reduced and recycled

I was bone tired, driving home and wishing I was in bed already. All around me, poles, fences, little bits of space were festooned with banners. “They’ve got so much money to spend,” a friend said this morning. The face of Abdul Ghani Othman stared from every side, and the words “undilah BN” screaming from so many directions at once. It was a bit disorientating, just trying to keep track of all the banners and fliers on display; these banners are such an obvious road hazard, it’s a wonder no one’s been in an accident from all the distraction - which maybe goes to show how little attention people pay to these blue bits of frippery.

I know, a weak conclusion to draw, but one inferred from my own personal bias - I don’t think people give much of a shit anymore about BN, which just feeds the BN fear of losing seats - hence the riot of banners. And anyway, do these banners do much of anything except create opportunities for contractors to make some money cleaning them up after the elections? I read on Malaysiakini about how almost RM 1 million was spent in three days, on advertising. That sum of money, in perspective, could pay for the education of a whole village.

Bah, just idle thoughts. What really bothered me were the advertisements my friends have been showing me, the ones in the Star, from MIC. I dare say some of the stuff they’re advertising sounded vaguely like threats - vote MIC or face the consequences. Apart from the negative connotations of the phrase “face the consequences”, a more objective evaluation of the consequences is exactly what makes voting against the MIC so attractive: no more Samy Vellu, no more mismanagement of Indian development funds, and no more so-called politicians just standing in line to lord their positions over those who voted them in.

I know I’m going to make my vote count - though I’m not sure how. I live in a state that’s traditionally a sure-win for UMNO, and there has been, typically, little fanfare here in JB compared to the rallies and ceramahs in KL, PJ and Penang. I just don’t see much action - or I’ve not been paying attention. The blackout on news from the opposition front is so complete I don’t think word spreads much beyond the cadre of opposition sympathizers actively involved in the elections - which is both sad and maddening.

Sad because I really do think a little change, a little shake-up will force the light on the BN cronies that rule in Johor and send them scurrying. And maddening because every time I see one of those nigh-ubiquitous photos of Abdul Ghani Othman flashing by I think about how my state has become the crime capital of Malaysia in his watch. I despise his folksy manner, and when I met the man in person, I detected no hint of sentience behind his eyes. It scares me to think that this man has the trust of so many Johorians - isn’t our political system driven by, amongst others, a cult of personality? I don’t see how this man has any personality, really.

In the meantime, I’ve been receiving emails and such on the evils of the BN government and the mangled state of the nation under these corrupt politicians, and I’ve been watching the news with a detached sort of interest - as usual, as it happens in Singapore, the incumbent have relied on their 50 years of experience as evidence of their capability to run the country. That and the constant attacks in the mainstream media and one-sided quips guarantees that people only read about the bad opposition rather than the bad BN.

But this is far from over.