The Prime Minister’s latest nemesis – the humble kangkung
By Sri A.K. Rasa | Rasa Writes
The year 2014 has started on a green note. The media – especially the social media – is awash with pictures, poems, and jokes involving the humble kangkung.
All thanks to Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his succinct observation that the prices of vegetables – including the kangkung – fluctuate.
The video uploaded on YouTube, if you look at it, is harmless enough. It shows the prime minister giving a speech. He said many things, but a few harmless words about the kangkung – also known as water spinach or water convolvulus (scientific name: Ipomoea aquatic) – seem to have gripped the attention of Malaysians.
Najib said: “When prices of things go up, everything goes up, including sawi and kangkung. There are times when the prices of vegetables go up and down.
“Today I read in the newspaper that the prices of some things whose prices have dropped. The price of kangkung increased before this and now it has gone down.
“When this happens, they don’t want to praise the government. But when it rises, they blame the government… This is not fair as it is due to weather conditions.”
The video has gone viral, and poor Najib is being lampooned right, left and centre. I feel sorry for him, for I believe he meant well.
This matter of the price of kangkung has caught on probably because it is seen as a cheap vegetable, and one that is not eaten on a daily basis. It can easily be plucked from river banks – free of charge – especially in rural areas.
And some people don’t even like the kangkung or are allergic to it.
So, to talk about prices going down and then citing the price of the kangkung as an example got the goat of many Malaysians who are frustrated with rising prices of daily essentials.
Every day people are complaining about prices of food, fuel, goods and services going up and here Najib talks about the price of kangkung – and only kangkung – going down.
Many Netizens say his remarks show he is out of touch with the common man and his sufferings.
On top of that, he made the mistake of saying people did not praise the government when the price of the kangkung went down.
And now, the kangkung is everywhere; it has even been dubbed “kangkung-gate”, with Malaysians demonstrating their creativity by coming up with posters, graphics, poems, and videos parodying Najib and his remarks.
A play on words is very popular at the moment, as evidenced by gems such as these two: “Everybody wants a celery increase but it’s like the government doesn’t carrot all, sorry for being grump-pea” and “This kangkung obsession is fast becoming a laughing stalk. In fact, Netizens are leafing no stone unturned in their bid to show their frustration and yet enjoy themselves in the process.
Najib is already under siege; some of his critics even say he does not seem to be in control of the nation and that is why several issues, such as that over the usage of the word “Allah” continue to persist.
There is little doubt that the kangkung episode is being used by some of his opponents, including those within Umno which he leads, to make him look bad.
The soft kangkung has now become a political weapon, and it is biting deep into the prime minister’s image. Will it bring Najib down? I don’t think so, but one cannot dismiss the power of vegetables.
In India, the humble onion has brought down governments. Right now, there is a rise in the price of onions in India and some analysts are saying it will help bring down the ruling Congress party. India goes to the polls in a few months.
For Najib, the nutritious kangkung has become a noxious weed, his newest nemesis. It is interesting to note that in the United States the kangkung is categorised as a “noxious weed”.
The website of the University of Florida’s Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants says the water spinach is on the prohibited aquatic plant list and according to the law, “No person shall import, transport, cultivate, collect, sell, or possess any noxious aquatic plant listed on the prohibited aquatic plant list… without a permit issued by the department.”
Certainly the kangkung episode is bringing in the guffaws and making us feel better during office coffee breaks, but are they any nearer to tackling the problem of rising prices?
My concern is that in milking the kangkung episode for its entertainment value, we may contribute towards glossing over the crucial issue of rising prices.
This morning I read in the newspapers that a special Cabinet committee has been established to tackle the rising cost of living. I can only say that committees are unlikely to solve anything unless concrete action is taken.
