Monday, September 3, 2007

The Aftermath

You know, there was this one article I wrote right after watching the Merdeka Parade on tele that morning and wanted to get it posted immediately. But I decided against the idea as it may (mis) lead people to think I’m against the present ‘gomen’.

Here's a glimpse. I actually took a potshot at someone high-up, which is very unlike the adorable Kerp that we all loved.

The thing is, not that I’m the coward blogger that one of the ministers were referring to some weeks back. Its purely my mom, the real deal governor, my government of the day. She was so against me writing anything political in the lights of cases involving Rocky, Jeff and most recently, RPK, for fear I may end up in Kamunting or something.

To her, being IT illiterate, blogging is all about politics and taking a swipe at politicians. Couldn’t blame her. I mean, who wouldn’t?

Yes, I mean, who wouldn’t want to take part at having a dig at them. buuuttttt, being a filial son that I have always been, I’ll play it safe and write on something boring instead.

But I can assure you it wont be as boring as a long, dull speech.

Oops.

Moving along, the long-break Merdeka weekend was quite eventful for me even without having to join other wheelchair lads in Putrajaya witnessing the colourful fireworks display. Lets just say me and my girl had some fun too, without me revealing much about our little escapade of course. Hey, nothing hanky panky ever took place, so you can chuck it far, far away, whatever that little naughty thought you have out of your filthy mind.

One thing that I found harder to get it out of my head was this year’s merdeka theme song. The one that goes ‘Malaysiaku Gemilang…Merdekanya Terbilang’. Yea, that number. Lyrically though, I could only remember that part. Not bad I say. With the marching tune, it adds some of the catchy-ness to it. So kudos to whoever the composer is. Wah Idris, was it?

Still on the same note, nothing beats that song Setia, from cant remember which Merdeka year it was themed for but it was very ear-catching that even dumb students like me did not face much problem in memorizing the lyric back then. Singer Frencesca Peters had the honour to do the song officially. She was like the Siti Nurhaliza of the 80s, minus the Datuk, of course.

So anyway, the long weekend is over and everyone will have to get back to their boring life, busting their asses off. And to those participating in conferences here and there, my heart goes out to you,…

…another long speech to endure.

Yaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kerp,
What else is new. I am rather amused by the antics of politicians throwing verbal abuses at bloggers. In so doing, they make themselves look extremely foolish and show how shallow their knowledge of computers and internet is. And it doesn't speak highly of a nation that has its own multimedia super corridor. Instead of getting worked up and blowing hot and cold over every comment laid in blogs, why don't politicians take up the gaunlet and write their own blogs just as those in the US and UK do. This will certainly encourage a healthier exchange of thoughts and ideas instead of spewing verbal diarrhoea which benefits neither nation nor society.

Pi Bani said...

Kerp,
You know, I didn't yawn at all during the loooong dull speech. But that was only because I had the TV remote control in my hands... ;)

sankochan said...

your mom is like my dad!! That's why I cant blog about politicans and all...

I've been acting as a nice dumb 'celup' blonde who minds her own business... Oh well~~

tokasid said...

Salam kerp:

Yes, if mom says you can't, you better not( for the time being lah...)

I guess most mak will be like that, for fear of something might happen to their son/daughter.

I still remember during the reformasi period, mak was dead worried for my support to the reformasi( actually the opposition) momentum. She was worried if I will be victimised by the gomen. How true, some of my panels(govt agencies) was strucked out after the GE.

The last GE, my name cropped-up several times as a potential opposition candidate( I can't imagine that you know) and was mentioned several times during Special Branch briefings in Melaka and Bukit Aman as a potential opposition, mom was again worried. I told her not to. 2 weeks before nomination day,on a Friday, someone came to see me, claiming to be a middle man in UMNO Alor Gajah. Wanted me to accept the nomination as a PAS candidate, then to withdraw 3 days before GE day. For that I will be paid(bribe) a huge sum of money. He said: Please do this for Malay's sake!! (Lahanat punya balaci).

