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 :-)