In the Merdeka Spirit

In the spirit of Merdeka, I’ve gone and bought “The Reluctant Politician”.

I know I’m seven years too late but I’ve never gotten round to either buying or reading a borrowed copy.

Along came the Tanda Putra re-showing, and I’d have to say that my interests perked up again over the book.

A visit of UM and its bookshop at the Perdana Siswa complex bore fruit as there was a single copy available.

Just as the opening few pages of Reza Aslan’s “Tiada Tuhan Melainkan Allah” saw me buying a copy and reading it in toto, Reluctant Politician’s foreward  by Tun Salleh Abbas provides an equally magnetic opening for the book.

It has been ages since I last read a good historical book / novel with the last being Farish Noor’s “What the teacher didn’t tell you” which was a really difficult title to finish as it was written in a very academic manner; i.e. complete with citations and footnotes galore.

Suffice to say, I’d like a fair amount of (ahem) “creative license” in my readings to add a certain zest to an otherwise dry subject.

Not lies, though. There’s really a clear line between fact, fiction and creative interpretations.

Let’s see if I can finish reading “The Reluctant Politician” in a single weekend.  A much better way to pass this weekend than going out to watch the Merdeka Parade or “Tanda Putra”, I suppose.

Now if only Dina (“I am Muslim”) Zaman would finish her Memali Revisit. I’d buy and read THAT.

And, before I forget, Happy 56^th year of Kemerdekaan, everyone.