Ready to get into a taxi just right outside KLIA, I was stopped by a loud male voice from behind: “ Encik, boleh tukar tak? Kami nak pemandu Muslim. ”

I turned around and saw a middle-aged Malay man waving at me in a rather friendly manner, his wife busy sorting out the luggage. They already had an Indian driver awaiting by the car door, who was looking rather innocent.

“ Boleh tukar? ” The man asked again.

“ Maaf lah .” I got into the car and told the Malay driver to start the engine, leaving the bewildered couple behind.

This episode reminded me of an email that I had received recently, in which a lawyer specified that she would prefer a Christian legal assistant because “we are a God-fearing company and faithful followers of Christ”.

These two experiences of mine again reveal the extent to which Malaysians show no qualms about their communalist mindset...