We all have things we are afraid of.
Following some (alleged) Africans breaking into my home, I have since become extremely paranoid. I leap out of bed and grab a baseball bat every time I hear a noise that couldn't possibly be caused by my beloved cat, Kenit. This fear or paranoia is what calls me into immediate action. This is my personal nightmare
Whenever a general election is on its way, certain members of certain parties like to 'call on the Kraken,' in a way. Malaysians live with their own nightmare, too. It has a name.
'May 13th, 1969.'
It is known among Malaysians that the previously insinuated political parties use the May 13th incident as a bogeyman to scare the people into submission, into not questioning the status quo. During the time of Mahathir, Tunku Abdul Rahman was quoted stating his displeasure over the use of May 13th as such:
"For the PM (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) to repeat the story of the 13th of May as a warning of what would have happened if the government had not taken appropriate action is like telling ghost stories to our children to prevent them from being naughty. The tale should not be repeated because it shows us to be politically immature."
If Tunku was still alive today, he would be crying on the streets of Putrajaya. With the ISA still standing as a testament to feudalism, and the national media only just enjoying (some) real freedom, we are far from being 'politically mature,' as he would have wanted. With the GE around the corner, I know the educated rakyat among us will lean back and watch as power-hungry idiots try to scare us into nodding. More so when the election gets closer.
Maybe one day we'll be able to stand tall, challenge the status quo, and build a better Malaysia. Achieve a 'Visi 2020' far better than Tun Dr. Mahathir's imagination can muster. One where we won't need some stupid gimmick to promote unity. One where we won't need 'subsidy stores' to stay alive. One where we won't need to incite fear to win at the polls.
via BlackBerry®
