What Can We Learn From Bonsai and Witch Doctors

My friend Hisham Rais lamented a few months ago of how the mindset of the Malay community has shrunk a lot to the shape of a bonsai plan, hence the new adjective uttered - bonsified. But I let you read this Malaysiakini article again here if you need a news piece to refer again. However, with the recent events including Sunday's disrupted anti-ISA event that Hisham was involved in Penang by pro-government supporters, coupled with the still yet to be matured and liberated mindset of the majority of the Malaysian community, it is maybe worthwhile to illustrate a real example of a bonsai and a bomoh (witch doctor).

Pic by The Sun

It took me a few minutes to study this picture of this KMA man Mohd. Ghani Jiman and I can surmise that whatever he says clearly demonstrates the example of a man as a bonsai (shrunk mind) although Hisham said that this man can be an assemblyman due to his right to his view. Sure, the forum has attracted UMNO Youth in coming over to say support to the ISA, although, many matured minds said that it has started to become irrelevant and needs to be abolished and replaced with a new anti-terrorism bill.

A shrunken mind, I would remark is mainly because:

1. This law was introduced against communism. Communism in Malaysia is officially ended in 1989 with the Haadyai agreement. World War II is 65 years over already. Who is the real enemy now that the ISA needs to be used?

2. Several prime ministers, when come to office said that the ISA will be disbanded soon, but nothing happened at all. Instead, it became as a clinging and carelessly used against people at times. If you look back at Barry Wain's Malaysian Maverick, you see how the late Ghazali Shafie (King Ghaz) used the ISA against non-weapon-wielding opponents, even including the late laureate A. Samad Ismail.

3. The mindset is plainly based on what they were told. Hisham did said a few days ago about lazy : -

dalam banyak banyak surat balasan terhadap berita ini ada satu pekara yang amat jelas ia itu : ramai yang malas berfikir dan malas bertanya mereka nampak percanggahan tarikh hari raya haji yang tidak sama tapi mereka malas berfikir.

mereka tidak memiliki fikrah yang sentiasa ingin bertanaya justeru mereka lebih selesa menjalar dalam zon selamat dari banyak bertanya dan menyoal. mereka amat selesa menjadi pengikut setia yang bebal kah kah kah..
 
Simple: Many don't read books, ask questions, although they have the right to know and understand more than what they are told. If you are told that ISA is needed, do you really believe it outright? No? Then what is the use of Google if you are doubtful of what you're being told?

Speaking of which, I was certain that this Penang UMNO Youth chief, Norman Zahalan was there before the news of the event came out, though he didn't show that mob style antics sometime back. (Note: if you recall back in early March 2010, Zahalan tore up an invitation card to debate and accused Penang Pakatan Rakyat Youth Wing "kuda tunganggan" Guan Eng).


In the same Malaysian article, Hisham was talking about how people are spooked when some people said that their Malay privileges will be eradicated / off if they allow other forces to control them. The people who said such falsehood statements are as similar to witch doctors in villages, he illustrated.

In case if you need to check back, you can view the video from my previous posting in September here.

"The Malays are fearful of new ideas. They are fearful of differences of new ideas. They were made to takut-takutkan."

Following the Namewee cancellation concert in Kuantan, UMNO Youth Pahang warned something that was quoted from the original article:

Meanwhile, in Temerloh, Pahang Umno Youth stated its strong objection to the show, saying it feared it could spark off undesirable incidents.

Its head, Abu Jimmi Samat, said there was nothing racial to the objection but it was raised because Namewee had hurt the feelings of the people before.

“We want an entertainer who has noble values and can serve as an idol for all races,” he said.

Look, I don't think that Namewee hurts people feelings. Namewee is trying to make a realist statement that the country must bear to know. Don't count the TNB, and having viewed it with an open mind, I say that Nah and Negarakuku shows the ugly side of Malaysia that many of we people forgotten to look at, instead of just the feel good side. It's like at the preliminary stage of cancer that we choose to ignore it until to the moment it becomes very critical that it may be too late for us to reverse it. This is the unfortunate situation we are in right now.

Notice how Abu Jimmi Samat remarked as warning. Notice that it indirectly is very similar to what a witch doctor (bomoh ) would say. As Hisham said, "If you stay in a village, there is always a bomoh there. The bomoh can spread news of ghosts and all the villagers will come to give things like eggs, chicken etc.. in the pretense of appeasing ghosts." In parallel, statements like "hilang kuasa", "orang Cina" are statements that are spooked people into hiding and cowering in fear. And now do you see that it's like and similar to a bomoh?

Sure I understand that the mindset is that most of us are being told by leaders not to rock the boat, lest some people will be off from it and into the sea / river, but the problem is that the current boat is in the struggle of staying afloat and perhaps sinking in a matter of time. But the voyage on the same boat is already 53 years and running, and the wood is eaten by moss, fungus, etc, which needs refurbishment and renovation as to keep it brand new and going. 

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." - JFK

Well, today marks 48 years since JFK was assassinated and one of his famous quotes is that above, which requires a very much liberated mind. Just as to refurbish the boat to let it adapt to the current waters, the people on the boat will have to brave many things, minds going more than what they are merely told and see what lies in the next 30 years or so. Sadly, many of us do not do that, instead, sticking to the same thing over and over and over....The liberation of the mind is very essential and it serves as an eye-opener to things that may not seem to be as what we think to be.