By Niza Shimi
Malaysians are in full politicizing mode. It doesn’t matter what conversation you are having, something political will eventually creep in. Malaysians never do anything in half measures. It’s a “do it or die trying” season.
Malaysians love political bashing as much as we love to eat. Everything is fair game. It doesn’t matter which party we support the others are all wrong. When it comes to food, we love everything. But when it comes to politics, we hate everything.
Take for example the report on the full moon eclipse viewed in Arau, Perlis that was posted by Bernama on its Facebook. Was this photograph of the full moon eclipse with the campaign flag of Barisan Nasional (BN) in the foreground inadvertently included?
The comment section has come alive, for sure. One comment poked fun at the photograph that implied that Shahidan (Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim) from BN had ascended to the moon (symbol of Parti SeIslam Malaysia or PAS).
Another commented that the skewed scales flag pic should have been edited out. It makes for a real “gerhana” (eclipse). Another found the flag irritating. Someone even asked about the Standard Operation Procedure on inclusion of politics in unrelated materials. Is there any?
Then there’s the political parodies posted on Youtube. Popular among them is this melancholy reworking of Frank Sinatra’s popular tune “My Way” by Azman Naim. This song has often been used as Tun Dr Mahathir’s theme song.
But Azman’s version, with his arresting and melodious vocals, carries a different message. It’s a lament about politicians who only turn up when it’s election time. The lyrics have been reworked (coverosak) with hilarious effect.
An excerpt of the lyrics include;
“Rakyat, Sahabatku, Engkau bengang, Engkau berbulu, Lama engkau dah mengadu, Tapi mereka buat tak tahu, Kini nak PRU, Baru sibuk janji nak bantu, Pergi, Pergi mati, Kami tak kan undi….”
Loosely translated; "Citizens, My friends, You’re angry, You’re fuming, Long have you complained, But they just ignored, Now it’s GE (general elections), They busy with promises to assist, Go, Go die, We will never vote (for you)…"
Then there’s the content creator who photoshopped herself as an election candidate in a cheeky move that is known as trolling. (A troll is someone who leaves a deliberate annoying message on the internet) Apparently, she has since deleted her post after claiming it was a joke.
Perhaps Malaysians resort to humour about politics because it is a manifestation of our collective frustrations. We’ve had to endure bewildering political overload on top of the pandemic that kept Malaysians confined for long periods. Humour is an escape, perhaps.
I'm sure there's many ore parodies and trolling going on in the cyberworld. There’s much at stake for GE15. They say, vote as though your children’s future depends on it. But for our sanity, do take a chill pill with your teh tarik and nasi lemak.
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