I wish all Malaysians a Happy Chinese New Year.
This is the second Chinese New Year after the historic political tsunami of the March 8, 2008 general elections which witnessed a paradigm shift in Malaysian political thinking and expectations.
What were never thought of as possible in the first five decades of nationhood have become common-place and are even in danger of being taken for granted.
All eyes and thoughts are focused on the next general elections – whether the 13th general elections will complete the process prepared by the 12th general elections for Malaysia to have a new ruling coalition in the seat of federal government in Putrajaya apart from the state government level.
The next general elections, whether in 2011 or 2012, will provide answers to many intriguing questions, including:
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Whether the most famous political prophecy, RAHMAN on the first six Prime Ministers will be fully completed with Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the last UMNO Prime Minister?
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Whether Pakatan Rakyat will end and replace Barisan Nasional as the new national government of Malaysia?
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Can Najib’s 1Malaysia and Malaysia.2 new economic model save him and the Barisan Nasional in the next general election?
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Can Pakatan Rakyat emerge from the many internal problems of late to become stronger, more cohesive, disciplined and purposive to rally and unite Malaysians to form a new government to achieve Malaysia’s full potential, both in terms of human and natural resources?
These are among the issues Malaysians will ponder while celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Golden Tiger.
Let all Malaysians unite with one resolve – to make the 13th general elections the great turning point for Malaysia to embark on the road of a truly united, just, prosperous and harmonious Malaysian nation where all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region can fully identify with and hold their heads high.
#1 by Comrade on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 8:46 am
Hope that PR will become stronger
To win the 13th general election
To make BN the ruling party no longer
But to make it become the opposition
To all of you far and near
Who celebrate Chinese New Year
I wish you all “Kong Si Fa Cai”
Not forgetting “Ang Pau Na Lai”
To all I wish you a happy holiday
Hope that with you everything is okay
#2 by ktteokt on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 9:06 am
Although the tiger is considered ferocious, it is nevertheless an animal with great power and courage! After one lethargic year of the Ox, which to me, had never been good, let’s hope the year of the Tiger brings new hopes and joy to the people of Malaysia! Gong Xi Fa Cai to all Malaysians!
#3 by Bigjoe on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 9:18 am
It is so sad to see Badawi, known as Mr. Clean, for much of his career, now after leaving office, participate in lying about the opposition for UMNO when UMNO itself kicked him out of office and before he was revived by Mahathir, put out to pasture and nearly got kicked out.
One can understand sentimentality for UMNO given the effort to build it for so many years. But to have lost all personal perpective in the end about politics and political process in the larger picture of national, even his own race interest as well as his personal values, its just sad. Its just so sad.
UMNO is not the end all for Malays, have never really been and should not be. It is healthy for political parties, like most organisations of these sort, to end. It is the larger national interest that should never be lost. We have personal experience of how lying and end-justify-the-means ways, that was not our ways before, have destroyed so much and take away the opportunities we should have had.
It is just sad that those who should know the best about these, the ones who have been in power and seen more, seem the most lost and give the most excuse for inevitable and necessary change.
#4 by vsp on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 9:36 am
Pakatan has to put its house in order and it has to instil discipline. This is the last window still open and if Pakatan is still not capable of doing this fundamental task, then there is no point for Pakatan to talk about change. Leaders and party members must always bear in mind that they are elected not because we love them. They haven’t demonstrate yet for us to love them. Respect must be earned. Unless and until this is drilled into their heads they would have better not waste everybody’s time.
#5 by Bigjoe on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 9:54 am
To be honest, while PR have worked hard for a few years now, much of the result is a function of luck which is why they have so many problems all these times.
Its time for PR leaders to really step up. Putting its house in order is a given and it will be done because most PR leaders want it to happen. But taking for granted there is time to get it done can be a big mistake.
