Saya berasal daripada sebuah keluarga petani yang miskin yang menetap di Sri Telemong, Bentong. Ketika saya seorang murid sekolah yang masih kecil, saya sering keresahan jika tibanya waktu tengah bulan. Ini kerana yuran bas sekolah masih belum dibayar. Pernah beberapa kali saya dihalau turun dari bas oleh konduktor bas. Tetapi konduktor bas berketurunan Sikh ini sering menutup sebelah matanya, berpura-pura dia tidak tahu yang saya masih belum melunaskan yuran bas sekolah itu.

Ada juga kenangan pahit dengan pemandu bas yang tidak bertanggungjawab. Acapkali dia memandu dalam keadaan mabuk. Jika ada murid sekolah yang menekan loceng untuk berhenti, seringkali dia menekan brek secara mengejut, menyebabkan ada antara murid yang terjatuh. Dia juga selalu menekan pedal minyak dengan laju walaupun murid belum betul-betul turun tangga bas berkenaan. Saya masih ingat, konduktor Sikh berkenaan selalu berdiri di pintu bas dan memegang tangan saya ketika saya turun dari bas untuk memastikan saya tidak terjatuh.

Walaupun perbuatan baik itu nampak kecil, namun ada kalanya kenangan itu kekal dalam memori sehingga ke hujung usia.

Dengan dana sumbangan daripada rakyat yang prihatin, saya telah membeli bekalan makanan asas di kedai runcit tempatan. Semalam, saya bersama-sama YB Rara dan YB Lee Chin Chen telah mengagihkan pek bekalan makanan tersebut kepada 38 keluarga berketurunan Sikh di Bentong. Lebih manis, saya menemui anak kepada mendiang konduktor bas berkenaan.
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I have met only one person of Sikh origin throughout my entire childhood, the bus conductor of my school bus and it has left me with lasting good memories.

I came from a poor farmer’s family in Sri Telemong, Bentong. When I was a little schoolboy, I would always cringed in fear when comes the middle of the month, when the monthly bus fare was still unpaid. There were occasions where I got chased off the bus by bus conductors. But there was this very kind Sikh bus conductor who would always pretend that he didn’t know that I had not paid my bus fare.

There were also some very bad experiences with the bus driver who was a very irresponsible person. Most of the time he was drunk as well. Whenever any of the school children pressed the STOP buzzer, he would braked abruptly, thus causing the child to fall. And he always hit the gas pedal even before we reached the last step of the stairs when alighting the bus. I remember the kind Sikh bus conductor would always stand at the door, held my hand and lifted me off the bus to ensure that I would not fall.

With this I realized that kind deeds, no matter how small, can sometimes last in someone’s memory for the rest of their lives.

With funds donated by the people, I have bought some essential food items from a local grocery store. Yesterday, together with YB Rara and YB Lee Chin Chen, we have sent the food packages to thirty eight Sikh families in Bentong. And guess what. I met the son of the kind late bus conductor.

#ParlimenBentong

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