The silat prancing has started. Lift one knee up, steady tracing an invisible pattern on the ground with the other foot, switch, both hands swinging in graceful movement- with one eveready to pull out the keris at the moment of danger.
Played out correctly from years of training, deploying of various skillsets and tuning up the senses, the silat can be very elegant and engrossing to all its audience.
Isn’t this so like what the potential candidates for UMNO leadership are doing now? How I wish the silat by UMNO can be made more elegant so that all Malaysians can enjoy an engrossing performance. Stuff like this cannot find in malaysiakini.com or malaysia-today.net. Luckily, I bumped into my political strategist friend at the local mamak.
After some heady tea halia, I cornered my friend to share some basic ingredients for a successful silat.
Q: How, please?
A: First thing to do is to make your stand clear. State your stand something like: loyalty to the King, country and the rakyat who voted you to power and your party can come next.
Q: Wow. Ya lah, ever since Badawi became PM it became agama, bangsa dan negara. You made it the other way round. This reminds me of the Rukunegara “Loyalty to the king and country.” What next?
A. Back up your stand and demonstrate it in words and actions. Say what you mean and do what you say. For example, if one says “We guarantee not to condone narrow views on religion or race supremacy” – just walk the talk. Confront or discipline those going against this stand even though they are own party members. The rakyat see this and rakyat will ‘know’ you are not partisan in dispensing justice. This creates confidence, respect and most importantly, loyalty to the candidate. Kinda like a fan club.
Q. Like that other party members who refuse change will hate this person.
A. What’s more important? You want to shine as a deadwood party yes man or a party man possessing vitality and promise of future greatness?
Q: Don’t understand la. Speak English please.
A: Just go get yourself a DVD of the movie 300. You’ll get to feel the spirit of heroism, no need to understand. Train, train and train to acquire the fighting skills, choose your circle of men carefully – check their skillsets, then go for the battle. That’s how great empires were built.
Q: Please.. just give me the juice in simple language.
A: A country that aspires for greatness examines its potential leaders carefully. The rakyat exercises their right to question, test political candidates for their political stand and personal values. In Malaysia, after the tsunami of 12th General Election, the rakyat have dropped their blind loyalty and picking up their rights to admonish and punish lesser leaders or pretenders.
Q: Ok, philosopher. Tell me how to do it ok?
A: I’ve just told you, my friend.
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Aiyah… all these political strategist experts, they sure don’t give away their trade secrets that easily.
:p