Born in the year of Independence, Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is a Malay of Chinese descent. His late father is a Malay, while his 73-year-old mother is a Chinese.

“Dodn't I look like a Chinese?” he said while pointing to his own face.

He said his mother grew up in a Malay family, and therefore she doesn't know any Cantonese. Nevertheless, he explained that his father learned some Cantonese words as he mixed with Chinese when he was still alive. He learned Cantonese while studying in Kampar because most of his classmates were Chinese. (Sin Chew Daily)