, one day, a group of students led by Karpal Singh (who is now an opposition member of parliament with the Democratic Action Party in Malaysia) confronted me at my table. I realised all the students were from the nearby Dunearn Road Hostel.
Karpal Singh asked me, “Are you a gangster?” I just kept quiet. He told me that silence under the Evidence Act meant yes. I remained quiet wondering what the Evidence Act was about. He then asked me what number I played, meaning what gang I belonged to. I kept quiet. “I am asking very politely, so I expect an answer. Tell me what number you play?” he said.
I told him that if he wanted to speak in that type of language, this was not the right place. Karpal Singh said that as far as he was concerned, it was the right place. I looked at him for some time and said that since he had chosen the place, it was only fair that I chose the time. He nodded his head. I said that I was sick and tired of what was happening to me and that at 7.00 pm that day, I would be at the same place and he was welcome to ask me what number I played. I also told him that this was a serious business and not to take it lightly as people could get hurt. He asked me what I meant by that and I replied that he would find out at 7.00 pm. I had decided that enough was enough.
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