While on an outing, last weekend, in China my mate and I mused upon the recent politic climate. It was a rather typical Kopitiam talk where nobody got serious as we had other priorities to attend……..say a game of golf, a hefty dinner followed by a rowdy karaoake session.
I always loved the 'If we don't do it then someone else will and they won't do it as well as we would have' argument because, in pretty much any other context, you would be labeled as 'Holier than thou' within seconds. There's this sort of belief that if it's so & so (it isn’t serious, so no names………) then it's awesome. If so & so does it, it will be great. Basically it's an example of the country moving from 'so & so the coalition' to 'so & so the religion'. And whoever came up with it was either crazy, self-centred or out of their mind.
On the other hand, purposefully staying away, like my friend, from all things is no less pious. You don't do it to benefit others but for self-preservation and image-conscious reasons, (at least, to a certain extend, that is where he is coming from. He is related to somebody lah……) - 'We can't do that because it might not work.' 'I don't want to work on those assumptions because who knows what the newbies are like.'
We simply want a change; yes that’s the political buzzword. Well, what is ‘a change’ to ordinary folks like my friend and me? We have been a non-residents for more than two decades now. The garmen, with and without the changing of guards, is still the garmen. To put it plainly, is it like going to Starbucks and asking for a cup of black coffee (any other concoction is too alien for you), and charged $7.86. You can’t pay them $7.80, you need to pay them $7.90 and get 4 cents back. You don't have any immediate use for the 4 cents, ended up somewhere in your drawer to gather dust. And the next time you visit Starbucks, you forget to bring out your cents. In a way, no matter how hard you try, there is always something there and never to be rid off. To me, making people power clean is hard; making a country work is even harder. Following the general spirit is relatively easy but trying to make it move is difficult.
I always loved the 'If we don't do it then someone else will and they won't do it as well as we would have' argument because, in pretty much any other context, you would be labeled as 'Holier than thou' within seconds. There's this sort of belief that if it's so & so (it isn’t serious, so no names………) then it's awesome. If so & so does it, it will be great. Basically it's an example of the country moving from 'so & so the coalition' to 'so & so the religion'. And whoever came up with it was either crazy, self-centred or out of their mind.
On the other hand, purposefully staying away, like my friend, from all things is no less pious. You don't do it to benefit others but for self-preservation and image-conscious reasons, (at least, to a certain extend, that is where he is coming from. He is related to somebody lah……) - 'We can't do that because it might not work.' 'I don't want to work on those assumptions because who knows what the newbies are like.'
We simply want a change; yes that’s the political buzzword. Well, what is ‘a change’ to ordinary folks like my friend and me? We have been a non-residents for more than two decades now. The garmen, with and without the changing of guards, is still the garmen. To put it plainly, is it like going to Starbucks and asking for a cup of black coffee (any other concoction is too alien for you), and charged $7.86. You can’t pay them $7.80, you need to pay them $7.90 and get 4 cents back. You don't have any immediate use for the 4 cents, ended up somewhere in your drawer to gather dust. And the next time you visit Starbucks, you forget to bring out your cents. In a way, no matter how hard you try, there is always something there and never to be rid off. To me, making people power clean is hard; making a country work is even harder. Following the general spirit is relatively easy but trying to make it move is difficult.
Quite simply, you need time to push the general population to a level that can fully comprehend the actions and reactions for each mode of change. We are going through some sort of transformation, not fully emerged as new but going through the metamorphosis. The complete cycle could be years from now, if we are lucky. If we are not, we will end up with some mutant form……..eeeeee. Be careful folks; let’s not get too enthusiastic lest we failed to see our weaknesses. My nephew once said, 'Power corrupts, absolutely power corrupts absolutely'. Need I say more?
I am not a political observer nor will I be one, I am a simple man living in a changing environment within a forever changing times. I can only say that Asian politics is tragically being standardised and being brought in line with Western politics. My advice, as if someone would care, is to set aside our current domestic troubles and squabbles and fight to keep Asian politics the way it is. We like it that way!!!!! Hoooooi! please change that song to an English one lah………..my turn to sing liao………..Play It Again Sam.
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