Kampua Talk

When I was young, my mom would tell a bedtime story before my brother and I went to sleep. But I cannot remember if the story of the Ant and the Grasshopper was told by her or I read it in a children’s story book. I think it is the latter.

Anyway, just in case some of you have forgotten about how the story goes, let me refresh your memory about the classic story.

A long, long time ago…(what? They all started like that in the kids’ story book what! )
There live an Ant and a Grasshopper. The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs at it. It dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well-fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

More than a decade has passed and the world gets high-tech. People change. Things do not go the way like it did before. So does the classical story of the Ant and the Grasshopper!

The Ant works hard in the withering heat of summer, building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks that Ant is a fool and laughs at it. He dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while others are cold and starving. TV1, TV2 and TV3 show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

The majority of the Malaysian Parliament are stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this poor Grasshopper be allowed suffering so?

Therefore:

• Khairy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant’s house.
• Nazri goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
• Most of the related people criticizes the Malaysian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshoppers.
• The local newspapers and the internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).
• Deputy Prime Minister immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
• Hishammudin makes ‘More Special Reservation’ for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions and in Government services.

The Ant: fined for failing to comply with 30% sharing and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, its home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by MAJU.

Then the Prime Minister announces to the whole Malaysia that this is part of the NEP and all have to respect, no question must be asked and all must follow it.

Many years later…

• The Ant has since migrated to the United States and set up a multi-billion dollar company.
• Hundreds of Grasshoppers still die of startvation despite reservation somewhere in Malaysia.
• Because of losing a lot of hardworking Ants and feeding the Grasshoppers, Malaysia is still a developing country!

All because the ANTS are still doing their work!

PS - This is a good analogy of what is happening in Malaysia! Bravo to the person who wrote this! (I got it from an e-mail from Australia)