Friday 29 January 2016

Another old friend

Got a call this morning from a friend who was a member of my Johor team during the 2013 general election.

Hadn't heard from him for quite a while.

The guy used to be a high ranking Johor Umno operative.

We chit chatted for almost half an hour. 

Nothing serious, just about what and how each others were doing.

He was especially curious about me being back in JB. Told him there's nothing to it, just some family stuff that needed to be taken care of.

The guy is now totally out of politics after the new administration took over in Kota Iskandar after the general election.

He now survives by doing a bit of business and tending to his small goat farm somewhere in Batu Pahat.

"Datuk rasa politik sekarang macam mana? (What do you think of politics now?)," I asked him.

"Eh, aku dah kat luar gelangang. Mana aku tau (I'm out of the fight. How would I know)," he said.

"Kalau engko tanya pasal kambing, aku tau la (If you ask me about goats, then I know la)," he added with a laugh.

But really, the guy was not bitter that now he is out of the political hustle and bustle of Umno.

He accepted the changing ways of the party and just moved on with his life. 

"Nak kecewa apa? Biasa lah tu, masa aku dah sudah. Sekarang masa orang lain. Aku dah buat apa yang patut. Kalau pun aku tak setuju apa benda dia orang buat sekarang aku malas nak tegur. Orang tengah ada kuasa mana nak dengar pun. Lantak lah," he said.

(Basically, he was not frustrated and accepted things the way it is, and if he disagreed with what is happening he rather not waste his time worrying about it as it wouldn't make any difference.)

"Rasa-rasanya BN masih boleh menang ke kat Johor ni Datuk? (Do you think BN can still win in Johor?)," I asked again as the guy, despite now out of politics, still have a lot of direct access to information on what's happening on the ground.

"Menang tu boleh insyaAllah, tapi sakit lah,(BN can win but it's going to be close)," he said.

Most of my old gang from those days are now something like that guy.

They were disengaged from politics and trying to make do with what they have in life now.

None of them became rich serving Johor Umno under the leadership of former MB TS Abdul Ghani Othman.

Like their boss, they served sincerely and according to the book.

Tak ada yang cari lubang (None tried to enrich themselves).

Even though I was not really part of the Johor Umno apparatus under Ghani's leadership, I consider myself a part of the team as for me it was an honour serving alongside them.

The speech in this video explains what Johor Umno stands for under Ghani's leadership,



Like my friends from those days, I also want to disengage myself from politics because I don't feel motivated to continue with it because the way Umno is now.

It's not that I want to go against it, but I just feel that I don't want to have anything to do with it.

But for now I have to continue as my attempt to get off the other day caused some butt-hurt people to accuse me of all sorts of bullshit.

Guess, I have to slowly ease off myself from politics bit by bit instead of abruptly ending it.

It's troublesome, but see lah how.

I promised my friend that I will visit him in Batu Pahat after CNY.

It will be great to see the old man again and talk about the good old days.

Once I'm done with this political nonsense, I want to be like him and my other gang members from those days - happy and free.

I don't want to grow old being full of hate, angry, bitter, bitchy....and smelly, just because the party which I love don't want me anymore...like some other people.

Okay, that's all for now.

I will write again once I reached Kluang.

Cheers guys.

Note: I specifically translated the Malay words in this posting for a Japanese reader of this blog who can't read BM. Y, see you on Feb 15 :-) 

12 comments:

  1. Annie dear,
    Don't ever get carried away by painting TSAGO like another Mother Theresa!

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    Replies
    1. Of course I won't. Ghani is a good former Johor MB. He is not a Catholic nun. I know that :)

      Delete
    2. Funny Annie.

      But I do have a question regarding the RM2.6bil donation given by Saudi Arabia.

      Does this mean going forward, other political parties can get their funding from foreign sources?

      For example, it is legal for DAP to accept donation from China to further their agenda?

      I am just wondering.


      Delete
    3. Do u have something against Catholics or the Catholic Church? Why bring up the subject of Catholic nuns? That seems to be downright mean-spirited. Or is that part of your SOP?

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    4. She just said that Ghani Osman is not a Catholic nun.

      How pathetic you are to conclude that to be downright mean-spirited!

      As a Muslim I do admire Mother Theresa and how I wish our politicians, ( not only Najib but Lim Guan Eng too) to emulate her, for which you will agree a highly impossible thing to do!

      Delete
  2. Good one, girl. Hahaha, Catholic nun!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dato Usop bela kambing hehehe

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  4. Wa tatak tau apa macsam olang pikir lea aa ,tapi politik punya olang mana atak kila pasat bangsa & ugama . Kalau lulu-lulu punya olang Wa pecaya lea aa ,tapi sikalang punya bolang ,mayak susah mau cali maa aa .

    Kalau tatak kaya ,hilup pon manyak senang maa aa .

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  5. What you want is that you've not wasted time along the way, loveless and unloving

    https://youtu.be/aW0GPCvppr4

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  6. Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight and I'm going to drink to get my fill..
    And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it..but I probably will..
    Yeah,just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of..
    Well times slips away and leaves you with nothing Mister..
    But boring stories of glory days..
    -the Boss(Bruce Springsteen)..

    Well Ma'am I can't help humming to the tune and lyric of Springsteen 'Glory days'..when you wrote -"to see the old man again and talk about the good old days.."..
    If you manage to listen to the cassette while driving to pay a visit at your Dato friend in Batu pahat..you understand the whole context and this song might brings some smile to your face..Back in States..it almost a religion to those blue collar guys in subscribing to Springsteen..It what being an American to them is all about..Songs for taking away the pain..losing jobs and losing opportunity..and with it out goes Love..Hey..there is a dark cloud just around the corner (if the naysayer have their way) with the signing of TPPA..What don't break you might just make you strong..In the land of the Free..the land of the Braves..Welcome to the land of the US of A..Welcome to the freedom of being true capitalist..

    By the way Ma'am..this is not the time for you to shy away..There is still some fight in you "kaze no tani no naushika"..all you need is some motivation..right?

    ReplyDelete
  7. "Many,many (wo)men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now.Happily some of them kept records of their troubles.You'll learn from them..if you want to.Just as someday,if you have something to offer,someone will learn something from you.It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education.It's history.It's poetry"-
    Catcher in the Rye
    Just want to quote a line from Jd Salinger book for you to read..if you studies in the States they make you read the book..its a pop culture and educational all wrapped into one.There is some reference about it in movies..and one of them is in Mel Gibson "conspiracy theory"..it's about how we see things and how we are conditions to see certain things..and Ma'am..my favourite is..
    "She wasn't doing a thing that I could see,except standing there leaning on the balcony railing,holding the world together..-Catcher in the rye.

    Do have a nice day ma'am..

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  8. "I don't want to grow old being full of hate, angry, bitter, bitchy....and smelly, just because the party which I love don't want me anymore...like some other people."

    As long as you don't become fat & hypocritical as well.

    Because full of hate, angry, bitter, bitchy, smelly, fat & hypocritical is just no way to live our lives.

    We must retain some human dignity, at least.

    ReplyDelete