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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Saya juga telah membeli sebidang tanah seluas satu hektar di sebelah kawasan rumah saya itu. Bukan kerana saya inginkan halaman yang luas, tetapi untuk memastikan tiada pembangunan pesat meresap ke dalam kawasan tersebut. Kanada, ketika itu sedang mengalami kepesatan pembangunan. Jumlah pelaburan asing yang besar telah mula mengalir masuk ke negara tersebut sejak kira-kira dua dekad sebelum pemulangan Hong Kong kepada negara China pada 1997. Natijahnya, kebanyakan unsur tradisional pekan dan bandar di Kanada mula terjejas. Dan Halifax, bandar yang saya tinggal juga tidak terkecuali.

Saya mengambil keputusan untuk terus membaikpulih tanah berkenaan dengan menanam pokok jenis tempatan seperti Birch, Pine, Spruce, Maple, Oak dan sebagainya. Hasilnya, terciptalah sebuah hutan kecil di bandar berkenaan yang bersambung terus dengan tasik berhampiran. Saya berpeluang singgah di rumah lama saya empat tahun yang lalu. Tanpa gangguan manusia, dan musim berputar bersilih ganti, hutan kecil itu berupaya menjadi 'rumah' kepada haiwan liar yang kecil. Rakan saya yang kini tinggal di sana memberitahu dia selalu melihat unggas hidup riang di situ, termasuk burung hantu. Ada kalanya beberapa ekor rusa juga datang menyinggah.

Kita sepatutnya menjalankan tugas kita untuk memelihara bumi ini. Kita mesti memastikan alam sekitar dapat meneruskan tugas dan fungsinya untuk kesejahteraan bersama.

Seperti yang Mahatma Ghandi pernah suarakan, "Bumi mampu menyediakan yang secukupnya untuk memenuhi keperluan manusia, tetapi bukan ketamakan manusia.”

Janganlah kita ambil kesemuanya.

Sempena Hari Bumi kali ini, marilah berikrar untuk sama-sama berganding bahu memulihkan bumi yang tercinta ini.

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MCO is a good time for spring cleaning. Found this photo which was taken about 30 years ago at the backyard of my house, a century-old farmhouse in Canada. The bonsai-like tree on the left was an old apple tree.

I have also bought another hectare of vacant land next to my house. Not because I wanted a bigger garden, but primarily because I wanted to prevent massive developments from creeping into the neighbourhood. Canada, at that time was undergoing rapid developments. Huge amounts of foreign investments were pouring in due to the imminent return of Hong Kong to China in 1997. As a result, the traditional fabrics of many townships and cities in Canada were under threat. And Halifax, the city where I lived, was not spared.

I went ahead to restore that little piece of land, planting it with a variety of native species like birch, pine, spruce, maple, oak etc. The end result was the creation of a beautiful tiny little urban forest which connects straight to the lake. I dropped by my former house when I returned to Canada four years ago. With no human interference, after many winter storms and summer suns, the little forest has continued to thrive and became a haven for small animals. My good friend who now lives in that house told me that he often see birds, including owls. Even the deers came visiting sometimes.

Everyone should do their part in giving earth a chance. We must ensure nature can continue to carry out their functions for the survival of humanity.

As Gandhi said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”

Don’t take it all.

On this Earth Day, let us all vow to heal Earth together.

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