You can say what you like, one Taman Sri Muda flood victim told me. “The real heroes are the ones who came to rescue us when floodwater was rising and even after the floodwater had risen.”

Saying he was not belittling or diminishing the contributions of those who had offered assistance in the form of food and cleaning-up service, the long-time resident added: “They risked their lives and got wet to help us. They came when we most needed them.”

This was a common sentiment expressed by Taman Sri Muda residents I spoke to on Christmas Day. Another was their unadulterated praise for all the NGOS and individuals who had provided them food and other basic necessities, and who were helping them clean their houses and clear the mess left by the floodwater.

Residents were also dismissive of government rescue assistance, saying it came late. One said: “Look at the number of government officials swarming this place today. Where were they on Dec 18 or Dec 19 or Dec 20 when we needed them most?”

I learned much about what happened during the massive floods of Dec 18-20 as I walked around Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam, Selangor, one of the areas most affected by the floods, and talked to some people.

I learned, for instance, that while the Beautiful Malaysian rose to the occasion to help rescue or provide assistance to flood victims regardless of race and religion, the Ugly Malaysian also made an appearance.

Let me start from the beginning. My son and I went to Taman Sri Muda on Dec 25 to distribute floor cleaning liquid, pails and scrubbing brooms to a few residents before stopping at one house to help with the cleaning.

The moment we entered the area, we were greeted by loads and loads of rubbish dumped alongside the roads. These included furniture and other household stuff that had soaked in water for three days or so and that could no longer be used. Many cars were covered with dirt from floodwaters that had receded by then.

The whole area was congested with vehicles, both parked and moving. The people of Taman Sri Muda, I believe, would not have seen such a traffic jam in their area. While some were just curious and wanted to see for themselves the situation on the ground, most were there to volunteer their services.

We saw a large number of government vehicles and buses bearing names of universities and other organisations. There were also some military trucks.

Several tents could be seen in the area manned by government servants, including one with medical staff. Kuala Lumpur City Hall had some tents with staff lounging next to some nice-looking whiteboards with words scribbled on them. And there were many mobile toilets, courtesy of KL City Hall.

What warmed us the most was the sight of streams of volunteers in the area, most of them helping clean the houses of flood victims. It felt so good to see strangers coming from all over Selangor, and some even from out of state (there was a bus bearing the logo and name of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, for instance), lending a hand at this time of need.

No matter how many times you and I say bravo to the volunteers, especially those who risked their lives at the height of the floods, it won’t be enough.

One resident recounted that floodwater entered his house in the early afternoon of Saturday but by about 8pm, it had risen more than seven feet and his family had to move to the top floor of their two-storey house.

“I never expected it to rise this fast. I thought it would rise up to about 3 feet or so but not this high this fast,” he said.

He contacted the disaster management authorities, the fire and rescue services department and called various other numbers of government agencies – both state and federal – to ask for help. It never came. His daughter, who lives elsewhere, posted her aged parents’ desperate situation on social media and appealed for help.

“We were only rescued on Sunday night, and that too by my nephew who manged to get a boat.”

One resident suspected some agency or other had opened a dam somewhere, letting the river overflow its banks without informing people who lived along the river. “Otherwise, the water could not have risen so fast on Saturday.”

Another resident said she saw boats belonging to the military and the fire and rescue services department going past her house but without stopping.

She said some of those with the boats were selective in whom they rescued, and wondered if race considerations could have been a factor. Rescuers in one boat, she recalled, went past her house to pick up a woman and her dog along the same row and left. Another picked up only the family of another neighbour.

Were there ugly Malaysians among those doing rescue work or entrusted to do rescue work?

She said: “About five or six of my neighbours and I shouted to those on the boats but they just whisked past or motioned for us to wait. One of those in one of the boats asked us to wave a red cloth so that other rescuers would notice us. My neighbours and I began waving red, white and all colour of ‘flags’ but none of the boats stopped. We actually saw many boats.”

I was told that an elderly couple was found dead after the floods as they had no young people in the house to help them.

There were several cases of theft, according to two of the residents, including one who lived in the Sri Muda flats. I can’t say if this was another manifestation of the Ugly Malaysian as the crooks could have been anyone, including foreigners.

I believe you would have seen video clips of people looting shops such as Mydin and KK Mart. The Ugly Malaysian again?

I noticed an abundance of food being supplied by someone or other to people there. One resident told me: “We have an oversupply of food. So many people are giving us food packets that some of it will surely go to waste. When we really needed food, cooped up in our houses, we didn’t get any.”

Again and again, residents praised the volunteers, with many of them noting that Indian youths were among the most active in rescue and voluntary work in the area on the days it mattered most.

I have seen video clips of Malaysians transcending religious and racial considerations to help flood victims. Two of the most impactful were a video clip showing Muslim youths helping clean up a temple and another showing Hindu youths cleaning up a surau. This is another example of the Beautiful Malaysian.

And it was so good to see this right before my eyes in Taman Sri Muda on Christmas Day – Malaysians of all races and religions coming together to help flood victims get their lives back in order.

This is what Malaysia can and should be: One people, living together in harmony, helping each other when the need arises, and respecting each other’s religion and culture.

A scene along one of the main roads leading into Taman Sri Muda in Selangor on Dec 25.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.