A Short Personal Note...

Active-grass-root-politics is only for those with huge soul and huge heart. Mereka yang berjiwa dan berhati besar. I'm not sure about high-level-politics because I'm not there, yet. But for those who aspire to be actively involved at the grass-root level, my warning is, think it over, again!

If you earn less than RM 36,000.00 fixed annual salary, need to sleep more than 6 hours a day, married for less than 10 years, lousy at poker-face-game, tactless, suffering from weak heart, you better stay away from active-grass-root-politics because it is gonna break your heart, damage your pocket, mess up your routine-life, disillusion all that you ever ideally dream of and eventually kill you.

Its a rough world down here and your survival will depend on how street-smart you are.

Some of my friends will argue this statement, and will ask me to rephrase active-grass-root-politics to UMNO politics. Either way, I humbly warn you.

Today is a day before the big day for two division youth chief hopefuls. The incumbent is Nadziruddin Mohamed Bandi and the challenger is Yuzaili Yusof. As I'm writing this in my office in Ipoh, I'm informed that the scene in Teluk Intan is getting heavy. Heavy with last minute lobbies, campaigns, barter trades, persuasions and preparations before delegates cast their votes in 18 hours time. And in less than 24 hours from now, results will be out and all the hard work for the last 3 years will be answered, masquerades and camouflages exposed, prayers laid to rest and friendships taken to stern test.

I have not sleep a single minute since 2 pm yesterday, and I don't think I will have time for much sleep until tomorrow evening. I have not met my children in proper manner (while they are awake) for the last few days. I've been taking my pills regularly. I have lost track of proper meal-time. I have not carried out my legal firm duties for more than 10 days and I have not had my favourite DBI terrace Penang Char Koay Tiaw for weeks. I have not think about any other thing other than the Ketua Pemuda Bahagian Teluk Intan contest.

Some people got it wrong. I may have won unopposed but this is not about me. This is about the relevancy of UMNO and the survival of the Malays. I have been thinking hard about it since March 8th 2008. Will ever my late father and forefathers forgive me for allowing UMNO to loose power? Sometimes I think UMNO deserves what it gets. But to think in that direction would be the easy way out, but not the right way out.

Anyway, I guess I'm lucky. I may not have a huge soul but I'm a trained and practising lawyer. I handle crisis everyday with twists and turns every now and then. Being a litigant turned small time corporate lawyer, and my biggest client is only 100 meters away, I have always trained myself to imagine and prepare for the worst-case-scenario. And I'm also trained to believe that there's more than one way out for every problems and not to be emotionally attached to problems before me. Some forgets that, I make a living on providing solutions to problems that my clients shares with me. Problem solving and surviving with problems, day in and day out are my forte. All these skills do really help.


Having said all the above, I wonder sometimes why I even bother to care. I really wish I can have a nine to five life. Play golf at my leisure like my lawyer-buddies. Read my favourite authors to inspire myself. Get the better out of my 8 year old son Adlan at PS. Help Shiqah with her homework. Read Amri bedtime stories. And hug my lovely wife more often. But then, like The Godfather K-Ngadiron said, its all fate and fated.