Malaysian Politics , A Telenovela in Itself .

The week they all came back to Malaysia for good , there was the fuel price rise , Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin's statutory declaration , and ... this .

Wow . Out of a pristine , sterile , urban island , they're back to a circus . Malaysia is a telenovela in itself . I wonder whether other countries have peccadilloes like this . I don't think Hollywood is even creative enough to make a movie like Malaysia . Of course others in international finance are squawking . This is going to drive our investors ! I don't care whether He Wo Shall Not Be Named did it or not , but we are sunk economically . We're going to be like Zimbabwe ! We'll be using leaves as currency ! Some of my friends however , see this in a more positive light . With destruction and chaos , comes hope and peace . But they do agree that there needs to be a healthy transition period , whoever leads the country . Name-calling and accusations can take one so far ; a good , transparent and honest judiciary is what is needed now . The question is : Are the fundamentals in place ? Because there doesn't seem to be any .

The friend of my parent said : "We are currently seeing political dynamics of unparalleled intensity although qualitatively , they remain light years from sophistication . It seems chaotic at times , dynamic at other times , but comical almost all of the time . "Free speech is a new thing . Transparency means listening to what the administration reveals or chooses to reveal . And the party is left with a void . A power and ability void ." If anything , Malaysian should not fear the chaos . "If we had a system where everyone is seen as equals , if the system were managed my competent people , and if society and large sections or the population could learn to live without handouts , I'm fairly certain we could actually go further down the road to development , and by this I mean not just economically , but in a more well-rounded way," remarked a fellow classmate .

I'm not going to even pretend to be clever and analyse the situation . We are grappling with urban poverty ... health issues that have been sidelined because they don't fit in with the Succesful Muslim Country that we are (Breast Cancer is sexy . HIV/AIDS is not ) ... religious and cultural moves and practices that hinder a country and its people's growth . We have to deal with inter-faith and intra-faith issues . Race and religion issues will be increasingly sensitive , and not just among those who do not share the same faith . Education . Privacy and vigilance issues .The constant desecration , and forgetting , of history and culture , and the social engineering . This charade is taking attention awat from what really matters . Now , I am in no way discounting the saga we are witnessing now . This is very real , and will have implications on our future , but the Real Malaysia is not heeded . We have forgotten one essential ingredient in our pursuit of success . We have forgotten compassion .

Enough is enough . We want dramas on TV and film . Not in governance . A friend of mine , likened this whole political climate to Desperate Housewives .

"We have the murder of a pretty young woman , in which a housewife is supposedly involved . A sex scandal with a family friend (or gardener) - Gabrielle Solis .

"The state of confusion in the biggest political party in Malaysia is similar to the Scavo household . The prodigal son of a conservative pious family (the Van der Kamps) that invloves homosexual affair with a friend , and the power struggle to win the neighbourhood presidency between Katherine and Lynette .

"Orson's mother that keeps coming back to interfere in the affairs of the Hodge family and simply refusing to sit back quiet in the retirement home .

"Let's not forget the women and men who keep changing partners , jump here jump there , join this household , leave that household , then come back to the same household . "But in the end , it's still the same bunch of characters in a small street in Wisteria Lane having scandals with each other ."

In short , we are all mad . The battle right now is really about claiming stake to a throne . When are we , the people , going to take back our lives and rule the earth ? When are we going to emulate one of the 1940s nationalist movement slogans , 'Raja itu Rakyat , Rakyat itu Raja' ? (The sovereign is of the people , and the people are the sovereign) . A friend remarked that all this should be taken positively . She opined : 'I think Malaysian politics today is fantastic . People are begninning to dare to speak up .

"OK , some of us (politicians included) may say some ridiculous things , but that's fine . The fact is we are speaking . We just need to accept that there are diverse opinions .

"One thing Malaysians have to learn , and are beginning to face , is that a change of government should not mean downturn in economy or a drastic change in our lives .

"Look at the West , their countries change government all the time , and they still go on , business as usual ."

Malasysian politics is finally growing up and I'm enjoying it . So sit tight , and let's watch the show . It's going to be exciting .

P/S : I do not watch Desperate Housewives . It's too crazy to understand .