RK Anand | February 26, 2013
Free Malaysia Today
BN propagandists strike fear in the hearts of the Chinese about PAS and in the hearts of the Malays about DAP. But still a substantial of number of Malaysians dream of change.
COMMENT
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Scene I
The Honda Cub coughed up a trail of black smoke as it chugged along the labyrinth of dimly-lit alleys until it came to a screeching halt outside a dilapidated budget hotel. Chua missed the comforts of his Mercedes Benz but these were difficult times. The government’s decision to stop trade with evil nations like the United States had been a fiscal nightmare. Much had changed since that fateful general election.
With his helmet still on, he tiptoed up the creaking stairs and into the room where she was waiting for him. He then scanned the walls for hidden cameras. Satisfied, he slipped out of his clothes, climbed into the bug-infested bed and snuggled under the sheets next to his mistress. He recognised the fragrance of the Chanel perfume which seduced his nostrils. He had given it to her as a gift for Chinese New Year. It had to be smuggled from Singapore as such immoral items were banned. He leaned closer and his pulse raced with excitement and trepidation. He craved for a glass of Cognac to calm his nerves but alcohol, like Viagra, had been banned as well. These clandestine meetings placed them at severe risk with the ever vigilant moral police keeping watch for adulterous couples.
Chua’s greatest fear was that those bearded men in robes would burst through the door, drag him in chains to the public execution square Dataran Nik Aziz, once known as Dataran Merdeka, and stone him to death.
Scene II
He was in unbelievable pain. The soles of his feet stung from the three-hour lion dance practice and his back was sore since given his lack of height, he was forced to be at the rear of the lion, crouching. Ibrahim had to endure this ordeal three times a week. He detested it as much as he did the Mandarin classes he was forced to attend thrice a week as well. But there was no choice, this was the law. Much had changed since that fateful general election.
He switched on the television, and there was the usual propaganda, this time about the government-run pig farms under the National Feedlot Centre. He missed Utusan Malaysia. The government had shut down its operations and converted the office into a Bah Kut Teh restaurant. He had tried to warn the Malays but it fell on deaf ears. His good friend, the old doctor, also tried to do so in vain. He had not seen the doctor in a long time. The old man had disappeared after the fall of Putrajaya. Some claim that he now lived with his relatives in India. Ibrahim’s home was a squalid one-room flat. The authorities had confiscated the bungalow which he purchased under the Bumiputera quota and turned it into a printing press, where, among other Christian paraphernalia, Malay-language bibles were printed.
Ibrahim’s greatest fear was that those clean-shaven men in robes would burst through the door, drag him in chains to the public conversion square Dataran Kit Siang, once known as Dataran Merdeka, and force him to embrace the new official religion and change his name to Abraham.
Psychological warfare
The above are extreme fictional scenarios should PAS’ theocratic ambition or DAP’s alleged Chinese-Christian plot come to fruition.
This is the psychological warfare that Barisan Nasional’s propagandists wage on the minds of voters with the hope that the seeds of fear sowed would sprout into votes during the general election.
MCA leaders instil fear in the Chinese about a Taliban regime and the erosion of fundamental liberties under PAS while Umno leaders instil fear in the Malays about Chinese dominance and the erosion of their special rights under DAP.
MIC, which represents those in the economic and social doldrums, utilises a more sophisticated mind war technique. It consists of reciting mantras on the glories of the prime minister, organising stage shows with Indian cinema stars and distributing free bags of rice.
The truth is, both the Muslims and non-Muslims are concerned about DAP and PAS. But despite the reservations, a substantial number of Malaysians of all colours and creed still dream about the opposition forming the federal government.
So it would be more productive if the BN propagandists and spin-doctors stop short-circuiting their cerebrums in devising new fear-mongering methods and unearth the reasons behind this sentiment instead. What motivates these Muslims and non-Muslims to throw caution to the wind?
A wise person once remarked that the people revolt when the government becomes revolting. Decades of institutionalised corruption, institutionalised abuse, institutionalised racism and institutionalised arrogance have pushed the people to the brink of their patience.
BN has lost the trust and confidence of the informed and cosmopolitan voter. Its fate now hinges on those in the rural areas, who are more gullible to the diabolical and insidious propaganda laced with racism and threats of communal violence.
Peddlers of the evil doctrine
Since the last general election, desperate politicians have upped the ante in exploiting racial and religious issues, caring not for the dangerous thoughts impressed upon impressionable minds, ensuring that this nation continues to be divided along these fault lines in the coming generations.
These irresponsible leaders have also soiled Malaysia’s so-called moderate reputation in the international arena.
A friend, who returned to Malaysia with her son after her marriage with a foreigner fell apart, disclosed how this is affecting the legal dispute over the child.
Her husband, in his argument, told the court there that Malaysia is an Islamic state, replete with Muslim fanatics, which practises double standard with regard to favouring one particular ethnic race and faith.
He also said that his son, who is classified as an Indian, would be a second-class citizen, without access to equal opportunities.
Fighting back tears, she confided to be at a loss on how to counter these arguments when news reports lent credence to her estranged husband’s contentions.
Those who widen communal fissures for political mileage and those who help them peddle this doctrine of hate, just as those who bleed the nation’s coffers, are leeches that suck the blood of their host.
While both DAP and PKR are not shining examples of multiracial politics, the two however represent the important stepping stone towards realising such a colour-blind future. After all, Rome was not built in a day.
And if the opposition fails to capture Putrajaya in the next polls, the crumbling of BN would happen in the following election or the one after that as the mechanics of destruction have been set in motion. The death knell has been sounded, and it could be heard across the nation, from east to west.
After the last election, there is now a prime minister who speaks Mandarin and Tamil, wears Chinese traditional outfits and visits Batu Caves during Thaipusam. Not that he wants to, but he is forced to.
So an even slimmer majority in the coming polls would perhaps see Najib Tun Razak, if he survives the daggers in Umno, and his wife performing the Indian classical dance and acting in Chinese operas.
This is called power of the people!