Yes we can.

Let me borrow the words form that Harry Chapin song and say - ‘all my life’s a circle, sunrise and sundown. The Moon rolls through the nightime and the daybreak comes around.’ It seems that the days are just rolling by these days and I just realised it’s been months since a post.

The fact is, after a year or so of committed writing, I lost many words. Well, they were there alright - in my head coming out my mouth… but every time I sat in front of my Mac and tried to tap them out, they dissolved… like sugar in tea, they left a sweetness of ideas, but no tangible mark, no substance of their own.

So, these few months of silence on this blog have not been for a lack of thoughts and ideas, but for that disconnect. Or was it an overflow? A torrent of thoughts, opinions, commentary, criticism that’s clogged the outlet pipe? Certainly there has been enough fodder for this Taurean…

After the euphoria of March the 8th and then August the 26th, we’ve stumbled form one crisis to another. And despite the best efforts of those desperately seeking power, to stay in power or to regain power, the gratifying thing that has emerged is the remarkable repudiation of all that has been vile and reprehensible. I speak of course of the corruption, the abuse of power, the marginalisation of various groups and more.

Malaysians of all races and creed have remained steadfast in their belief and commitment to a Malaysia for all Malaysians. And they’ve openly condemned the policies of the past and have repeatedly called out for change.

As I type this, there is a clip on TV of Barack Obama waving to a crowd and I am reminded of how he has transcended the racial barrier to get to the most powerful position on earth. Besides being a beacon of hope for Americans, he shines a light for Malaysians too. If he could ford racial storm waters, yes, we can, too.

One of the ideas that swam around in my head early in January - caught as I was in the whole American elections process - was Martin Luther King’s iconic ‘I have a Dream’ speech. I thought ‘I too, have some dreams. For Malaysia and for Malaysians.’

Almost a quarter of the way into the year, let me finally tap them out on my keyboard. In light of the recent happenings in Perak, perhaps it is the right time to look at what could be.

Dream 1: A Malaysia of Malaysians.
The time for race-based politics has passed. The time to recognise that the only way forward is for all of us to come together as one, is upon us. We can start by removing ‘race’ from all official documents. Then from all policies. Let our kids grow up simply as fellow Malaysians.

Dream 2: A Government for the people, not for itself
For too long we have lived with mismanagement, greed and self-serving leaders. It’s about time government was about the people, not leaders. It’s about time our government worked to improve our lot, not line their pockets. It’s about time our goverment became accountable for their actions. Or inaction. I like some of the stuff I’m hearing about Penang and Selangor. More of that please…

Dream 3: Opportunity aplenty
As a country we’ve grown enough that there should no longer be any among us who lack opportunity. To gain an education, to get a job, to contribute to the country. In a global economy, we can no longer afford to scramble and struggle amongst ourselves. We need, all of us and without exception, for the best among us to have the best opportunities to bring this country forward. And we need for the weakest among us, all and without exception, to be given every opportunity to raise themselves up.

Dream 4: Substance please, not facades
I’m tired of things made up to look good but are really rotten to the core. Let’s put money into things that truly work for the common good. And please let’s have professionally run companies, organisations, authorities, councils…

Dream 5: Safety, Security… Semua taruh.
Let me have this on my banana leaf ‘semua taruh’ - safety, security, peace of mind, the works. Let us all have the ability to get home safely from the night shift, or allow our children to go out and play with their neighbours, or to drive home and get back into our homes without fear, and more. I just watched a video on You Tube which showed a gang of ‘Mat Rempit’ attack a couple returning home. Let’s put an end to this!

Dream 6: Quality Education. Quality educators.
I come from a family of educators and indeed, Mei’s family is likewise. I even teach part-time in a local design college. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that education is important. It does, however, take education to create a rocket scientist though. Our future lies in the attitudes, decisions and actions of today’s young. And all that will be shaped by a top-quality education system. We don’t have one today.

Anyone got any other dreams?

Day 6 Muar Part 2

I wandered around Muar on foot again today, and realised it is a large town indeed. I am just an anonymous transient here. Nothing captivated me except some odd details including the conversion of the top floors of many buildings into nesting areas for Swallows. Much easier to harvest the nests than clambering up long bamboo poles in dark caves, this industry seems to have..uhm... taken off.

Some buildings had huge rooftops converted specially for the purpose while others had just their top floors set up. Everywhere I went, the song of the birds was audible.

I also saw my first Mat Rempit type here - a bloke on a small bike, complete with pillion, holding a wheelie for about 100 metres up one of the main streets, in the midst of other traffic. Crazy...

Muar is yet another old town whose charm and old-style beauty has been painfully disrupted by modern erections. I don't understand why we insist on putting up drab, faceless buildings when we could be doing so much better, for not much more. And surely, in the long run, the returns are clear? One example of this, which I still have a chuckle over, was a set of old shophouses, interjected by a bland modern block of three multi-storey units right in the middle. What was amusing was that all the old units were tenanted and prospering, while Wisma Blandsville was empty and shuttered, looking for particularly brave tenants.

The cook at Darul Masyhur is getting used to me. I've had a string of teh halias here, each one no better than the previous. Fortunately his chapatis and curries are palatable. I appreciate the shop for its convenience and the opportunity to sit and watch people coming and going. For the most part, if I cleverly cropped out the image of the Hotel Kingdom from the top of my view, I might just as well have been having my teh halias in parts of Petaling Jaya or KL.

While I'm enjoying life free from nasal occlusion for the first time in a few days, the rain has tried its hardest to put a damper on things, spluttering down for awhile then disappearing only to reappear a few hours later. I didn't mind, really.

On one trip out, I found both a new sarong as well as another Indian restaurant. The fare looked more appetising and I'm sure the teh halias would have proven to be much more authentic too, but by that time I'd had quite enough of wandering the streets of Muar and was more than ready to head out of town.
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