Natalie Shobana Ambrose (26 March 2009 –theSun)
As a child I didn’t understand idioms but I’d mull over them and make up my own meanings. One such phrase was ‘worth your salt’. My interpretation - because my skin is salty I must be worth my salt!
I later learnt the importance of salt as a natural preservative; it keeps away bacteria and accentuates flavour. Most of all salt is necessary for the survival of all living creatures.
I ask the question today, are you worth your salt, because I’m looking at our news stories and it’s really sad.
As I write this column I’ve realized that I’m scared to write what I think because having an opinion or actually voicing out an opinion is a dangerous thing in Malaysia. Freedom in moderation is the call of the day when freedom itself is an absolute.
We are governed by laws that are interpreted at someone’s whims and fancy, coercing the people to behave in a certain way because we’re scared, when leadership should really be about inspiring good conduct which has more of an impact.
I want to be inspired, and I want to be proud of our leaders. I really do… but each day they stoop lower and lower and lower while the level of arrogance reaches far above the ground. It’s embarrassing. When a wrong decision is made, the travesty is not the wrong decision, it is the lack of humility to admit a mistake and reverse the decision.
As a child I didn’t understand idioms but I’d mull over them and make up my own meanings. One such phrase was ‘worth your salt’. My interpretation - because my skin is salty I must be worth my salt!
I later learnt the importance of salt as a natural preservative; it keeps away bacteria and accentuates flavour. Most of all salt is necessary for the survival of all living creatures.
I ask the question today, are you worth your salt, because I’m looking at our news stories and it’s really sad.
As I write this column I’ve realized that I’m scared to write what I think because having an opinion or actually voicing out an opinion is a dangerous thing in Malaysia. Freedom in moderation is the call of the day when freedom itself is an absolute.
We are governed by laws that are interpreted at someone’s whims and fancy, coercing the people to behave in a certain way because we’re scared, when leadership should really be about inspiring good conduct which has more of an impact.
I want to be inspired, and I want to be proud of our leaders. I really do… but each day they stoop lower and lower and lower while the level of arrogance reaches far above the ground. It’s embarrassing. When a wrong decision is made, the travesty is not the wrong decision, it is the lack of humility to admit a mistake and reverse the decision.
Did we apologise to Brunei for claiming Limbang was ours last week when the dispute has been ongoing on since 1890?
We didn’t.
We reacted in our usual manner- ignore the situation and it will go away. Silence in a situation needing a response is unwise. It means you don’t care and that is a very grave impression any institution or political party should want to take.
When politicians are found guilty of something or rather, they don’t step down from their positions. Anyone worth their salt would be embarrassed and step down. Instead, they remain in their positions or make a come back- not inspiring good conduct.
Is this the measure of our leaders?
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
In his first speech since leaving office, former American President George W. Bush said that he would not criticise President Barack Obama. His exact words were “He deserves my silence”.
We didn’t.
We reacted in our usual manner- ignore the situation and it will go away. Silence in a situation needing a response is unwise. It means you don’t care and that is a very grave impression any institution or political party should want to take.
When politicians are found guilty of something or rather, they don’t step down from their positions. Anyone worth their salt would be embarrassed and step down. Instead, they remain in their positions or make a come back- not inspiring good conduct.
Is this the measure of our leaders?
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
In his first speech since leaving office, former American President George W. Bush said that he would not criticise President Barack Obama. His exact words were “He deserves my silence”.
In my mind, I thought if anyone has the right to criticise the new President, it would be Bush.
I’m not a Bush fan but he does deserve credit for taking this stand. I’d like to take it a little further and say perhaps he also feels this way because the new President has shown that he is worth his salt. He’s not just words, he is action, sincerity and it all looks genuine.
Most Malaysians might not know first hand what a war zone feels like but in the last year, Malaysian politics feels like a battle field with no peace treaty in sight and no hope for the people. All sense of decorum seems lost to the point I feel embarrassed for those in the public’s eye.
During a time, where most people feel the only way to get through to politicians is to write letters asking for a truce, I’d like to ask all the politicians even those not allowed to contest – Do you love your country more than you love politics?
If the answer is yes to country then behave like it. Let your yes be yes and your no’s be no, so that you aren’t condemned and swayed like the lalang.
Malaysian politics is like the little girl who walks around the playground violently moving her arms up and down saying ‘I’ll just go about my business and whoever gets in my way will get hit’. Even if it’s her own face.
To the politicians - powerful, not so powerful and in the making… how will you measure in “times of challenge and controversy”- are you worth your salt?
Natalie ponders if winning the battle makes sense when the war is lost.
Most Malaysians might not know first hand what a war zone feels like but in the last year, Malaysian politics feels like a battle field with no peace treaty in sight and no hope for the people. All sense of decorum seems lost to the point I feel embarrassed for those in the public’s eye.
During a time, where most people feel the only way to get through to politicians is to write letters asking for a truce, I’d like to ask all the politicians even those not allowed to contest – Do you love your country more than you love politics?
If the answer is yes to country then behave like it. Let your yes be yes and your no’s be no, so that you aren’t condemned and swayed like the lalang.
Malaysian politics is like the little girl who walks around the playground violently moving her arms up and down saying ‘I’ll just go about my business and whoever gets in my way will get hit’. Even if it’s her own face.
To the politicians - powerful, not so powerful and in the making… how will you measure in “times of challenge and controversy”- are you worth your salt?
Natalie ponders if winning the battle makes sense when the war is lost.
Comment: letters@thesundaily.com
