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.

Scoring Points and Keeping Tabs

Apparently the government has been keeping tabs on the things it’s done to and for the Rakyat at large.

Not just of late but as soon as the country hoisted its own Jalur Gemilang to replace the Union Jack some 55 years ago.

Hence, this statement by Info Minister Rais Yatim: “…The government has already decided to continue using the theme 'Janji Ditepati' (Promises Fulfilled) for the 55th Merdeka celebrations despite the criticisms, because since 1957 we have fulfilled almost 95% of what we have committed to achieve for the people.”

Hear that: 95%! Definitely a high score.

And here we thought that the politicians forming the executives of this country had been slogging throughout, you know, out of pure love for the country.

Keeping count is like having a black book of tabs to call in should there be a need to do so in the future.

So much for ikhlas-ness, eh?

BUT just how in heaven’s name do you compute on fulfilling commitments for the people?

The qualitative stuff such as roadworks, rails, ports, airports, buildings etc is QED though still argumentative, but what about the more subjective ones such as wellbeing (as opposed to pure monetary computation), nation building, solidarity, (ahem) patriotism etc.

How does someone derive the “95% Janji (telah) Di Tepati” scoreline?

Is there a national accounting book lying somewhere on commitments promised and things done to achieve the said commitments and targets?

What are the KPIs ? Did KPIs and the rest of the acronyms so synonymous with the current government existed back when Malaysia was still Tanah Melayu?

Does it extend to Sabah and Sarawak (and Singapore, too, for a short while) when they joined the Peninsular to become Malaysia in 1963?

Who is the bookkeeper of this “Commitments to the Rakyat and What’s Achieved to Date” register? Is there an audit to see who and what is slacking so that knuckles can be rapped?

Perhaps the Minister did not mean to let the cat out of the bag of this so-called national count keeping thingy: maybe it is supposed to be a hush, hush, super confidential, super secretive, PM's (and close allies) eyes and ears only, item.

Something like the Book of Secrets “discovered” by Nicholas “Benjamin Gates” Cage of the National Treasure franchise.

Now, THAT would be cool.

Merdeka Hopes Derailed Still

It has been a while now since I have ever enjoyed a real pang of patriotism come Merdeka Day celebrations.

This year’s promises to be no less a bummer of an event with already the federal government courting controversy by insisting in using a politically charged slogan as the Merdeka theme as well as an equally disturbing theme song.

The lame Merdeka logo debacle has yet to die its Malaysian death and here we hear that the song is not only ciplaked but ciplaked from our ever friendly neighbour with a fair dose of religiosity to boot…

Never mind the bodek-strong lyrics...

What are we: a bunch of sado - masochists or something? Or is someone trying to make a statement here?

(Wonder if the song will also die a sudden death just it the ill-fortuned mish mash of promotional statement masquerading as a logo cousin?)

We all know that the god-knows-when-its-gonna-be-called 13^th General Elections has got everyone at the precipice but why can’t for once politics is chucked out from the equation?

Is it too tall an order to ask for a non partisan Merdeka Celebrations this year?

Alas, far too late a hope.

Merdeka: Redux

Feeble factual fallacies

Merdeka Thoughts...

Next Sunday we will be 51.

Sadly this year’s celebration of a nation’s birthing seems more like than of an ordinary mortal in that the older they get, the less it becomes an occasion to celebrate.

It does not really take a genius to know the reasons for such a lukewarm pre-Merdeka run up, what’s with the global economy in the doldrums and our own situation of far too much muck politicking.

Perhaps it’s for the better.

Lest we forget, the nation’s birthday is supposed to be a day to reconnect with the core essential of the nation and the bedrock upon which it is built on.

From what I heard, it was a somewhat crass politico-pontification the last time around at the National level Merdeka celebration. I didn’t get to witness it as I was assigned to cover the State level celebration in Ipoh.

It’s really a pity if such an important day for the nation did become fodder for self aggrandization of perceived worth vis-à-vis the architect of our independence from the British all those years ago.

Being a junior reporter means that I have never been able to take my own family to witness these Merdeka celebrations as I always find myself working the said day.

I’m wondering if I should do so this time around since I am outside of the industry and now with off-days that is the same as millions others.

It would be good to instill some measure of patriotism, of love, and perhaps some interests in the nation’s history so that they would – as did their father before life’s progress made free time a luxury – develop a love for history.

Except that I do not trust those charged with scripting the days proceeding of keeping the scared trust of not misrepresenting historical facts; something which I witnessed during my coverage of the State celebration last year.

It left me cold to hear lies presented as fact I shall not divulge here as to save face.

Suffice to say it gave credit where none is due with nary a mentioned of the worthy parties, even if the latter later turned rouge where the country’s history was concerned.

I hoped that it was just something cooked up to suit the parade, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Interviews with the participants revealed that what I had read years ago and accepted, as facts were indeed facts even to them. I did not bother to confront them with the statements of the MC seeing that how they, too, were just third parties in the matter.

Perhaps there is a bigger picture here I am clearly missing.

One thing I am clear of is this: Merdeka is not solely for rejoicing the past but also to remind us of past follies that would hamper our future.

We are history, our children, their children, and their children’s children are not.

Merdeka is all about them. Not us.

Inappropriate behaviour?

Am I too Sexy for You?

To the Malaysian authorities, Avril Lavigne is not sexy, just not proper for Merdeka .

At least I think that is what they are saying from reading news report on the postponement of Miss Lavigne’s Best Damn Tour concert initially scheduled on the 29th of this month.

Perhaps it’s the word “Damn” that made it inappropriate. Maybe.

Fans of the Canadian rocker should cross (no religious connotations intended here) their fingers that the postponement remains just that.

I do not count myself as a fan, but enjoy listening to her songs all the same. She kind of reminds me of Canadian singer songwriter Alanis Nadine Morissette, who blew it after recording such a rip roaring first album in Jagged Little Pill.

Neither of them can be regarded as sexy. Not in my eyes, anyway.

The country’s moral police however have their own set of definition, I supposed, as Ms Lavigne is deemed sexy.

She joins recent (more suitable) nominees Inul Darastita, Gwen Stefani and Beyonce Knowles, to name but a few. Bollywood Divas can strut their stuffs as they are outside this grouping of “sexually exciting or attractive” (as per freedictionary.com) women.

(PussyCat Dolls managed to slip past the moral police for the MTV Asia Award despite the impromptu sneak peeps show the last time they were here.)

Sexy men, meanwhile, can come in and go as they please which means that the moral polices are definitely an all straight-alpha-male bunch of pious folks.

My wife is adamant that when it comes to men, the defining features are their eyes. She goes absolutely goo goo gaa gaa over George “dreamy eyes” Clooney. (The inverted words are really my wife’s, not mine) and think that all Bollywood male divas are just overhyped Bangladeshis with better hygienic practices.

I am torn between Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek for my own "most sexy" list, but in the end Mrs Pitt wins due to her strong character traits. A mother of three and still looking as beautiful and luscious as ever have my votes where it matters. And those lips of hers are just to die for (no offence, Yang).

Perhaps the moral police are right in that Avril Lavigne is sexy after all. Here is a young artist who is on top of the world doing what she does best, and the millions who adore her music must see something really sexy about this characteristic charisma.

She is barely 24, and already has something like 30 million copies of her album sold to fans all over the world, and looks certainly isn’t one of the draw. Surf around the Internet and even when Ms Lavigne do show some skin, sexy is hardly the phrase that would come across your mind.

Am I correct, Mr. MP, Sir? Or are you still busy ogling?