The Frog Farm

It isn’t the Malays that are hollering Malay Supremacy, but desperate politicians running out of time and dwindling support.

By Capt Iskandar Dzulkarnain

In May 2008, Barisan Nasional won the election. There was cause to celebrate; after all, the majority of Malaysians voted for them. We saw MCA and MIC losing their grip on power, and Gerakan in political oblivion. We saw a more powerful opposition, and we thought with the new balance of power, the nation will leap forward to a new era with increased freedom from stringent laws, and better human rights reforms, and a rejuvenated economy. We thought with the mandate given to BN to reform the country, things would have moved at hyper speed, and that BN will use this opportunity to win back the hearts of the electorate.

Under the BN government we had unparalelled peace among the races and the nation was perceived as a role model for other nations to emulate. May 13th was a stark reminder of what will happen when the system breaks down. But that was thirty years ago. The world looked at our nation with wonder and awe, and that we could coe-xist together in perfect harmony for so long.

Instead, the opposite happened! The country’s administration was put on autopilot, while BN went on a relentless campaign to gain back lost territories, by any means. Even new frog farms for soon-to-be-retired frogs. After all, it would be suicidal to field them again in the next election. Malaysians in general are political weary, losing interest in the political landscape, and not in the least bothered as long as peace and prosperity reigns.

2010 dawned on the nation with religious strife, church and mosques burnings, and headless wildboars, sodomy2 and whipping of the opposite sex, and an increase in amphibian jumping activities. The screams and hollering of Malay Supremacy and Religion getting so loud that the Rakyat cannot fail to ignore it anymore. I thought by now, BN would have moved to douse such public displays of seditious remarks, in line with 1Malaysia. Don’t they know with such blatant displays of radicalism, they are going to totally lose the vote of the non-Malay electorate? Do they really care?

They cannot depend on majority Malay votes which are split between PAS and PKR. The combined votes from Sabah and Sarawak will not be able to change the equation. So why does BN not quell these rising rodent fires? Are we really going to have another general election in two years’ time? With frogs getting ready to jump (and I thought it was the year of the Tiger!) we may see BN regaining its two third majority. Well and good, as this will at least simmer the fires of destruction until the next election. All these point to a culmination of worse things to come for this nation. We may be another Myanmar in the making.

Is it true that there is a power tussle within Barisan? Will the new leader be any better than the current one? While all this is going on, our nation is limping and sadly lagging behind many other nations in terms of economic growth and intellect. Today, PR wants action taken against Nasir Safar for sedition. But are the remarks any different from the likes of other amphibious politicians?

It isn’t the Malays that are hollering Malay Supremacy, but desperate politicians running out of time and dwindling support. With past misdeeds and an uncertain future, they cannot afford to be caught with their pants down. Two years will pass in the blinking of an eye, and their political future is at stake. Quietly, they have embarked on a mass registration exercise across the country, to garner extra support.

Is it not a wonder that Najib and 1Malaysia seems so relevant now? If Najib can push through 1Malaysia, it will slow down the tide of radicalism and fundamentalism. At least until the next election. The Rakyat will see him as an able leader, and he may be forgiven for his past mistakes. After all, as they say, ‘Melayu muda lupa’. If not, we need to hold our peace and tread carefully, before we fall into a trap. All is not well, and only our resolve will ensure that peace reigns until the next election, where we can exercise our right to vote in a new brand of honest leaders that will ensure our survival.