During that time, my wife was 'promoted' to Trengganu and was to report to KT just before nomination day!! With that, talks about me as a possible candidate( which I refused flatly when the pary came to see me( before the balaci's visit).

Maybe , mak's worries was justified during those days.

Ehem...mak doesn't know I blog too....

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

My bloggoreng brother,

The thing is, like it or not, they hv created some degree of fear amongst some of the bloggers. I thought it was healthy to spurt our thoughts out and wld in a way contribute to nation-building. This is where they turn their heads away and accuse us blindly. Admittedly, I was bitten by the fear bug myself. Maybe I shld go back to my old habit of using the MSC surf porns only.

Kak Pi,

I can imagine that those who stayed at home that night for the countdown did exactly the same. Afterall, it was the countdown that matters and the splendid show of fireworks display. Apart from that, well…I don’t know. Some wld rather hit the sack and turn the tele on againthe next morning for the parade.

Sandra,

Listen to your dad. Just like my mom, he’s got a point there. I’m playing safe, by writing things that have not much interest to them, such as grouses a wheelchair-bound face in their daily lives. In fact, I doubt they care abt it at all.

Howsit goin with you, girl?

Doc,

Yes doc, I decided way before I posted my first entry. Maybe a sprinkle of criticism here and there shldnt be such a fuss. That’s what I told Sandra above exactly. Her dad, in her case.

Our mothers have a very special instinct when look at things. No matter how right we believe in it, and no matter how we tend to argue with our moms, at the end of the day we know she is more right than we cld ever imagine.

Doc, the thing is, I don’t even know your name…haha..no offense. And during that fracas in 1998, I didn’t really give a hoot abt politics. not even to TDM, being his admirer.

Wld love to know more abt u. have been curious abt who this blogging-doctor is for some time now.

Ada any IM ke doc?


Thanks guys!

cakapaje said...

Salam Kerp and all,

This is one of my rare times I use my blog name for comments; but I noticed someone has been giving my blog address and all (that Amir bloke), and thought, why the heck not!

Kerp, I have been visiting you. But today, I cannot help leaving a comment. I understand your statement and agree with Doc.

It is very unfortunate when one voice an opinion which differ from the gomen, one is branded an opposition and even traitors by some. But the gomen and their blind supporters forget that each and every citizen have the right to opine, no matter how harsh the comment may be; this is, afterall, supposed to be a democratic country, is it not?

Kindly do not misconstrue: I use to be one of the blind supporters till an incident a decade ago. Then, I was reminded of a verse from the Quran: (not verbatim) Be just to all, even to those that you do not like. (doc, kindly put the surah name and verse, tq).

The funny thing is, I am not even a scholar. But does one need to be that when injustice against the people is rising out of control?

Kerp, kindly forgive me for my comment. It is not leveled against you, but any preying eyes that may hap upon your blog.

Keep on writing bro, I like what I read here. InsyAllah, you'll be even better...and perhaps, as Amir once mentioned, a Quadfather? :)

tokasid said...

Kerp:

I'm just like ordinary guy on the street. really! Nothing special or extraordinary.

Dulu yg org suruh jadi calun tu bukan nya apa. Aku kat sini dah berbelas tahun jadi ramai yg kenal. They thought if I stand ada peluang. And the initial SB survey memang ada chance( kalau tak di sogok duit le), but I personally know I'm not fit to be a candidate. Political knowledge zero. Cuma masa tu semangat tinggi. The party rasa with me, they can get a bigger vote walaupun kalah.

I told them, I have to be frank with myself and the voters. And had to be fair to my family. I was victimised during the reformasi and Anak Bukit by-election. So, ramai family members risau if I stand, I will be victimised again.

Bila SB tahu I tak nak stand, they relaxed on me sikit( I got very strong cable kat bahagian politics in SB dulu).

And still mak masih ada lagi. She told me: Kalau hang nak masuk bertanding, hang tunggu mak dah mati.( She doesn't want to see all those mud-slinging kat akau lah tu...)

Now I'm toned down, not active sangat but still ada deep interest in politics, but not as a candidate.

