Until a few days ago, I thought khat was a leafy, stimulant drug, which the Yemenis and those in the Horn of Africa chew to give them a high.
Today, we bicker about khat and its relevance to our history, its use in art, and other unimportant details.
We must thank the education minister for his politics of distraction, because suddenly, we forgot who bedded whom, which education policy is worse, the dangers of pollution and how Malaysia became the world's dustbin.
You know what? Most people, especially in the lower-income bracket, do not care about khat, or any other lofty political ideals.
Life's a struggle. Who cares if Lynas is shut down or allowed to operate? Who cares if Penang has three or 30 artificial islands? Who cares about a flying car, when their own clapped-out Protons cannot be maintained? Ikan kembong, a staple fish, is now a luxury item. Things are worse than before.
You were responsible for regime change in May 2018, but today, you are ready to throw in the towel. Your extremely high expectations of Pakatan Harapan are as ridiculous as your threats to kick them out in the 15th general election.
If you give up now, Umno-Baru will return with a vengeance and remain for another 61 years. The new coalition of Umno-Baru/PAS will have no mercy. They will rip out Harapan's reforms and tie-up any loose ends, to douse your fighting spirit.
Now, the power is in your hands. You did it once, you can do so again. Demand that your prime minister takes action. Take your pick from my list to see who should be culled. A strong team must prepare for GE15.
The defensive politician. A few former politicians claim that they do not want us to dwell on race and religion. These politicians (and retired senior civil servants) were once part of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim's ensemble.
Earlier, they were selfishly silent, to protect their periuk nasi (rice bowl). Integrity matters. They said nothing when they had the power to make a difference.
Politicians who worship the two 'R's (race and religion) have no place in Malaysia Baru.
The silent ones. The deadwood, the pen pushers, the yes-men and the seat warmers make no impact on the electorate. Once every five years, they behave like desert flowers after a downfall, when they burst into activity for re-election.
Invisible and gaji buta politicians are a waste of space.
The U-turners. A few politicians now claim that affirmative action is bad for Malaysia. Why didn't they listen to us during the last forty years? They betrayed two generations of Malaysians.
With lowered productivity, we risk being overtaken by Cambodia and Myanmar. If affirmative action is based on need, the word 'affirmative' is surplus. Just call the package 'action to help the poor'.
Politicians backpedalled on ratifying the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court because they had failed to 'prepare' the groundwork with the rakyat. They conveniently blame the deep state. The devil is in the detail.
Courageous MPs with bold ideas can make a difference. Ditch those who latch on to outdated, unworkable policies.
The distractors. Parents know best. The colour of shoes, more religious lessons, ability to swim, or khat, will not help a child's lack of fluency in English, or make more sense of calculus and algebra.
Ministers who are promoted beyond their depth, should go back to basics or step aside.
The egotist. Politicians could have prepared the narrative at the grassroots level, by dispelling the fear that non-Malays will dominate Malaysia.
One politician kept insisting on his right to rule, because as his supporters claim, "He has suffered enough". What about the rakyat's suffering?
Another politician claimed that the Orang Asli have no right to ancestral land. He didn't even have to climb up the greasy political ladder, because he was pushed up by hidden hands. He ignores public sentiment.
Politicians who want their egos continually massaged should be kicked out.
The muzzled MPs. Some Malay politicians are afraid to be labelled 'liberal', and all non-Malay politicians are fearful of saying things that may be construed as anti-Malay or anti-Islam. The extremists control the narrative.
These politicians are only protecting their positions, instead of thinking of the good of the nation. They are expendable.
The power-hungry. It is alleged by some, that one politician jumped onto the fishermen's bandwagon, to revive his flagging reputation.
A politician must make a stand. He cannot be wishy-washy, and claim that he neither supports nor opposes the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.
The fishermen did not want to lose their livelihood, but Mr Power-hungry dwelled on compensation. Trust him to get the wrong end of the stick.
Politicians who crave power should be shown the door.
The faithless. Many politicians have no faith in Malays. They offer handouts to increase their dependence on others. In education, the pass mark is lowered for Malays, thus stopping their brains and determination from being fully tested.
The New Economic Policy and affirmative action aids destroy many Malays. Dump the politicians who do not trust the innate ability of the Malays to succeed.
The clueless. Our personal religious beliefs can be blinding. The clueless fail to see the harm done to children by child marriages. They think women who cover-up will deter rape. They think Malaysia has no gays.
An ignorant fool is bad enough, but an ignorant politician spells disaster.
The get-rich-quick merchants. They enter politics merely to make money via contacts, cronies and corruption.
They should be ejected, prosecuted and imprisoned, and their ill-gotten gains returned to the rakyat.
The career politicians. There are several in government. They have no experience of life, business or negotiation, and yet they dictate policies which affect our lives. They have no common sense or marketable skills. Their only expertise is sycophancy.
They should be forced to retire from politics and make way for competent people.
The glory seekers. Give credit where credit is due. In the recent Undi 18 bill, the politician who proposed it was bursting with pride when interviewed after the bill was successfully passed.
With a bit of humility he could have acknowledged that the idea was mooted 48 years earlier by Lim Kit Siang (photo).
If Lim's proposal had been accepted then, the country might have developed differently. Today, we desperately try to claw our way out of our self-inflicted race-and-religious abyss.
God created the earth in six days and rested on the Sabbath. Don't expect Harapan to perform miracles in 15 months. Try and look beyond race (and religion) and you will find many potential leaders.
Older Malaysians can relate to a time when race policies did not dominate, when Malays were freer and proud of their heritage, and did not aspire to become Arabs. Today, many Malays only focus on the afterlife.
You can restore Malaysia, but you must act. Stop being sidetracked, and control the narrative of the 2Rs.
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