“Aiyah, the two men still quarrelling. Why ah, why can’t they just let bygones be bygones? So old already and still want to quarrel, so mused Ah Kong Chai or simply Kong Chai loudly amidst a noisy mid-morning crowd among the surrounding hissing stoves, while sloshing a small bundle of noodles in the roiling water trying to cook up a bowl of his delectable on prawn mee.
Of course, he was referring to the ongoing and continuing feud between Tun Mahathir and his erstwhile friend protege DSAI. Kong Chai was talking to a next-stall neighbour while seeking an opinion from a regular customer who had just pitched up.
This morning was a relatively cool one as it had come through a session of the hefty shower a while earlier. Like all chitchats in a coffee shop or a Mamak stall, topics of discussion could stretch through the whole spectrum of human endeavours, from earth to the heavens. The talk this morning at that moment in time however centered mainly on the legal suit Tun Mahathir had brought against DSAI in which Tun Mahathir alleged that DSAI had defamed him in a public speech and was seeking RM 150 million as damages. Soon a couple of nearby customers also got into the discussion. One of them asked, “ who do you think will win Ah ?”. The question seemed simple enough and a natural sequence to ask. This all enquiring question
Soon turned the discussion into a lively debate not dissimilar to the many current issues debated in this and many other coffee shops around the country. Here they did not care to delve into the background and history of the feud nor examine the risk Tun M had to weigh in before initiating the legal suit.
Kong Chai, for example, tried to show concern for the wider economic implications by asking one of his regular customers how will the legal battle affect the country’s economy. Before Kong Chai’s regular customer could reply, another nearby customer, a well-dressed middle-aged gentleman chipped in to offer his take on the issue. He quipped, “ This type of case would not hurt the economy much! “. He began quite slowly by using common words and examples to lay the foundation of his explanation. Some questions were raised by a couple of listeners. Then a few unfamiliar-sounding words began to creep into the discourse. What followed next was a rather circuitous explanation. The attempt to explain the intricacies of why this case will or will not hurt the economy and Kong Chai’s business was easily lost in the fog of reasoning and the background noise. The speaker, however, seemed quite pleased with himself!
Thereafter, wider political implications and more thorough and deeper legal details were not anymore the concern for Kong Chai and customers.
The debate or discussion quickly turned to the possible outcome of the suit. They began to speculate what would Tun Mahathir do with all the money if he wins or what would be the likely consequences if he loses case. Would he lose face and reputation, or what? The varies ideas and pointers offered on how a successful Tun Mahathir could make use the rm 150 million windfall would confound some of the savviest money managers.
On the other hand if DSAI wins what benefit would he get , or hah what if he loses . Here again , even if you let your imaginations run wild you might not be able to come up with ideas that could remotely match what this little crowd in this little cramped coffee shop had figured them out .
This little gathering must have been a mighty happy one since everyone seem pleased with themselves as they were seen waving and saying goodbye to each other when they left.
By Oyang Sen
Oyang Sen 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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