This is one of the questions my friends have been asking me - why have you not written your thoughts on the UMNO elections? None of my very close friends asked me this as they know me very well.
To begin with, I have been busy trying to get justice for my clients. Also, my NGO activities have been keeping me occupied. More importantly, I developed again the "cannot write virus".
I simply could not write anything on any of the issues my blogger friends are writing about. I am not saying they are wasting their time or they should stop writing - but I just could not.
What can I possibly write about the impending elections? Write about the candidates? Well, quite a number of them are my friends and quite a number of others are known to me.
I admit, there are a few new and potential faces in the competition.
But I always ask the wrong the question - fundamentally how is the current political system (with the emphasis on patronage, lineage and money) ever going to change anything fundamentally for the Malaysians?
Well, since this is an UMNO election, the question is: how is it ever going to change the fate of the Malays and the bumiputras fundamentally?
The way I see it is that everyone keeps complaining about the traffic jams and then each politician champions the cause to build bigger and better roads. Every blogger and columnists gets into a frenzied discussion on which politicians' "vision" of bigger and better roads are better.They start looking at the history of road buidling by the politicians. The academics join in the fray and present papers on it. The clerics also join in discussing the "Islamic" roads and the halal and haram aspect of the roads. The whole nation gets frenzied and busy.
But no one looks at the root of the problem - holistic long term planning ! No one cares to see that there are so many factors which are inter-pendent affecting the traffic jams - town planning, transportation planning, accommodation planning, vehicle production planning and so on. These take too much thinking and planning are are just too long term.
So, everyone takes the short cut - just focus on the short term - to expand the road or not?
Likewise with the UMNO election. Generally speaking, what fundamental, dramatic and far- reaching impact do we expect from the election that is going on?
Have we heard any thing earth shaking from any of the leaders or is it generally toe the line and use the rehashed strategy that they have been used to all along?
If we keep doing things the same way we have been for the past 50 years, do you think it will be any different the next 50 years?
Apologies if I wasted your time reading this.
I told you - nothing that is happening at the moment is inspiring me to write.
Peace !
