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In a Chinese restaurant along a row of brothels in Brickfields, Raja Petra Kamarudin was having dinner with his wife, Marina, and two close female friends.

Sat around a round table on the sidewalk, the ang moh (white) looking “Malay” was charming and had a steady gaze. With a shaved head and donning spectacles, he looked the intellectual prince of Malaysia Today. What got to me was his easygoing and down-to-earth style. He was definitely not the Sultan of Johor of whacking the golf caddy fame. Actually, Petra was not even like most of the royalty types that hung out in the local clubs and classy restaurants in town. Perhaps the most royal looking part of him was a ring with a huge stone and his watch. Otherwise, I felt he was a true Malaysian in a sense and living testimony that identity goes beyond skin colour. The fact that Petra was probably a PAS sympathiser didn’t add up as he looked so modern. Ah! Stereotypes again.

To shock Malaysians leading up to elections, I wore a PAS pin though I am not a PAS member. I can’t be and neither do I want to be one. Political parties are too restrictive with their constitution and manifestos and all. Also, there are some key things within PAS that I simply can’t agree with but respect as its their culture and their freedom. The most glaring dissonance is the idea of covering up women from head to toe. I like to wear shorts and t-shirts most times with my well-worn pair of Converse sneakers. Especially with the heat, I’m not about to conform to the dress code unless required or in situations where its polite. But that’s their religion. Of course, the other is that I am a Christian.

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