reduced and recycled

And a fantastic time away from the intehweb that was.

When I think about what’s in store in the year ahead, I find myself hard pressed to think of the sort of drama we’ve witnessed in 2007. I think 2008 will be a year of much drama and sandiwara, just on the strength of last year - politics in Malaysia sure is getting exciting, if not outright dangerous.

That’s just par for the course, I suppose. Challenge the big boys and be prepared to be squished.

…

Yeah, the above sounds abit forced because what I really want to talk about, and have wanted to talk about since Benazir Bhutto got assassinated, is how everyone seems to forget history. The same phenomenon is at work in Malaysia too, and has been in evidence on at least two occasions, or rather, for the benefit of two individuals.

The first is no doubt Mahathir. From zero in the eyes of those who’ve had to suffer under his regime, to instant hero when he took up arms against the Badawi administration and Khairy J. This was the man who put so many in prison under the ISA during Ops Lalang, the person who allowed Malaysia’s crony capitalism and rentier arrangements flourish, and the person who took pride more in the superficialities of “modernity” rather than ensuring the future of its people. Think Petronas Twin Towers and then compare university education side-by-side.

You get the picture.

And yet RPK and Malaysia-Today stumbled after themselves to give Mahathir a platform to speak; Malaysiakini had a slew of exclusive interviews with the Old Man, and the rest is history - short, recent history.

The essential question: Malaysians “mudah lupa” or pure desperation on the part of the rakyat? You tell me.

The other individual caught up in this grand forgetting is of course Anwar Ibrahim. From radical firebrand, to the senior politician who has been said to have first encouraged money politics in UMNO, to the same politician who signed the order allowing our racist government to put in place non-Chinese principals - thus igniting that little bit of dissatisfaction which gave rise to Ops Lalang.

All of this, forgotten or forgiven since, after all, he did time and paid for his sins in jail.

You see the picture?

And now take Benazir Bhutto. What you may not want to remember is the baggage she brought to the table. At once an undeserved darling of the West championing democracy whilst the part she played in nurturing the Taliban is all but forgotten. And let’s not forget the mystery shrouding the death of her brothers. I tell you what. Check out Tariq Ali’s write up on the now-slain Mdm Bhutto and you judge for yourself.

See? More drama :)