Our Collective Failure
Art Harun
It is not that it happens. Rather it is how brazen it is. And how blatant it is.
And to think that the perpetrators of this humongous scheme could just get away Scott-free, happily enjoying the fruits of their complicity is a sure sign of our collective failure. Failure as a people. Failure as a society. Failure as a nation.
Forget the Jho Lows of the world. Forget the advisors, the directors and the CEOs of the world. Just look at ourselves. For the fault lies with us.
For years all of us have sat down in front of our television set, sipping our teh tarik while seeing our rights being trampled and transgressed. And yet we do not see any reason why we should move our ass and do something. In short, we could not be arsed to do anything.
And why is that? That is because collectively we suffer from chronic apathy. We would not care to do anything because in our mind we asked, “Why should we?” There are always some blokes or suckers who would shout and scream; who would take up cases and argue in Courts; who would be arrested and detained overnight and sometimes for a week or two; who would go to the street and demonstrate. So why should we? It is not our fight.
Malaysians by and large are a docile peace loving people. We love our peace and tranquility. We absorb a lot. An electric train’s wheel fell off from the sky and paralysed a driver. Oh well, that fellow was unlucky. A bus sped down a hill and plunged into a ravine killing tens of passengers. An over-developed hill gave way and swallowed two blocks of apartments killing hundreds. Oh well, how sad. It is the work of God. Rainy season larrr…
That is what we are.
Until and unless our own rice bowl is hit; or our own car is scratched, we would not be arsed really.
Because that’s what we are. A lazy apathetic bunch of big fat assed creature who just don’t care. Who would cheer from afar. Who would silently pray that all the fighters – well, it is their job – would win. Who would just whine during lunch or happy hours with friends. Who would just gossip; cut and paste some memes and pass them around on whatsapp or share them on facebook.