There are much that need to be done other than putting PR house in order. PR need to raise money. It has a significant BUT not an advantageous or very useful track record to sell. It still need a lot of resources to get into Putrajaya.
I am actually dissapointed with Nizar who have been selling platitudes after the inevitable end of his case in Perak. DAP, PKR, PAS leaders in Perak need to be more creative and smarter frankly, I don’t see it.
There should be confidence. A swagger even in Perak. Najib is a screw-up. You can count on that. GST and removing subsidies will not be popular and can be linked to the injustice in Perak and Anwar case. Hit it hard enough and constantly, it will be like Altantuya and Najib, not go away.
#6 by chengho on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 10:00 am
uncle Kit,
enjoy now , come GE13 the people in Penang will send guan eng and family back to Melaka , eventhen not sure if Dap Melaka will accept guan eng .
but dont worry PKR will be remembered as a joke in the sweet dream
Gong Xi Fa Cai….
#7 by Dipoh Bous on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 10:11 am
Happy CNY to all Chinese who are celebrating it any where in our beloved world especially to our Malaysian Chinese where ever you are.
…a little off topic.. :)
We have often heard about “the Malay World and the Muslim World” from many quarters especially from the muslims themselves. I have yet to hear about the Christian World, Hindu World, Buddhist World,Chinese World,Dayak World,etc,etc …( be free to add to the list).
Perhaps we are merely “pendatangs” to this world of theirs. If so, I should be very fortunate to have what I have today though tomorrow may bring a different story.
Yes, the so-called tsunami in 2008 ( I wonder who coined that beautiful phrase) some how changed our political landscape. It wouldn’t be called a tsunami if the landscape doesn’t change. So what next?
One thing to be given a very (feel free to multiply the word ‘very’) serious thought plus concrete and convincing actions is to spread the ripples of that tsunami to Sabah and Sarawak. The two states are the power base of BN as seen during the PRU12. Most of the voters there are stucked with the old mentality : don’t go against the government / anang ngelaban perintah / ma’ lawan pilitah / iboh nak lawan peghentah…..
I don’t have the statistics, but most of the registered voters in Sarawak (especially the rural areas) are the older generation. These are the die-hard BN voters because of the more than 50 years sticking to the above mentality. Most of the younger generation just couldn’t be bothered about politics!
Time is running out. Unless PR do something fast and effective to change the scenario in the two BN strongholds, the tsunami of 2008 will just be a thing of the past that will soon be forgotten.
Don’t let Anwar’s on-going court case and the internal in-fighting in PR to derail the ultimate goal. Are you guys up to it?
#8 by Dipoh Bous on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 10:17 am
Dera Chengho,
you wanna bet? I don’t have much to bet but I do have roughly more than 50 hectars of NCR land though a portion of it have been planted with oil palm.
#9 by trublumsian on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 10:32 am
uhh…cheng-a-hole, didn’t u get the memo? u need a brain to dream, dude.
#10 by Winston on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 10:44 am
Happy Chinese New Year to you and your family, Uncle Lim.
We all know that the troubles at the PR are caused by UMNO/BN.
Although they cannot do a good job, other than spouting slogans, they still want to derail the PR which is doing an excellent job in the areas within their jurisdiction.
Especially so in Penang, where the CAT policies have won LGE a four star accolade from the Auditor General; a feat never achieved before. Not by UMNO/BN in five over decades of despotic and corrupt rule!!
It is perhaps because of these achievements that UMNO/BN is spurred to a greater frenzy of discreditable actions.
You and your family is the first family of politics in this country and you can be assured of the support of all the right-thinking voters in this country.
#11 by yhsiew on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 11:05 am
While waiting for the 13th GE, now is the time to “clean the house” to weed out BN moles and BN agents before they dash people’s hope of a new federal government.
