It’s been a tough 2018 for Sarawakians – we were in the federal government for 55 years only to be shocked by the parliamentary election results.
On May 9, 2018 the lives of followers of the former government, the BN, was turned upside down when the opposition PH led by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed swept into power.
Needless to say Malaysians were fed up with the cronyism and favouritism the handful of VIPs under BN’s old guard milked our coffers dry.
They even paraded their wealth and power unashamedly.
And so we got rid of the old regime and replaced it with a new one led by a 92-year-old medical man!
Nobody expected the doctor-turned-politician to be able to find the right cure for the problems of an ailing country which was going to the dogs, so to speak.
Ironically 2018 – the year when Sarawak became an opposition coalition – was also the Chinese year of the Earth Dog which fights for justice. Sadly rabies set upon us in 2018 that even man’s best friend was not spared the tragic consequences.
Still on the animal-subject, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was born in the Chinese year of the Snake and Chinese Snake people are supposed to be the most intuitive and sensitive of all the animals.
But the Biblical snake is another story; the serpent is the symbol of evil power and chaos from the underworld.
Wasn’t it the serpent that deceived Eve to eat the forbidden fruit? The fruit opened Adam’s mind enabling him to discern good from evil and right from wrong, but the consequences of doing what his wife asked him to do were tragic as the world was turned upside down. Eve’s good looks charmed Adam into making bad decisions.
On the lighter side, there is a Cantonese joke that goes with the Adam and Eve story, that is, if Adam and Eve were Chinese they would have eaten the snake and the world would still be paradise.
In his quest to become Malaysia’s best Prime Minister – living up to the reputation of his father, Malaysia’s second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak – Najib wanted to create his own Utopia.
But the Chinese deities had other plans for him. A nemesis born in the year of the Ox was waiting around the corner. Yes, Dr Mahathir is the Ox, the animal that would turn the tables on the snake.
The Chinese say Oxen are honest and earnest and believe that everyone should do what’s asked of them and stay within their bounds.
Though they are kind, it’s difficult for them to accept a community that expects an easy life without having to work.
So if some of you Malaysians are laid-back and too lazy to improve your lot, the Ox will have a lot to say about your
attitude.
Similarly, if some Malaysians expect special privileges at the expense of other communities to be delivered on a golden platter, dream on.
As for me, I was born a tiger which according to the fortune-teller describes me as “strong-willed” and sometimes “stubborn”.
So despite two motorcycle accidents over the last six months (I was hit by a car head-on at Tabuan Jaya, and had another mishap at Samarinda where I broke my right arm in three places), I’m still going to ride on.
They say once a tiger makes up his mind, he will not change it easily.
But it’s been a bad year of the dog with the outbreak of rabies and so what can we expect as we prepare for the Year of the Pig?
Can we expect better?
The bad news is that there has been an outbreak of African swine fever which has spread throughout the African continent, Europe and even China where 2,000 pigs were recently culled in Guangdong province.
But the good news is that the government has nipped the problem in the bud by banning live pigs and products from Europe and China with effect from December 26, 2018.
So what animal are you and ow do you intend to use you inherent talents?
If I were re-incarnated, I would like to return to the world as a horse!
Horses are honest, brave and also free spirited souls who dare to run with the wind.
It is said that horses are also social animals, often born in a harem which consists of one adult stallion and on average two to five mares!
But did you know that the rat, which is the smallest animal in the Chinese zodiac, is the wisest of all the 12 animals?
He is not only charming, suave and intelligent, but he is also multi-talented, has a high IQ and EQ and is an optimist who is clever and creative!
And did you know Sarawak’s Nomero Uno is a rat?
The good news is that he gets along very well with the sturdy Ox who is still going strong.
And so let us take stock with a prayer that the year of the Pig would herald a new era for Malaysia. Pray that wisdom, sincerity and fair play would take precedence over man’s self-importance, pride and prejudice.
