Band Aid Boot Camp

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On May 26, 2009

By Americk Sidhu (Loyarburok)

Gianluca is a typical English 18 year old with a flair for public school wit and humour. He was born and bred in Blackheath, South East London, where he lives with his parents and older sister. He has just finished his A levels and is passing time playing tennis and planning his ‘gap’ year. He is a Malaysian citizen who unfortunately, is unable to communicate in the National Language due to circumstances beyond his control. He is also my nephew.

In May this year, Gianluca received a communication from His Majesty’s Government. This letter originated from a department tasked with the job of accumulating a sufficient number of 18 year old Malaysians to darken the doorsteps of a camp situated in some God forsaken backwater of rural Terengganu where they were to be incarcerated for three months in an atmosphere of implied joviality and general bon homie in an effort at promoting a sense of camaraderie amongst these eligible participants. That, I think, was the gist of it.

Gianluca was naturally horrified at the thought, not because he is adverse to a challenge, but because this would have interrupted his A level examinations, which would have meant having to sit for them again next year. So he informed the relevant department of his predicament and asked to be excused. He didn’t turn up at the Kajang bus station at the designated time and on the specified day, and neither has he had a reply to his letter.

He is now concerned about returning to Malaysia this summer to visit his grandmother as private investigators have gone missing for much less.

This episode did however prompt me to consider the implications of having a bunch of 18 year old Malaysians, from different ethnic and social backgrounds, separated from each other all their lives by virtue of ’socio-ethnic-religious-cultural’ circumstances, suddenly thrown together, the purpose of which I was unable to appreciate until I attacked the internet and discovered the following information.

1. To develop a young generation who are patriotic and with love for their country.

2. To enhance unity among the multi racial communities in this country.

3. To instill a spirit of caring and volunteerism among society.

4. To produce an active intelligent and confident generation.

5. To develop positive characteristics among the younger generation through good values.

6. To develop a generation that will always obey the current government.

If anyone is able to get through the rhetoric of the first five objectives without entering a state of somnolence and stumbles on the sixth on a wave of sheer tedium, the chances are the penny won’t drop because you would be semi-comatose by this stage through adverse boredom.

So there must have been a reason to strategically place those words of wisdom set out in aspiration No.6 where they would be less likely to be found.