#12 by boh-liao on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 11:18 am
“Kong Si Fa Cai” “Ang Pau Na Lai”
Such sweet words, which Umno B/BNputras n cronies hv been practising even not CNY
Even exUMno B/BN politicians in PR still hv this “Ang Pau Na Lai” die-hard mentality
Kick them out n make sure we bury them six feet underground
#13 by boh-liao on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 12:03 pm
Want 2 win d 13th GE, show us what PR had achieved since 308
Show us PR is a worthy viable alternative
Get ready committed principled candidates, kick out shady greedy ex-Umno/BNputras
Register more young voters, educate them, esp Malay n Indian voters
Hv a strategy 2 win more seats in East M’sia
Get voters 2 read Internet news/info 2 counter msm n TV n radio
Post Umno B/BN dirty deeds on YouTube
Burn DVD in different languages n give them free 2 voters, esp rural folks
Hit Umno B/BN at critical spots that hurt them most
Stop AI fr hving pretty boys as coffee boys, otherwise make them wear chastity belts
Surround AI with gorgeous rubber maid Barbies
Go 4 global e-fund raising, incl fr diaspora of decendants of beggars n prostitutes
Can do or not ah?
#14 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 4:23 pm
Happy CNY to all.
Year of the Tiger, we shall all sing ‘good riddance to BN’ in the 13th GE.
#15 by frankyapp on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 4:36 pm
# 7…We have often heard about “the malay world and the muslim world from many quarters especially from the muslims themselves. I have yet to hear about the Christian world,Hindu world,Buddhist world,Chinese world,Dayak world etc etc…by Dipoh Bous. The answer is simple,Christian majority control government normally don’t mix politic with religion,example the USA,Brazil and the philipine. Go to India,you then know who’s in control.Thailand,Sri Lanka,Vietnam,cambodia are all known as the Buddhist world but again,they don’t want to mix up with politic,Sarawak is the Dayak world but Umno/Bn has robbed it away from them . Muslims and malays lacking political strength and unity,needed to shout and create havoc to begging for attention from others to consider them to be reckoned with as important or equal And as for the chinese,the whole world belongs to them.From China and all the rest of the six continents,you can find chinese people.I think given a decade from now,China and chinese people would dominate the whole world in term of political power,military might and economy strength.
#16 by jus legitimum on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 6:09 pm
Happy Chinese New Year to YB LKS & family and all participants of this blog.
May the new year not only bring joy and happiness but also get rid of all the racial and religious bigots.
Gong Xi Fa Cai
#17 by donplaypuks on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 6:46 pm
YB
You have made a gross error!
He was actually talking through that other aperture he usually reserves for TV and Press Conferences – you know, the one he used in PPasir when defending that disbarred and 2-wives lawyer.
Because his brain, or what little of it is there, is at the other end!!
dpp
We are all of 1 race, the Human Race
#18 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 6:58 pm
Well AAB can’t afford to be seen going against the party; remember his cabinet approved the 2 bonds for the PKFZ presented by CKC, the don’t- know Minister whose only specialty is The Dream of the Red Chamber. No wonder he got lost at the Transport Ministry which is dealing with logistics issues where certain amount of logical sense is required.
#19 by anna brella on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 8:39 pm
Best wishes for a happy Chinese New Year to Mr Lim Kit Siang and his team of Malaysian democrats.
I attach this favourite poem to celebrate that beautiful Golden Tiger whose catalytic spirit I trust will help guide all Malaysians toward that ABM/democratic safe harbour soon in that fast approaching transformational GE13.
THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience)
By William Blake – 1794
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
#20 by Black Arrow on Saturday, 13 February 2010 - 9:16 pm
13th GE is the GE to throw BN into garbage dump. Otherwise, when? Let 12th GE be the foundation starting point.
Pakatan Rakyat must put house in order now. No time to lose.
Pakatan must harp on the unfairness of the GST. I know there is a Pakatan Rakyat anti-GST Task Force. Time now to educate the rakyat as GST will be tabled in Parliament in March this year.
