Recently, Anwar claimed that some Malaysians are stupid or “bebal”.
“Some people are foolish; they don’t think about the public interest; everything must be politicised, and everything must be dealt with through punishment,” he said.
“We are sometimes dragged into issues, especially on social media or the media, because they thrive on sensationalism. As a result, small matters that could be handled well are blown out of proportion.
“It’s as if war is about to break out — the temple issue…the balloon (seller) issue, when, in fact, these can be handled well. That’s why I would like to suggest that we should not give room for exploitation,” he said at the Prime Minister’s Department staff meeting for April.
Anwar by the way , is not the only one in the government that believes that some Malaysians are bebal.
Education Minister Fadhlina also has recently attributed the case of a Ratu Naga, a Perikatan Nasional activist who wrongly claimed students singing the Perak state anthem were instead singing the Negaraku in Chinese, as a case of “bebal-ism” (being stupid).
However, are Malaysians really the ones that are bebal, or is it that Anwar and his ministers are missing the forest for the tree?
If your spouse is complaining bitterly to you about something petty, like how they are very frustrated with you for being late, when you are just 5 minutes off mark, you are the one that is stupid or bebal, for thinking that the reason they are acting out in an irrational and exaggerated fashion towards you, is because you are just 5 minutes late.
If you had more sense, you would realise that the reason they are acting out in such an exaggerated fashion over a trivial issue, is because they likely feel that you have been acting in a very egotistical manner in regards to them, but you think that you are so clever that they will be able notice that you are acting in a very egotistical manner towards them, because you think you are so smart and they are so bebal.
You are acting in a very egotistical manner while at the same time believe that you are too clever for your own good, when you scheme and plot to make everything go according to your wishes or make yourself feel important, without caring about the desires, wishes, self-respect and dignity of other people, but at the same time, you hide your intentions behind secret actions or fake expressions, because you think that people are too stupid to see through what you are doing.
That Anwar had today defended the announcement of RM6.13 million for development projects in Tapah by housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming, saying it was made before nomination day for the Ayer Kuning by-election, is an example of the government acting as if it too clever for its own good.
According to Anwar, RM6.13 million award right before the by-election in Ayer Kuning should not be considered as the government using government allocations to wrongfully influence election results, because it was awarded before nomination day, and technically, it is only awards that are given after nomination that should be considered as the government using allocations to wrongfully influence election results.
What is the point of saying that the Malaysians are acting in a bebal manner for forever trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, when you yourself are saying that a decision to award election to a constituency right before it faces a by-election is ok because it was given yesterday instead of tomorrow, as if the difference of a few days while be enough to convince people that what you are doing is not what they suspect that you are doing.
People follow examples, not advice. You can talk until the cows come home about what is the right and good thing to do, but if you yourself act in an insincere and disingenuous manner, it wouldn’t matter the least bit, because people will follow what you do, not what you say.
Not only individuals, but races as well as nations will always act in a petty manner when they feel that the people they are dealing with are acting as if they are so smart in being able to hide their intentions in secrets, technicalities and word salads.
You can say that Singapore and Malaysia are being bebal for arguing about a rocky outcrop that is just the size of a football field or the origin of cendol or chilli crab, but if you were more insightful, you will realise that these petty arguments are a sign of a much bigger ego issue that lies underneath the relationship of both our nations.
If you just see the Malaysian races arguing about ham sandwich and temple relocation as a sign that Malaysians are petty and stupid, it is actually you that lacks insights and discernment.
These petty or bebal issues are likely arising because people can see through your intentions, although you think you are so smart in not letting your intentions show via your expressions or actions.
You might think that you are so clever for being able to act in secret and hide what your heart holds through misleading words, but the truth, just like the sun and the moon, cannot be hidden forever.
Once people realise that in your heart, you think you are so smart that no one will realise what you are doing, or so important or special, that you can do anything you want, although what you do is something that infringes on their self-respect and is insulting to their person, then as sure day follows night, they will start to harp on a petty matter to get back to you.
If you see people harp on petty matters that you do, but instead of realising that you are the one that is wrong for thinking that they are so bebal that they are not able to see through your actions and expressions, it might not be the people you are looking at the is the ones that are truly stupid and bebal.
If you really wish to find someone who is so bebal, that like the Malay proverb says, they are “bodoh tak dapat diajar, pandai tak dapat diikut”, a mirror might be a good place to start.
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