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Sakmongkol ak 47

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Thursday 27 January 2011

Tenang: we want KFC too.


It has been raining the past few days. All over Johor it seems. Labis and Segamat are also affected. Lembah Bakti area is particularly affected. These areas would have earned cursory mentions during normal times. Flooded areas are flooded areas. Houses get flooded, physical communications get cut off, food supplies are difficult to reach for.
But these are not normal times. These areas happen to be in Segamat where a by election is going on. Two contestants and their parties are locked in combat. The floods, during normal times would be regarded just a natural calamity now become a battle ground to show who is more caring. Or who can pretend more and who catches the attention of the media more.
As a person who has been in the thick of floods and who actually went on small fiber glass boats into deep waters so to speak, who had to physically carry the boat on our shoulders- let me tell you a bit about the psychology of flood victims and their expectations.
What do you need during floods? You need most of all relief help- food, medicine, money, whatever kind of help. If houses get flooded, victims are evacuated and transported to flood relief centers.
During these times, flood victims become a totally dependent lot. At relief centers, they wait for the food to be cooked, they wait for the food to be served and all their needs attended to by relief workers. They become an easily irritable pampered lot.
When they become these, they assumed a different personality. They become easily irritable, short-tempered, and quick to attach blame to no one and anyone. If relief help comes late- authorities are to be blamed. If they don't see the faces of the YBs, these are the people they blamed. They also expect, as victims of the flood, to be compensated for their losses. Fully and more I may add.
Although everyone knows, flooding is a natural disaster, victims expect nothing less, but complete restitution for their losses. Properties damaged, animals lost, crops damaged and so on so forth.
The two potential YBs will become very conscious of these facts. They will now understand the meaning of the words responsibility and the feeling of haplessness, dependence and everything in the world sucks. They will understand, a lot more than just sitting pretty manning relief centers administering the distribution of food items.
I know of one person who later became a YB who bragged about sleeping at the central command, administering the distribution of food items. In between times he would play serious poker and gamble. The actual YB was on his daily and sometimes nightly rounds, physically visiting flood victims, distributing food supplies which he bought with his own resources.
The point I am making is, the floods present an opportunity for the potential YBs to show the world who care more for the people. It's also an opportunity to do some serious playacting. Its more important to show you are doing something than actually doing it.
Wading through flood waters become a publicized public spectacle. Actually you have done nothing other than getting wet and pretending getting so, to show your dedication and caring for the victims.
The flood victims will dismiss such antics as nothing more than play acting and conferring future bragging rights. Victims are more interested to see whether their daily needs are attended to, they are pampered at relief centers; they are more interested to eat not just the daily rations of sardines cop ayam. The victims at Tenang want to eat KFC too. They expect to be completely compensated for their losses too later.
In short, both the potential YBs can make a public spectacle of braving the floods, wading waters, getting wet and so forth. Flood victims ignore these, they just want help. Who does better or pretend they care more will earn their gratitude and perhaps votes.
In the meantime, please pass the KFC.Dont matter none if the KFC boxes have the dacing symbol or the moon symbol.

8 comments:

Anonymous,  27 January 2011 at 07:02  

Dato' Sak,
An UMNO friend in Segamat suffered the flood some years back whereby almost half of his double storey house was submerged. He was surprised when the PAS relief team came first to offer much needed rice to cook. The BN relief team came days later and he was rebuked for accepting the help from the PAS team.
Now he has a different opinion of both teams. Sincerity is the name of the game and this was severely lacking in the BN's team.
Pak Tua

Anonymous,  27 January 2011 at 08:06  

Dato' Sak,
Never having lived in flood prone areas except for the occasional floods I encounter on some roads due to heavy rain, I can only offer my symphaty to the victims. It can't be pleasant to just grab what you could before evacuating your house.
I think the victims feel a lot of things, anger, helplessness, irritation and all. To suddenly find yourself sharing a lot of things with a lot of other people, it is also not a pleasant feeling.
The offers of help from the two YBs, I say to the victims, take them. The YBs are only the conduits. Genuine or an act, I sincerely hope the people will cast their votes wisely. ::v::

Anonymous,  27 January 2011 at 09:26  

The banjir could be a relief. Can even turn it into a festival. Thailand has very nice water festivals. The monsoon will still blow. It's not like you can build a dyke to stop it. Shouldn't, it used to bring trade and people together.