#21 by storm62 on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 12:57 am
“Gong Xi Fa Cai” YB Lim Kit Siang and all here !!!
#22 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 7:32 am
I wish YB Lim and all here a Happy Chinese New Year.
Anna brella post #19 has (quite appropriately) posted English 18th century poet Blake’s little poem THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience) to usher in the year of the Golden Tiger.
One notes that the “Tyger” in Blake’s poem is portrayed not as a gentle and benevolent animal but one that is powerful, fierce and fearsome.
Blake wonders what kind of divine being could have created it: “What immortal hand or eye/ could frame thy fearful symmetry (with stripes in “fearful symmetry”) He wondered from which part of the universe could the tiger’s fiery eyes have come (“in what distant deeps or skies/burnt the fire of thine eyes?”) and who would have dared to handle that fire (“what the hand dare sieze the fire?)? Blake further wonders once the “Tyger” has been created (“and when thy heart began to beat”) how the creator, compared to a blacksmith (“what the anvil? what dread grasp/dare its deadly terrors clasp?) dared to continue “with dread hand dread feet”) his work to “twist the sinews” (muscles) of the tiger’s heart once that heart “began to beat”. And when the job of creation of “tyger” is completed, Blake wonders, how would the creator the creator of “tyger” would have felt? “Did he smile his work to see?” Could this possibly be the same being who made the “lamb” ? (The lamb is a symbol of gentleness of character and patience under suffering. It signifies purity, meekness and sacrifice.associated with meekness, innocence and vulnerability).
It appears that the “Tyger” in 2010 is powerful symbolism for fearful symmetry of the twin stripes of religious and racial bigotry of a group of people with vested interests in the existing system and who, by skewed interpretation, intimidating methods of lodging police report, threat of demonstrations) are resorting to primeval appeals to race and religion to thwart reform (whether its Najib’s “1 Malaysia” or PR’s “Middle Malaysia”) of our country to a better order (in Kit’s words a “truly united, just, prosperous and harmonious Malaysian nation where all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region can fully identify with and hold their heads high”).
They are the enemy of progress, because progress is exactly what they don’t want and fearful of as it represents a threat to their vested interests (money power and connections), whether present or future, interwoven and knitted tightly to the existing political order based on race/religion. In the protection of this they would make anyone – never mind who, whether its an individual or a a whole group) opposed to the present order and favouring a new order a “sacrificial lamb”. [TBH was one such lamb sacrificed, another big one (Anwar) is still in the sacrificing. “Pendatangs” are another group sacrificed]. There will be more of this in the wake of 308 political tsunami that strikes fear to even the tygers’ heart. This I think is the major challenge in the Year of the Golden Tiger where the “tygers” will come out from their camouflage roar, paw and maul!
As there are many times more Malaysian lambs than the fewer “tygers”, may all lambs unite and bleat in unison so that their loud bleating and baahs from a much larger group will drown the awesome roar of the tygers and beat them to a retreat to eventual extinction.
#23 by boh-liao on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 10:31 am
HAPPY Roaring Lunar New Year!
Get ready 2 b entertained by tiger shows put up by Umno B/BN
A mega-rich political secretary to a senior minister was caught with RM2mil in cash
Must b d chai sern yeh giving ang pow 2 jumping political toads, tong tong cian
D pol sec has many luxury cars n houses, also involved in multi-million ringgit projects
Wow, PR MPs n state assemblymen with jumping toad DNA ‘lau nua’ lah
Cannot tahan liao, must jump n hop 2 hv a share of $$$ lasting a few generations
Esp d next few PR MPs 2 hop 2 BN – huge fat monetary reward 4 BN 2 regain 2/3 majority
#24 by boh-liao on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 10:45 am
In 1M’sia, a political secretary to a senior minister is already sooooooooooo rich
Guess d worth of a minister n a senior minister
U ever wonder Y so much money pumped into d various NSEW corridors
Yet normal mortals do not enjoy d downstream benefits
Still d same old story of BN people carrying BAGS of CASH
Now we know Y BN reps own palatial mansions everywhere
Let’s C what NR, MY, HH, MMK, OTK, KTK, SV, msm hv 2 say – Sack MACC officers?