Thats about all about me. Just another brick on the wall.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

Salam bg Shah rir,

This is awesome la bro to have u here leaving a comment or 2. the fact u’ve been visiting is an honour already.

I do wonder myself sometimes, if my opinion isn’t in line with those high-ups, will I be chopped as an opposition. Not that I’m apposed to every single thing coming from them. A case in point, long speeches. Just bcos its frm someone of the highest rank does not by any means, I have to agree. Sure I can always get the heck out of the such assembly or if I’m at home, I’m free to switch to a different channel. Its not that. It’s the fear that has been wrongfully instilled, I think that’s uncalled for.

I’ve never voted my entire life and I don’t plan to in the future. I don’t see the need as I’ve contented to way things are. From my view point atleast, unless the gomen sits on their laurels ignoring majority people’s plight, I shall remain a non-voter.

Thanks for dropping by bang shahrir. Your comment is very much welcomed.

And I can only thank brother Amir for he’s the one introducing me to talkonly. That submarine entry was quite thought-provoking and a rib tickler at the same time. If u don’t mind, I’ll link talkonly from here. Thanks.

Doc,

That’s one heck of an introduction abt urself. But as usual, I am left with more questions to ask than answers I got. Hihi…

I used to be a very pro-gomen, but only for one person. Some didn’t agree with him politically. And me, being a non-politic fella, maybe I didn’t see his said ‘evil-doing’ during his time in the office.

And don’t get me wrong either. I have never hated those from the opposition. Infact right until now I still hv very high regards towards their leaders, especially those from PAS. So u can see y I am cool with everyone, be it from here or frm the other side of the fence.

Pendek kata, aku pukul keliling, doc…hahah..

U are one humble person frm what I can gather, but not in any ways ur a nobody. I am honoured having u, not jus as a blog buddy but a real friend.

Kalau doc turun KL, jgn lupa ingorm awal2.

Thank you.

Bailey said...

i was covering the ambang merdeka on merdeka eve. seriously it was a big yawnnnnnn also.

Unknown said...

Kerp,
Listen to your mother. My wife is very against what I am doing but I can't help being myself. My fight is only with those who abuse their powers coz I can't accept that. I don't see why I should hate a pro-gomen person just because he/she is pro gomen, that would not be democratic would it. I am only against those who abuse their powers and those who love Liverpool. I am allowed one wrong am I not?

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

Bailey,

I assume ur a journalist. Where r u attached with btw? U know, I read MarinaM’s and she in a way shared the same sentiment. And this coming from THE marina mahathir. How cool is that? I doubt we hv much against the PM, but really, abt the long speech, cant they make it short and sweet?

Hey, nice to see u around. Thanks.

Cikgu!

I remember abg mior’s previous postings abt being a good son to your mother. Well, this isn’t a hard thing to obey, so I shall listen.

And I cldnt agree more with u. it s a welcome statement from u, sir. Aku org TDM and obviously ur not, but doesn’t mean we cant be buddies. I hv said somewhere, leave politics aside and we’re cool. And since I don’t know much abt it, no point getting into the ring to slug it out. It will be a forgone conclusion.

Eh, them bloody scousers are stamping their marks. Dangerous. But expected lar cikgu…close to ed70 mil spent. They better get a silverware. Nothing less.

Bailey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bailey said...

kerp,

mmph...i'm a journalist. am a rookie attached with the news agency.

i read marina mahathir's piece on the merdeka eve. yeah it is exactly the way i feel -- booriingg.

tokasid said...

Kerp:

InsyaALLAH, bila aku pi KL tanpa mengejar sana mengejar sini di KL I'll inform you.Kalau dpt jumpa lagi baik.

After several years of 'semangat tinggi dan membara' with the opposition, I had toned down. I still support the opposition's vision of a just Malaysia. But I do not support everything blindly. If they said this and that, then I want a good reason( I call it dalil) for it.

My opposition against the gomen are not in-total. If there are good things, I'll say its good. If its bad, I'll say its bad.

But like che'gu, what we opposed most is the abuses of powers by the holders. Its nothing personal. Even whose when the abusers doesn't have a good personality or conduct to go with. Or those NATO(no action talk only) types. Or the cakap tak serupa bikin types.

