A DAY IN THE YEAR OF THE OX

Last nite i couldnt sleep at all, for a while i thought i lived in Gaza. The sound of explosion appeared to pop up all over the neighborhood, the air became hazy and the smell of gun powder lingered in the air until early morning. Was Malaysia under attacked? No! It was one of those days when the chinese went all out celebrating their Chinese New Year by shooting fireworks, burning fire crackers and releasing hot homemade hot air balloons all over the place. I thought it was illegal to sell or shoot those fireworks, there laws created for those things but then again enforcement is another matter. I do not think the Police can do anything as the fireworks are all over the place.

I think it is alright to let people celebrate as long it does not get carried away to the extent properties are damaged. During this depressive financial turmoil, it is good to let people have a good time and forget their problems for a while. At least i enjoyed a good colourful display of fireworks from my balcony in peace, not like those unfortunate Palestinians in Gaza where the next fireworks they see will result in their houses demolished or their relatives killed.

I pray to God to save this people from further cruelty and let them live in peace.

We Malaysians are very lucky people as we dont have to go through life threatening situations like in some countries. I guess we take it for granted that it will never happen to us that we start to make problems for ourselves.

Take for instance the political scene in Malaysia we are experiencing now. Accusations of corruptions and playing up the racial sentiments by certain groups never fail to appear in the local papers. Never, ever it has sunk to such a low level that ruling party and opposition will do anything to outdo each other in order to be in power. It makes me sick to see that people's interests are no longer the ultimate drive to hold the office. Defections to the opposite parties becoming the trend of the day? For what if it not for personal interest, position or power? If one believes so much in the philosophy of another political party, why didnt he/she join it before the 2008 election? Why did he defect after he was elected under a different banner? When this happens, who is going to pick up the tab for the by-election? Why waste the public money so they can further their political ambition? Dont we have enough problems during this financial crisis?

It seems that politics plays a strong role in the Malaysian lives. It even has crept into the sports fraternities courtesy of those politicians and royalty who feel they can contribute something to the sports. The truth is they do more damage to the sports than improving them.

The recent debacle of the national football team's lost by a five goal margin has stirred up a big huha which eventually resulted in the sacking of the coach, and the team manager who is an ex-international who has contributed to the Malaysian team's success in the past more than the FAM big guns put together! The joke is the real team manager who is a well known politician is left off the hook which baffles me big time!

It seems that FAM should be accorded a gold medal for their ability to hire and sack the most number of coaches in the last twenty over years, and yet managed to shield themselves of any blame for the state of football in Malaysia. This can only happen in Malaysia ( Malaysia Boleh!!!),whereas in other parts of the world even being second at the end of the season will bring sacking to the coach and management. We need to purge this body of all unqualified people who never kick a ball from sitting in positions which ultimately determine the future of Malaysian football. The question is will they resign? Do not hold your breath!

As we usher in the Year of The Ox, we need to remind our selves to work hard and preservere to succeed during this hard times. We need to focus and rid ourselves of the unproductive attitudes, improve our morales and ethics (especially politicians) and be accountable for our actions. Tolerance and respect has to be restored so we do not be consumed by the in-fighting that can eat up our nation.