A Glimpse into the Indian Community of Labis

4 July 2010 morning was cold. My alarm went off at quarter to 6. I’ve voluntereed to go to SJK (Tamil) Labis for the Law Awareness Campaign organised by the Johore Legal Aid Centre and Johore Elegant Women’s League (JEWEL). At that moment, my bed was the cosiest place on earth. Every cell in my body surrendered to the pull of gravity and refused to budge from the comfort zone. Then the images of the underprivileged community flashed across my mind. When the stabbing pain of my conscience became unbearable, I forced myself out of the bed and headed to the bathroom.

3 other lady-lawyers who were as dedicated as me *cough* went together in a car from Johor Bahru to Labis. Labis is a small town surrounded by oil palm plantations. The school has a block of three storey classrooms and a canteen. 3 lawyers and 1 chambering student from nearby Segamat joined us. JEWEL has invited the representatives from Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) of JB to participate too. I was impressed. They came in 2 cars and wasted no time in setting up the place. Within minutes, we’ve separate sections for the registration of adoptions, birth certificates and even renewal of I/Cs.

As the crowd trickled into the hall seeking for assistance, I realised the problems faced by the local Indian community. All the applicants were low-income workers of the plantations and illiterate. A woman came with a birth certificate in tatters. Another woman who couldn’t remember her birthplace or her mother’s name wished to apply for I/C. A man in his forties applied for his I/C for the first time. They spoke in Tamil and hardly any Malay or English language. As a Chinese, I became redundant. When asked whether they need any legal advice, the replies were negative. They did not understand what were their rights. How to explain the rights under the Federal Constitution to the illiterate community?

To make myself useful, I took a few pictures and fetched things for my colleagues. All of us tried to assist as much as we could. We may come up against a wall many times, however, if we hit the wall without giving up, one day the wall will surely falls apart. We can also dig under the wall or climb over it.

On our way back to JB, we decided to reward ourselves. There was a durians stall by the road-side near the Yong Peng exit. The owner was the most honest durian seller I’ve ever met. We had a feast fit for 4 queens. Aahh... who says that there is no such thing as “heaven on earth”? Just have to look at the right place and you’ll find it.