Are We Really A Nation Of Unthinkers?

Terengganu Menteri Besar Idris Jusoh has declared his willingness to accept any decision of the Umno leadership that is deemed best for the rakyat, including forgoing the Menteri Besar’s post. He was also prepared to apologise to the Sultan of Terengganu if he “had done anything wrong”. Not that we are especially fond of Idris Jusoh, but we are extremely disappointed that he has chosen to play the role of the stereotypical subservient Malay subject and not uphold his position, simply on the basis that it is “in the interests of the rakyat”. The Sultan’s displeasure is his own. It does not necessarily reflect the general feeling of the people of Terengganu. If the electorate was unsatisfied with the Umno government, they would have easily voted the administration out of office, a concept not at all unfamiliar in this state once ruled by Pas.

Why is Idris Jusoh apologizing for an offense he’s not even sure of? We seem to be living in a world where people are increasingly saying sorry not because they are actually sorry, but just in case they have offended some people. We should not be sorry “if”, we should be sorry “because”. In a foolishly opportunistic move that betrays its rebellious roots, PKR, led by party national youth deputy head Faris Musa, lodged a police report against PM Abdullah Badawi, DPM Najib Razak and the 23 Terengganu assemblymen for showing disrespect to the Terengganu Palace. “The palace institution must be respected and all subjects must show loyalty,” declared Faris. “The actions of those involved were blatant disregard of loyalty to the Rulers”.

Have we really become a nation of such slavish unthinkers that loyalty to the monarchy now precedes intelligent debate and common sense? Why is it that we are expected to prostrate with unquestioning subservience to mortals when even God Himself demands our scrutiny? We are blessed by a system where the monarchy no longer presides over executive rule, where we are “subjects” only by name and empowered to determine the direction of this country as we see fit, not according to the whims and fancies of the palace. We Malaysians, rightly or wrongly, ask for no accountability from the royal families in return for their role as merely ceremonial figureheads. It is in view of this, that such blatant display of unthinking subservience by both Idris Jusoh and PKR deserve even more condemnation.

UMNO: The Only Party That Is Consistent

There are many nasty things you could say about UMNO, and many have done so, but if there is one thing everybody would agree on, it is that this party has been very consistent. The United Malays National Organization is perhaps second only to George W. Bush in consistently delivering ridiculous statements to the unsuspecting public. Mahathir Mohamad is unanimously regarded as the man responsible for laying the groundwork for UMNO’s disastrous PR maneuvers, annoying journalists with his ‘apa nama?’ response and consistently forgetting important details while clearly remembering imaginary events, such as Anwar Ibrahim’s extracurricular homosexual activities.

UMNO may have been complacent over the years and diverted from its mission to champion the rights of the downtrodden, but its leaders have never forgotten to bless the people of Malaysia with statements and gestures that are nothing short of bizarre. Some of us may not be able to recall UMNO’s original founders but all of us would always remember that fateful day when common sense lost its way and Hishammuddin Hussein Onn mistook a keris for a mineral water bottle.

UMNO has once again proven to the doubters out there that it is the only party that can be trusted in issuing silly statements that make even the terminally foolish Bush seem intelligent by comparison. UMNO vice-president Mohd Ali Rustam recently joined the chorus of senior Penang UMNO leaders in calling for a moratorium on all BN mega projects in the state. “We have to stop all major projects in Penang as this is what the people wanted” declared Ali Rustam with the supreme confidence only an UMNO veep can muster. Actually, they wanted greater transparency and an end to corruption, but perhaps Ali Rustam missed that sentiment.

“If we stop all major projects, the people would realise what they had lost and would then come back to the BN”, said the Malacca Chief Minister, echoing a theory popular among the allegedly educated folks at UMNO. This playing-hard-to-get thing might work if UMNO was an attractive lady and the guy is chasing, but when your party is plagued by mismanagement and the people have lost faith, blackmailing them is the last thing you should be doing. Who is UMNO’s PR chief and what is he smoking? If only each and every Malaysian emulated the uncompromising consistency displayed by the good folks at UMNO, then our buses will always run on time, our nasi lemak will always taste good and Malaysia will be a better country to live in. Stay tuned for the next set of ridiculous UMNO statements, coming to a mainstream media outlet near you.

Hentikan Kekejaman Terhadap Bendera Pilihanraya

Pilihanraya Malaysia seringkali dihiasi bendera parti-parti politik yang ditanam dan dikibarkan di merata-rata tempat, walaupun setakat ini tidak ada bukti sahih bendera-bendera ini boleh menjana undi bagi parti tersebut. Mengapakah perlu dikibarkan bendera politik dalam masa pilihanraya? Macamlah kita semua masih tak kenal UMNO, Pas, DAP mahupun Keadilan. Lagipun, undi-undi kita bergantung kepada kebolehan calon-calon yang bertanding, bukannya bendera parti mana yang lebih bersinar-sinar.

Di Terengganu baru-baru ini, aktivis parti masing-masing telah bergelut apabila mendapati bendera yang disayangi dan dicintai lebih daripada isteri sendiri telah dirobohkan oleh parti saingan. Difahami ada yang menitis air mata melihat bendera mereka dikoyak rabak dan dicemari kesan tapak kasut Bata. Di manakah perikemanusiaan kita? Bagaimana kita hendak membangunkan tanahair tercinta sekiranya kita saling membenci bendera parti politik masing-masing? Hakikatnya, setelah 50 tahun merdeka, kita sepatutnya lebih matang dan tidak lagi perlu mencemarkan pemandangan sekitar dengan menanam tiang-tiang bendera setiap pilihanraya. Kalau tangan dah gatal sangat, lebih baik sekiranya ditanam pokok-pokok angsana ataupun meranti yang bukan sahaja boleh dijadikan tempat berteduh, bahkan dapat menyerap karbon dioksida yang di masa hadapan berpotensi menjana pendapatan lumayan akibat fenomena ‘pemanasan sedunia’.