#25 by jus legitimum on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 11:23 am
We should pray and hope all those using race and religion as camouflage to steal,cheat and plunder the national wealth of the country will be dealt with.Their ugly,dirty and evil methods of using the underhand tactics will backfire and send them into extinction.The rakyat of our beloved country have suffered more than five decades.So the rakyat should all stand up to fight all the self serving,opportunistic,the corrupted including the racial and religious bigots and destroy them.The rakyat should empower themselves with the strength and might of the tiger to exterminate all hypocrites under the guise of protecting the rights,interest,religion of a particular community .THESE HYPOCRITES SHOULD BE AWARE THE RAKYAT ARE NOT FOOLS.THEY KNOW THEIR TRUE COLOURS.
#26 by boh-liao on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 11:40 am
Golden tiger n Valentine’s Day as well
NR winking Valentine’s love messages n roses 2 PR toady MPs n state assemblymen
Come closer n b mine, my lovely precious Valentines, kiss kiss xxx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIUlWZHlXSc
#27 by k1980 on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 1:01 pm
http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30184:non-approval-of-rm40-million-tender-is-zahrains-reason-for-quitting-party&catid=19:newscommentaries&Itemid=100131
May the tiger leap upon the frogs from Jelapang, Bayan Baru ect and rip ’em to pieces, but not swallow them because their flesh is poisoned with the dirt of corruption. We do not want the tiger to be corrupted by them
#28 by johnnypok on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 1:18 pm
The 13 GE will be marred with trouble, especially in the opposition-controlled states. Burning and looting will break out, and all the rich people will vanish to other countries. Bolehland declare bankrupt. Invasion of Indon and Filipinos, exodus of locals, civil war for the next 50 years, new nation … under Singapore
#29 by stanleytan.net on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 2:10 pm
Happy Chinese New YEar to you too, Sir!
#30 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 2:24 pm
If you look at the outlook for this year, economically things are not bad but its not good either. Developed countries have to watch their budget and debt while their private economy tries to generate jobs. At the most optimistic, some sort of job recovery happens at the end or second half of the year IF any.
China is afraid of inflation and pre-occupied with battling it while unwilling to prick the bubble it has created. Its trying many unconventional means such as raising wages which is inflationary actually. China only real weapon is to allow the Yuan to rise which it refuses to.
In other words, there is no recovery without inflation. And BN greatest mistake is to believe that it can pass the GST and removing subsidies without getting hit politically..Najib may understand more than Badawi in economics but he is still a half-past six politicians with people around him that is afraid to tell him bad news…
BN still need to spend particularly in Sarawak & Sabah and it need to cut budget and control inflation.
PR hope may not lie in Sarawak and Sabah if it is to win Putrajaya. Not that it should not go all out for Sarawak and Sabah. But realistic speaking PR hope still lies in splitting UMNO. The hawks and the moderate faction within UMNO must be made to fight…That is the only way to win Putrajaya
#31 by manature on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 5:06 pm
Dear Lim Kit Siang,
Please do this for me. Please take this message to the relevant party leader (yourself or your son?). For the next election, all PR candidates MUST MAKE PUBLIC PLEDGE. Just signing undated resignation is not enough. See Future PR candidates must make public loyalty pledge.
#32 by k1980 on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 5:28 pm
Apart from making public pledges in front of JPs and Commissioners of Oaths, how about a mandatory requirement that their undated resignation letters is to be dated for every month? That is to say, upon winning an elected post, the successful candidate needs to sign 60 (for the coming 5 years) resignation letters each dated a month after the preceding one
#33 by boh-liao on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 5:59 pm
It’s dinner time n the golden tiger is hungry, nay, very hungry now
Hope d golden tiger will mercilessly DEVOUR all d toady ex-PR MPs n state assembly ppl
We await d wonderful news n subsequent by elections -GROWL!
