SIBU: During every Raya, army veteran Suhaimi Abdul Rashid will be receiving guests from the different races, a thing which he had been doing for the past 13 years here.
On the first day of Raya, among his guests were members of the Sarawak Malaysian Armed Forces Veteran Association led by its past president Thomas Ling.
Suhaimi, who is from Perak, said: “It is not just long-time friends but there are acquaintances I know in passing. But then, that’s the spirit of Raya open house. It’s about friendship and brotherhood.”
A young Suhaimi was first posted to the First Infantry Division in 1995 and later to Third Brigade Infantry at Mile 14 Oya here in 2006 until his retirement in 2010.
He chose Sarawak because his wife is a local and together, they have four children, three of them boys.
“I am just glad if I see friends and acquaintance coming to my Raya open house. I can see that people of different races here live harmoniously together. This is also why I have many friends here.
“This is a stark contrast to my hometown when you seldom see people of the different races visiting each other,” he added.
Suhaimi, 53, has blended well into the community. He admitted to feeling very much at home here, and with a little business to run, he only gets to visit his parents in Perak once a year.
