When a political party has to resort to karaoke to get its message across, you know that it is in trouble. The MCA Bukit Bintang team’s performance has now gone viral but not in a good way. They wanted to sing their way into the hearts and minds of voters. Unfortunately, the song they chose undermined the message they wanted to spread.
Love is in the Air, the 1970s disco hit by John Paul Young, is a great song. It is popular and evokes the euphoria of being in love. Unfortunately, it also sends the message that love induces irrationality.
In the case of the MCA, the message should be the reverse. It wants Malaysians to make the rational choice, to choose stability over uncertainty. Instead, the message is very clearly encapsulated in the following lines: “I don’t know if I am being foolish/ I don’t know if I am being wise.” If you are not sure of yourself, why should we vote for you?
This music video is most likely a genuine attempt by its producers to connect with new young urban voters showcasing that the MCA can renew itself and be relevant to the aspirations of a new generation of voters.
Instead, this rather poorly executed music video demonstrates a bankruptcy of ideas. Mimicking a music video does not make one popular; translating one’s convictions through a new song is what convinces people. We don’t need a bad rendition of someone else’s song, we need BN to come up with its own song.
Compare this poor rendition to the Ubah music video. No one is expecting our future leaders to sing fantastically. GE13 is not American Idol. What we need from the candidates is that they sing their own composition and sing it with conviction.
Pakatan Rakyat’s cross-generational and multi-ethnic performance encapsulates their core message. If we want change that is meaningful, we need the cooperation of all Malaysians. We may not sing it like professionals but it is our own song, our own anthem.
No such coherence in the BN. The BN close connection with Perkasa strikes a discordant note. Apparently, there is so much love for Zulfklifi Noordin in Shah Alam from Indian voters that Najib Abdul Razak had to publicly say that Zulfklifi is a champion of the Indians.
I am not sure how someone who denigrates the Chinese and Indians as “illegal immigrants” and who think the Ganges River is not holy but dirty can so convincingly turn over a new leaf. But miracles do happen and let us see how Shah Alam votes come 5 May.
In Pasir Mas, the BN candidate suddenly pulled out of the nomination process, opening the way for a straight contest between Ibrahim Ali (left in photo) and Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz. Of course, all of this is mere coincidence and the BN candidate had a new awakening as well. After all, Dr Mahathir Mohamad did say that if Malaysia had more Ibrahim Alis, the country will be a safer place.
So, it must have been the irrationality of love, love for Dr Mahathir and his teachings that changed the mind of the BN candidate. It is now up to Pasir Mas to decide whether they, too, love Dr Mahathir and Perkasa.
MCA and MIC living under an illusion?
Perhaps only the MCA and MIC can still see the love around them. I suspect they are living under an illusion. Even Chua Soi Lek realises that people come to “eat” and just because they do not make noise, it does not mean they do not support the MCA. I guess this must be true and that the BN does have the support of the silent majority. Perhaps that is why “love is in the air/ everywhere I look around”.
There is a famous Taoist teaching that demonstrates how thoughts can define us as human beings. Thoughts become ideas, ideas become actions, actions define our character and our character decides our destiny. Herein lies the BN’s destiny. If you cannot decide who your bedfellows are, if you only want to be popular and always loved, you end up confused. Ultimately, you can’t even tell reality from illusion.
As the days pass, more and more support will probably cross over to the opposition. Pakatan is more consistent with its message: Malaysia cannot go on singing the same tired old song. Change may be uncertain but the transformation promised by Najib and the BN has not made much headway.
In the case of the non-Malays, so long as BN keeps company with Perkasa, it has no business getting our votes. We can always vote with our feet like the members of MIC Shah Alam who quit the BN coalition.
Real change can only be delivered by a new political coalition which is not bound by precedent or Dr Mahathir’s prescriptions. Renewal cannot be delivered by the ruling party. Even Najib’s brother, the banker Nazir Razak, said this when wishing his brother all the best of luck with the government transformation programme.
Real change can only happen when we learn to sing our own song and when the scales have dropped from our eyes. Only then can love be in the air. For now, we do not need fools blinded by self-delusion. We need wise men and women who love Malaysia enough to make hard decisions. We need people who can see straight and not through rose-tinted glasses!