What the heck! :)

Quiet Despair,  27 January 2011 at 09:37  

The rain and flood is a test from Allah to let the voters decide who best to represent them.
It's also to humble the candidate that the responsibility of a rep is not just glitz, glamour and power but a heavy duty one.
If it's a competition, then BN will win hands down. Note that the recent floods in Kedah, BN was the first to arrive and contributed more to the people there.
It's a chance for burly hands-on Tok Ai to show his clout and mettle.
As a former Labis ADO, he has all the logistics at his disposal for aid and rescue.
Pity poor Cikgu Normala who has to wade the flood with hubby in tow to offer some help too.
She aint heavy, she's my sister.
But can she offer her arms or her hands to help and hug some who are trapped to higher ground?
Sak, it will not be like Pahang or other places where your food will come from nasi kawah.
There will barrels of KFC for the asking for the Tenangnites.
There are many KFC board members from Johor. MD Tan Sri Mohd Ali and Tan Sri Yahya Awang (Hussein Onn's son-in-law) will feed their countrymen.
Then there's Dato' Mohd Gadot (ex Johor Mufti) and Tan Sri Kader Talip (Ex WP Mufti) in the KFC Syariah Advisory Council who are Johoreans.
Pepsi will flow freely, courtesy of Johari Ghani, Permanis MD.
Be missing your write-ups and the result as I have got a job to do out of the country until Sunday or Monday.
Muahs to Normala and salam IMalaysia to Tok Ai.(hehe).

didi,  27 January 2011 at 11:25  

Quiet Despair,

Again an oxymoronic argument. Obsessed with her principles eh? yeah that's what people with lack of principles will do. Make fun of others' principles. Like Soi Lek criticizing her religious beliefs. Why would anybody that lacks morality be criticizing people who wants to observe their religions? Why does it offend him so much?

Anonymous,  27 January 2011 at 11:32  

You guys don't get dato he is talking about zorro's kfc.

Anonymous,  27 January 2011 at 23:40  

Dato

The question that begs an answer : why is Segamat still suffering such bad flood after 53 years under Barisan Nasional. Blame Mother Nature? But this has happen for the past 53 years after heavy rain!!!

And do you recall not too long ago, it was rumoured that a very, very senior leader of the government flew to Perth for his brother's nasi kandar restaurant, even as Kota Tinggi (another town in BN's Fortress Johor) was submerged in a historical flood?

Yes, I'm bashing your party for not doing anything to alleviate the flood problem in Segamat and Johor for the past 53 years!!!

Anonymous,  29 January 2011 at 10:02  

Quiet Despair,

Again and again you never failed to show the kind of person you are and your warped logic.

Your post again showed how ignorant you are as to who is more capable to provide aid to those in need.

Now let me ask you and hope you answer HONESTLY.

If Pakatan is the Federal Government .....

1 . Can PAS provide the kind of aid that BN is able to do right now if not BETTER?

2. Can the then BN opposition (not getting anything from PR Federal Government ) help those who are in dire needs?

3. Do you seriously think that the BN opposition MPs/Aduns (now that there is no money to be made) be so dedicated to their constituencies or rather try to cari makan other ways ?

These really shows how low and silly the entire mentality of your kind has been. ...the giver and beggar kind.
It seems all your ideas of goodness is able to give AID - instead of how to make living standards rise to be self dependent. Your entire postings and past have been abilities to give , give and give such us using Rakyat's money to give to guys like you. Pathetic really and you are from the learned part of the society. Gosh.

I believe this kind of mentality is a result of the NEP where everyone expects to get the goodies without the rights to get it at the expense of others.

We know this system has benefited you greatly and hence your continued blindness to what is right and what is wrong .

Sadly the poorly informed Malaysians in rural areas are very easily influenced by a few packets of KFCs.

The evidence is already very loud and clear... this kind of mentality sinks the nation from Education to competitiveness in the world.

This would not last long. Just watch. Currently the government is using whatever we have left ... from the EPF money of the poeple of Malaysia to give out high salaries to lots of people to disillusion ourselves to be high income nation when in actual fact we are taking out our remaining savings to pay ourselves and spend. Syiok Sendiri.

Go ahead, support your party and be blind.

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