The frog is a much-maligned creature. Some cultures believe that a frog carries a curse into your home while others claim it brings good luck. Some African tribes believe that the death of a frog will cause drought, while the Maori believe that killing a frog can lead to heavy rains and floods.
In France, about 4,000 tonnes of frog legs are consumed every year with a culinary history dating back to medieval times. They are equally appreciated in Chinese cuisine, as well as the cuisines of Vietnam, Indonesia, Portugal, and Spain.
What about here in Malaysia? The Malay language has a love-hate relationship with the frog. We have “mati katak” (an unnecessary death); “katak di bawah tempurung” (one of very limited outlook and experience) and of course the “katak politik” which is self-explanatory. So, what kind of frog do you identify with?
Are you a political frog?
Do we still have political frogs in Malaysia, or have they died a natural death?
Malaysia’s landmark antihopping law took effect on 5th October 2022, five days before caretaker prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved parliament and called an early election. Although it is not without faults, nevertheless this law seeks to respect the mandate of voters. As a voter, I am tired of unfulfilled promises, disengaged and apathetic but motivated enough to cast my vote on 12th August 2022, because my vote matters.
I believe the hopeful political frogs are still around. Is it OK to call them that? Can I get sued if I call them frogs? In September 2014, a Penang High Court ruled that in the context of Malaysian politics, it is not defamatory to refer to a politician, who hops from party to party, as a "political frog".
We are in safe territory here. Apparently, the words, while not complimentary are nevertheless not defamatory. So, if you are a frog of the political kind, we the hoi polloi have every right to call you what you are. Our votes are precious. We understand that we need to vote according to issues and not the candidate. So, excuse us, if we call you a political frog while you try to mess up with our democratic right to choose.
Are you a morally challenged frog?
In his short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, Mark Twain examined the subtle distinction between morality and deceitfulness as well as the fine line that exists between cunningness and deceitfulness. Certainly, given the political climate in Malaysia today, perhaps we could make it compulsory for all politicians to read this short story. Here, Mark Twain explores the triumph of the commoner over the elite and the hidden advantages of the underdog. Certainly, this is nothing less than required reading for all those thinking of dipping their toes in Malaysian politics and, the story is a lesson to be learned by future political frogs.
Are you a complacent frog?
What happens if you place a frog in a pot of water and then gradually raise the water temperature? This could just be an urban legend but the physiologist in me knows that if you put a frog in boiling water, it either dies immediately or jumps out while it still can. Place that frog in a pot of cold water and raise the temperature gradually. He gets used to the temperature until it becomes too late to do anything at all.
So, what is the lesson here for complacent frogs? It is a lesson for current voters like you and me. For too long, we have been the frogs in water where the temperature is gradually rising. In Kelantan, for the last 33 years, the water situation has been getting incrementally worse, but no one noticed. We use bore water that turns from crystal clear to turbid in the wink of an eye. Forget the effect of bore water on our health, forget the effect on the water table. We are told it is OK and we believe that half-truth. We wait for buses under leaky roofs without complaining much even if the number of dry spots is becoming few and far between. We are told we need to adjust according to the situation, and we also believe that half-truth.
Are you a complacent frog? It is about time to face the situation and take the appropriate action. You need to find the strength to do so before it is too late. Walk out before you need to jump. Once you feel the need to jump, chances are it is already too late.
Are you the nonsensical frog?
There is a story of a mad scientist who experiments with a frog. He cuts off its legs one by one and commands the frog to jump, which the frog does until, legless, it cannot jump at all. The scientist then concludes that the lack of legs causes deafness in frogs, a nonsense correlation. I often use this analogy with my postgraduate research students, cautioning them not to make nonsense correlations, which is an apparent relationship between two or more variables that is obviously absurd.
Watching that political debate last night reminds me of this experiment. Perhaps some politicians need to be schooled regarding the principles of scientific thought. This is nothing new as it has been the basis of scientific and medical thought since the time of Ibu Sina and Al Farabi. In approaching a problem, the ability of a politician to utilise explanations based on logic and evidence, the ability to recognise and analyse alternative explanations will allow us to look at a problem from various angles. Last night, it was obvious to me which debater was the mad scientist.
As the Welsh poet W. H. Davies said, “we have no time to stand and stare” or have pointless debates with people who cannot see ahead. The debate last night reminded me so much of the frog experiment, especially, when one debater failed completely to see the difference between correlation and cause-and-effect. What that debate last night showed, was that some of us, like the frog, become deaf to the needs of the common man, when formulating our policy statements.
Which frog are you?
The frog is indeed an interesting creature, either as a metaphor or an allegory. Perhaps you intend to kiss one and hope it changes into Prince Charming and change your world? Whatever your beliefs, I feel there are four kinds of frogs and four conundrums. Which one are you?
Zalina Ismail is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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