The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 16 May 2013 04:45 PM PDT
MAY 17 — Yesterday, I got back from a working trip to Jakarta and in the taxi from KLIA, the driver started chatting with me about the recent general election. And just for context, the driver is Malay and looked to be middle-aged. I'm guessing around 50 years of age. At one point, he said to me: "Tengok Kabinet baru yang Perdana Menteri sudah lantik. Langsung tidak ada wakil orang Cina. Biar padan muka mereka. Cina sekarang dah banyak songeh!" At first, I wanted to blurt out and say that he needs to be certain who he's talking to. I may look Malay, and I may sound Malay, but I am in fact Chinese (part of me, that is!). Then I would have continued to condemn him and his racist ways and, hopefully put him in his place and educate him a little about the ways of harmonious living. But I immediately caught myself before I did anything drastic. And I think it paid off quite well judging from the taxi driver's reaction. What I did was to just keep quiet and pretend like I didn't hear what he said. And after rambling on for a bit about "Ketuanan Melayu", he stopped talking about it. From what I could gather from his facial expression and tone of voice after that, he must have realised what he was saying was offensive. It really looked to me like he seemed to regret saying what he did and I was the wrong person to say it to. It might be too simplistic to say this, but I believe that this could be the strategy to move ahead and get rid of racism in Malaysia and Malaysian politics. I feel that political analysts and observers need to stop commenting on how the election and the new Cabinet will affect the different racial and ethnic groups. The politicians and Cabinet ministers should stop talking about how the election and the new Cabinet will affect the different racial and ethnic groups. And, most important of all, the media should take a stand and stop giving prominence and attention to those who focus on such issues. It makes no sense and is counter-productive to talk about how much a certain race or ethnic group needs representation in a government. This is because it doesn't matter who the elected candidates and Cabinet ministers are and what race they are, as they are not supposed to take care of their own race only. Yes, there may be constituencies around the country that consists of different majorities of racial and ethnic groups. Some places are predominantly Malay or Chinese or Indians or Ibans or Dayaks or Bidayuh or Sungai or whatever the heck they may be. But show me one elected candidate who was voted in by 100 per cent of only one race, and I will eat my shoe "live" on television and webcast for all to see. And not only must an elected candidate serve everyone of every race and ethnicity, but he or she must also serve those who did not vote for him or her. One thing is for sure. An elected leader does not have the right to demand that those who did not vote for him or her to leave the country and emigrate. The people are the ones who have the right to demand that an elected leader leave his or her position if he or she does not fit the criteria that they are looking for. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Ronaldo and Falcao aim for cup glory Posted: 16 May 2013 04:13 PM PDT
MAY 17 — With the majority of Europe's football silverware already dished out, one of the remaining major domestic trophies will be up for grabs tonight when Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid go head to head in Spain's Copa del Rey final (3.30am kick off Saturday morning, Malaysian time). Real are the big favourites. Not only do they possess the most expensively assembled squad in the history of football (Atletico manager Diego Simeone joked that the difference between the sides is "about €400 million"), they also boast a remarkable record of recent supremacy over their near-neighbours. You have to go back all the way to 1999 to find the last time Atletico triumphed in a Madrid derby. Since then 25 games have been played without the Rojiblancos (red and whites) savouring victory, and Real have won each of their last 10 encounters. Tonight's final should be closer than that record suggests, though. Atletico have improved mightily in the last couple of years under the astute management of former Argentina international Simeone, and they are now far too good a team for their barren run to continue indefinitely. Although Spanish cup finals are usually held at a neutral venue, tonight's game will be played at Real's home stadium, the Bernabeu, after both clubs agreed it would give the highest possible number of fans the chance to attend. Playing "at home" might not be such an advantage for Real as you would initially imagine. More than 30,000 Atletico fans will be in attendance and they are among the noisiest in Spain, so being placed in an unusually hostile environment in their own stadium could well be an unnerving experience for Real's players. Aside from the venue, the most obvious key factor is the battle for supremacy between the two teams' leading scorers, Real's Cristiano Ronaldo and Atletico's Radamel Falcao. If the latest newspaper rumours are to be believed, there's a reasonable chance that both players will be plying their trade in France next season, with Paris St Germain believed to be preparing a €100 million (RM400 million) offer for Ronaldo and Falcao apparently on the verge of joining newly-promoted Monaco for €60 million. They are eye-watering figures, but the attraction of both players is easy to understand when you take into account their goalscoring exploits. Ronaldo, of course, needs no introduction. He is a phenomenal player and his form in the last few months has been as good as ever. CR7 has scored 15 goals in his last 14 games, with three hat-tricks and an additional seven two-goal hauls in 2013 alone, and he is more than capable of winning tonight's final single-handedly. Colombian international Falcao may not be quite as well known on the global stage, but he's also a fabulous striker. Hard-working, powerful, excellent in the air and a good finisher with both feet, he's probably the best traditional "number nine" in the world right now. Falcao also boasts a remarkable record of success in cup finals: as well as registering a hat-trick in August's Super Cup thrashing of Chelsea, he also bagged a brace in last season's Europa League final victory against Athletic Bilbao, and scored the only goal for Porto in their triumph in the same competition against Braga two years ago. So Falcao is clearly the man for the big occasion, and he'll be going up against a makeshift Real defence tonight. Raphael Varane is definitely out through injury, Sergio Ramos and Alvaro Arbeloa are doubtful and Pepe has been cast aside after publicly criticising manager Jose Mourinho for showing a "lack of respect" to out-of-favour goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Ah yes... Jose Mourinho. I've done pretty well to write nearly 600 words about Real Madrid without mentioning their combustible manager, because this season's story at the Bernabeu has been all about Mourinho. The Portuguese boss is nearing the end of his reign in Spain, with a return to Chelsea moving closer every day after a turbulent year in Madrid. That's nothing new: Mourinho thrives on conflict and appears to motivate himself by cultivating an atmosphere of aggression. In the past referees, the media, league officials, opposition managers, opposition players, UEFA, Unicef and, above all, Barcelona have all been the targets of his ire. But this season has been different in one respect: Mourinho has fallen out with people inside his own club. Casillas, Pepe, Ramos, Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema, Mesut Ozil... they have all been on the receiving end of a rollicking from their manager over the last 12 months. And that's not all, with members of his own coaching staff and Madrid fans also getting the sharp end of his caustic tongue — not to mention his hate-hate relationship with the Spanish media. In fact, having alienated practically everyone around him, the only person left for Mourinho to fall out with is himself. If his team loses tonight, there will be nobody new to blame it on... although dear old Jose will probably find someone. The most likely scenario is that Mourinho's side will secure the cup, allowing their embattled manager to finish his Madrid reign on a high and providing the amusing spectacle of captain Casillas and manager Mourinho — the bitterest of enemies — being forced to celebrate their team's triumph together. But Atletico have a chance, and not just because of Falcao. Arda Turan is a wonderfully midfield creator, full back Filipe Luis provides class down the left wing, Miranda and Diego Godin are powerful presences in the centre of defence, and Thibaut Courtois is rapidly developing into one of the world's best goalkeepers. It's not for nothing that Atletico possess the best defensive record in La Liga and, if they can keep Ronaldo quiet, their time for domestic glory may finally arrive tonight. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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