Have a nice day bro.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

Bailey,

MarinaM puts it even more nicely. The in-your-face type. Cant blame us, can we? The speech itself was out of place.

Thanks, there.

Doc,

Aku sendiri pon didn’t support the gomen blindly. I hv never been into politics to know much. Only this time, I hv taken a bit of interest for some reason.

Perhaps we shld meet up. Tunggu doc turun KL. I foresee it cld well happen dlm bulan Syawal nanti. insyaAllah.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

i am having post-holiday hangover.. still am feeling it.. *yawn*

Daphne Ling said...

Hey Danny,

You're back! Welcome!

Haha...You took a swipe at the gomen anyway with this post...

As for Merdeka/Patriotic songs, they go down the drain every year...

I like the old ones (Patriotic/Merdeka/Malaysia-themed): Setia too, being one of them...This is the one that goes "Demi Negara yang Tercinta..." right?

Others include:

1) Dirgahayu Tanah Airku (circa 1994??)
2) Sejahtera Malaysia
3) Padamu Malaysia
4) Bahtera Merdeka (Hehe)
5) Hujan Emas

Anyway, Happy Merdeka, and glad you had a great time!

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

Daph,

And welcome back to u too. I think Setia is best for the past couple of decades. I tried to sing the whole song and I’m surprised tht I got only one wrongly.

Thanks for the list of the patriotic songs. Maybe someone shld compile them all and title it as ‘Merdeka theme songs: The Greatest Hits’- featuring the all-time favourite, Setia, and the latest hit, MalaysiaKu Gemilang.

Just a suggestion.

That datuk Zam guy can actually compose patriotic songs well. Just thought u might wanna know.

Ciao sin, Daphne.

And thanks.

Salt N Turmeric said...

tak kisahlah apa u nak tulis pun. but yang i nak tanya is, mana gambar2 merdeka u oi? ;P

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

yo PJ,

ha ah laa...takde gamba. we were engrossed with the atmosphere surrounding us that we didnt bother to take any pix. but shld hv taken some, kan? hmm...

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

yo ben,

oh goodness i almost missed u out there. i wanted to ask u to wake up, it was over but maybe i shld be telling that to myself...hahaha..

hey, do tell me if there's a good makan place worth promoting. i'm not keen so much with japanese food so i can skip ur latest post...hehe...

thanks ben!

Azyze said...

Hi KErp,

I'm going through the same thing with my parents. When I told them that I was going to do my internship with an NGO (albeit a health-related one), they kinda freaked out. They act like they didn't, but the fact that I was going to work for anak PM punya NGO (at that time lah) just didn't gel with them. I went and did it anyway, and I'm glad I did. Despite what people say about NGOs and their hidden political agenda, I had a great soul-awakening experience, without the politics shemebang et al.

So imagine their surprise when they found out that I had a blog, and have been blogging for quite a while. Yep. Whenever me or my siblings would accidentally mention blogging, they'd go tense, pretend to read papers or watch TV, but telinga dah on macam radar Astro. But alhamdulillah, they don't press me to stop or anything. Kira sporting juga lah :)

Opps, I got carried away there. BErjela.

Cheers :)

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

Yo Azyze,

As I have said here somewhere in this blog, I think we’re cool if we chuck politics away. When I joined my first NGO group, they made sure all the committee members are non-partisan. I wasn’t into politics anyway so it didn’t bother me that much. I think politics is the main ingredient that triggers war. So fuck that. Trust me azyze, being in an NGO body can do your resume good.

I had to assure my mom that even volunteers who does good causes blogs too. to think that bloggers are mainly political analysts is totally unfounded. Cant blame her. She knows nuts about the internet.

Hey, thanks for crossing over.

Anonymous said...

testing......i just want to make sure this thing work before i start giving my value comment. Hahahhahahaha......

Not so anonymous - Dee

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

yo dee,

sure it'll work. just yell out my name or something. or if u need to spill your heart out, this is the place. welcome to disneyland!!

woohooo...