LETTER | Toads calling frogs 'katak'

LETTER | So soon the congratulatory messages and pats on the back had ceased after the  Anti-Hopping Bill was passed in Dewan Rakyat with an overwhelming, multi-partisan majority with no dissent, the political parties are now back to croaking about the amphibious nature of their political rivals.

In the slimy gungy pond of Parliament, the rival politicians, forgetting that welcoming brief shower of goodwill and cooperation of multi-partisan voting, began the hoarse croaking of accusing each other of practising amphibious movements.

Each party or rival politician spawns tales of betrayal and switching over to the other side for self-serving purposes, power, position, and wealth. One political leader even thought it was hilarious, even though he himself hosted some amphibians in his pond for a recent by-election.

Others practised the Machiavellian political art of selective memory and pointing their webbed fingers accusatively at others for hopping, whilst their memories chose not to recall their own hopping antics.

However, our politicians are blessed with long elephant memories of their rivals’ delinquent misdeeds or major boo-boos. And because they have fertile imaginations, these transgressions can be enhanced or embellished with half-truths, own interpretations, sensationalism, and distortion, causing tirades, tantrums and confusion in the Parliament pond.

In nature, toads and frogs are part of the amphibian group. Although different in habitat and skin texture, they share a major characteristic. They hop.

In politics, politicians too are part of a group like amphibians, having different habitats and skin textures. Their habitat is the political party they belong to or are affiliated to. For skin texture, this is sadly racial as most of our political parties are single-race based. For some politicians, they share a major common characteristic with frogs and toads, they hop.

Politicians being of such similarity to the same amphibian can be either a frog or a toad, take your pick. Hilariously, for one politician to accuse and jeer at a rival party or parties for hopping is like toads calling frogs “katak”.

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