Love is in the Air, the 1970s disco hit by John Paul Young, is a great song. It is popular and evokes the euphoria of being in love. Unfortunately, it also sends the message that love induces irrationality.
In the case of the MCA, the message should be the reverse. It wants Malaysians to make the rational choice, to choose stability over uncertainty. Instead, the message is very clearly encapsulated in the following lines: “I don’t know if I am being foolish/ I don’t know if I am being wise.” If you are not sure of yourself, why should we vote for you?
This music video is most likely a genuine attempt by its producers to connect with new young urban voters showcasing that the MCA can renew itself and be relevant to the aspirations of a new generation of voters.
Instead, this rather poorly executed music video demonstrates a bankruptcy of ideas. Mimicking a music video does not make one popular; translating one’s convictions through a new song is what convinces people. We don’t need a bad rendition of someone else’s song, we need BN to come up with its own song.
Compare this poor rendition to the Ubah music video. No one is expecting our future leaders to sing fantastically. GE13 is not American Idol. What we need from the candidates is that they sing their own composition and sing it with conviction. Pakatan Rakyat’s cross-generational and multi-ethnic performance encapsulates their core message. If we want change that is meaningful, we need the cooperation of all Malaysians. We may not sing it like professionals but it is our own song, our own anthem.
No such coherence in the BN. The BN close connection with Perkasa strikes a discordant note. Apparently, there is so much love for Zulfklifi Noordin in Shah Alam from Indian voters that Najib Abdul Razak had to publicly say that Zulfklifi is a champion of the Indians.
I am not sure how someone who denigrates the Chinese and Indians as “illegal immigrants” and who think the Ganges River is not holy but dirty can so convincingly turn over a new leaf. But miracles do happen and let us see how Shah Alam votes come 5 May.
In Pasir Mas, the BN candidate suddenly pulled out of the nomination process, opening the way for a straight contest between Ibrahim Ali (left in photo) and Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz. Of course, all of this is mere coincidence and the BN candidate had a new awakening as well. After all, Dr Mahathir Mohamad did say that if Malaysia had more Ibrahim Alis, the country will be a safer place. So, it must have been the irrationality of love, love for Dr Mahathir and his teachings that changed the mind of the BN candidate. It is now up to Pasir Mas to decide whether they, too, love Dr Mahathir and Perkasa.
MCA and MIC living under an illusion?
Perhaps only the MCA and MIC can still see the love around them. I suspect they are living under an illusion. Even Chua Soi Lek realises that people come to “eat” and just because they do not make noise, it does not mean they do not support the MCA. I guess this must be true and that the BN does have the support of the silent majority. Perhaps that is why “love is in the air/ everywhere I look around”.
There is a famous Taoist teaching that demonstrates how thoughts can define us as human beings. Thoughts become ideas, ideas become actions, actions define our character and our character decides our destiny. Herein lies the BN’s destiny. If you cannot decide who your bedfellows are, if you only want to be popular and always loved, you end up confused. Ultimately, you can’t even tell reality from illusion.
As the days pass, more and more support will probably cross over to the opposition. Pakatan is more consistent with its message: Malaysia cannot go on singing the same tired old song. Change may be uncertain but the transformation promised by Najib and the BN has not made much headway.
In the case of the non-Malays, so long as BN keeps company with Perkasa, it has no business getting our votes. We can always vote with our feet like the members of MIC Shah Alam who quit the BN coalition.
Real change can only be delivered by a new political coalition which is not bound by precedent or Dr Mahathir’s prescriptions. Renewal cannot be delivered by the ruling party. Even Najib’s brother, the banker Nazir Razak, said this when wishing his brother all the best of luck with the government transformation programme.
Real change can only happen when we learn to sing our own song and when the scales have dropped from our eyes. Only then can love be in the air. For now, we do not need fools blinded by self-delusion. We need wise men and women who love Malaysia enough to make hard decisions. We need people who can see straight and not through rose-tinted glasses!
NEIL KHOR completed his PhD at Cambridge University and now writes occasionally on matters that he thinks require better historical treatment. He is quietly optimistic about Malaysia's future.
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