A Malaysian man recently had the strangest encounter with an e-hailing driver who assumed he wasn’t Malaysian — simply because he was from Sarawak.
In a Threads post, the man shared that he had travelled to KL for a work trip and the e-hailing driver who picked him up had inquired on the man’s origins.
“Grab driver asked where I’m from. I said, ‘Sarawak.’ He said, ‘Welcome to Malaysia.’
If that wasn’t baffling enough, the driver went on to assume it was his first-ever time in KL — and launched into a full-blown city tour narrative.
“He confidently assumed it was my first time ever in KL. Talked non-stop about KLCC, TRX, Bukit Bintang like I’d never heard of escalators before.”
The man, clearly caught off guard, chose to keep things polite.
“I just kept going ‘em’ the whole ride. Still recovering from that ‘warm’ welcome.”
The comment section has exploded with fellow East Malaysians sharing the strangest and occasionally hilarious things they’ve been asked by fellow Malaysians who still don’t seem to know that Sabah and Sarawak are part of the country.
Instagram user @cielalune.j shared her personal greatest hits:
“My list: Are there terrace houses in Sabah? (Implying we live in treehouses ??) What currency does Sabah use? Welcome to Malaysia. Isn’t everyone in Sabah indigenous? Is it true you use sampan Grab in Sabah? Is the driver’s seat on the left or right in Sabah? And these people aren’t even old — they’re in their 30s and 40s. I just take it lightly. Just laugh and move on.”
“I really don’t understand why some Malaysians still don’t know that Sabah and Sarawak are part of Malaysia... it’s so sad, didn’t they learn history and geography?” questioned @ezabel75.
