PETALING JAYA: Decades after friendships were forged when a group of Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) students were thrown together for an education, their relationships remain strong despite the “boys going on different paths upon graduating from the junior college in 1972”.
It started out as simple “kampung” boys eager to gain any knowledge they could get their hands on and as luck would have it, they came under the roof of the Seremban MRSM, now known as the Seremban Mara College.
At that time, alumni president Datuk Jamaludin Non said the boys were more than surprised when they saw the building structure that they would live in.
It was nothing more than a half-completed wooden building.
“We were the experimental (pioneer) batch. Somebody back then suggested to the government to introduce a science college for the Malays and Bumiputeras.
“It was for people like us who came from the rural areas. We came together in Seremban town.”
Speaking at the alumni’s reunion here yesterday, Jamaludin said they spent five years together.
It was an experience that none of them could forget.
“It was a time when the young boys learnt about each other and the country, as well as the world, which was opening up.
“At the time, there were no uniforms. So we wore different outfits each day and some of us even had long hair.
“It was the 1970s, after all,” Jamaludin said, to which his former collegemates burst into laughter.
Another alumnus, Zahir Hassan, now Kuala Lumpur PKR chairman, said he was grateful to forge such a friendship as they had been through many ups and downs.
He shared one story that had members of the alumni laughing out loud.
“One fine day, some of boys up on the fifth floor during a chemistry lesson dropped a sodium chemical element into the fountain downstairs and we saw it erupt!
“But we never revealed who the culprit was. We all took the blame together and even now, we will not reveal who the culprit was because that’s how strong our friendship is.”
After completing their Malaysian Certificate of Education in 1976, now known as Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, 80 per cent of them were accepted into universities abroad.
The lucky ones managed to get into the same university, while others had to say goodbye, hoping they would see each other again in the future.
Datuk Dr Raymond Azman Ali, who is a neurologist lecturer and senior consultant at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said although he missed his friends while studying in Melbourne, Australia, in the late 1970s, his focus was nevertheless on his studies.
“Malaysian students back then had a good reputation at my university because we always managed to come out tops in every examination.
“At MRSM, we were taught to study hard so that after graduation, we could contribute to the country and that’s why our main priority was studying,” said Dr Raymond.
As they completed their studies, they ventured into different fields, still holding on to the objective of MRSM’s establishment — to increase the number of Malay and Bumiputera professionals.
“We were the pioneer batch to realise the objective of MRSM, which is to increase the number of professionals and that’s what we did,” said Zahir.
Some ventured into entre- preneurship and the medical field, and others into accounting, law and politics as Jamaludin said they felt indebted to the country and its people.
At the time, as everyone was busy building their own lives, Jamaludin said they were unable to stay in touch with each other, comprising the 150-strong MRSM batch of 1972.
“Some of us continued to keep in touch with each other and met up whenever we could, but it wasn’t easy to gather everyone because we were very busy.
“Ten years ago, we had our first reunion at Kuala Lumpur Tower.
“My goodness, we had a great time seeing each other after all these years,” Jamaludin said.
While it was difficult to stay connected then, now the much older “boys” are in constant touch with each other through their WhatsApp group.
“This time around, we managed to gather 78 boys out of the original 150 as some had passed away while others had migrated,” Jamaludin said.
Even after doing their part in contributing to society, the MRSM boys would still hold discussions together on how to contribute to the nation, according to Zahir.
One topic that is close to their heart is the need to change the nation’s policies to benefit all segments of society, especially those in need.
“Back then, it was about empowering the Malays and Bumiputeras. But now, the situation has changed and we have a bigger responsibility.
“We are all Malaysians in this country and we believe we should do away with race-based policies, and instead, focus on policies based on need.
“We shouldn’t see each other according to colour, religion or race, but work together as Malaysians for Malaysia.”