Same old, same old - old men, old battles

COMMENT | The New Year’s Eve weekend was a blissful time because, by and large, everyone in the world suspended hostilities.

Journalists must have had a hard time finding a politician to badmouth another, or an analyst to pontificate on the temper of the electorate. Even the daily twit Trump didn’t dump on anyone during this period of goodwill.

That moment of peace – other than the WhatsApp blizzard of videos of soppy singing of Auld Lang Syne and fireworks displays, jokes and greetings – is over.

Now it’s back to the silly season of politics – politicians sniping at each other, hurling charges, extolling achievement.

This noisome nuisance, this tiresome to-and-fro, will probably drag on for at least another two/three months (please, please, please, not longer) till we get the general elections.

The ceramahs, rallies and forums are petering out. Is there any adult Malaysian who hasn’t heard the truth/lies about 1MDB and formed an opinion? There are a multitude of Malaysians who can’t manage to construct a coherent simple English sentence, but know the meaning of “kleptocracy.”

For that matter, are there many voters who are still sitting on the fence?

It’s the same old, same old – old men, old battles.

Old men? Hey, I am an old man.

But old battles? Really! I wrote editorials for The New Straits Times in the 80s and I had to go to archival material to refresh my memory on details of Memali and Bank Negara. C’mon, who cares?

The demand that Dr Mahathir Mohamad (photo) apologise for past actions? Move on, man. This is like a kids’ squabble: say sorry, otherwise I won’t friend you.

Living in the past for what? Malaysians’ main concern is for their future.

The silly fuss over the “interim PM” of the opposition coalition? What is one thing the prime minister and Mahathir have in common? The charges made against them are that they had/have full control over the reins of power and patronage.

Cabinet ministers toe the party line, unless the issue affects Chinese or Indian concerns.

Hiroshima’s Peace Park

Are we still going to invest our hopes in one man, whoever he may be, give him unchallenged reign..