#34 by waterfrontcoolie on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 6:05 pm
The situation is similar to that of India where a handful of super rich plus a small percentage of upper middle class continue to spin the lovely word of democracy, strongly trrmpeted by the West, that the system is superb for ALL Indians! Here we’ve similar environment though slightly different mode, the current ruling class keeps on creating a seize -mentality among the lesser equipped majority of the polulation to hold on to power with nothing concrete plan to help out the economy of the nation except pure sloganeering! PR needs to find more means to expose the truth to the public especially those in the rural area. Would PR get all their Reps. to create blog sites so that the public can complain to them directly on their day-to-day issues. They need to keep in touch with the people as making arrangement to meet some of the YBs is near impossible!
#35 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 7:13 pm
Out of 16 million people eligible to vote, only 11 million have been registered to vote. It meant that 5 million eligible voters (nearly 1/3) were not registered.
If you start going round, encouraging and helping these 5 million to be registered, I am sure many of them will give their votes to you in next GE.
#36 by lopez on Sunday, 14 February 2010 - 9:43 pm
everything is so clear, continuously barrage of falsified allegations, bias emotions, opportunist shouts and yells eventually will come to void.
what is it for you to have been so unhappy with PKR?
What about the last 50 years . Is your position any less than now.
yes, i would rather stay , then return to ways of the last.
#37 by DCLXVI on Tuesday, 16 February 2010 - 2:47 am
chengho: “enjoy now , come GE13 the people in Penang will send guan eng and family back to Melaka , eventhen not sure if Dap Melaka will accept guan eng .”
Ali Rustam’s own party said he was guilty of money politics, but now MACC ‘conveniently’ cleared him of the alleged corrupted practices. May be there are people in his party who do not want him to rise politically. Not sure whether he can stay as Malacca CM for long…
chengho: “but dont worry PKR will be remembered as a joke in the sweet dream”
Nothing to worry since Umno-BN is obviously a tragic paradox in a nightmare…
#38 by ChinNA on Tuesday, 16 February 2010 - 9:24 am
To chengho – May this be an enlightening year for you. Hope to see many more posts/comments from you.
#39 by lopez on Tuesday, 16 February 2010 - 1:19 pm
To gather alignment in ideas and values cannot be made.
what is it for you say so beautiful things …gain popularity..or what.
carry big legs not welcome
#40 by anna brella on Friday, 19 February 2010 - 4:23 pm
Jeffrey:
I found your comment based on the Tyger an interesting read. Poetry is of course subjective and can thus be interpreted by one in many ways and also according to one’s own light as it were
Maybe William Blake was trying to make one intuitively reflect upon and grasp the commonality of duality that seems to exist in the state of all matter in Nature and the Universe for the complementary state of singularity to also exist at the same time. Or perhaps Blake the poet was trying to say that it is the same compassionate God who created both Tyger and Lamb who also creates the spirit of the strong, fearless and noble tiger in the human mind/heart to help protect the meek spirit of the weak, soft and vulnerable Lamb within the human soul. Or perhaps it those of us who are strong (in physical strength, resources or willpower) who must be compassionate enough to protect those of us who are not as strong and so are vulnerable and defenceless.
But because of what was alluded to in your final paragraph about the hope that the tiger would become extinct there, even though perhaps meant only allegorically, I have to respectfully protest that it is somewhat unfair to the members of the Big Cat family, and particularly to the real magnificent tiger, which is now seriously threatened with the risk of final extinction in the real world, to be maligned and associated with the cheap antics and misbehaviour of some “human” members of the Great Ape family there, who ought to know better their real human nature and so not ape the more base and ignorant behaviour of the chimpanzees in the same family.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.