Obamamania

The clip below is part of an 'infomercial' that was aired in the States over a few channels during prime time last night by the Obama team. Apparently it cost a cool US$1m for it to be shown over each channel, but it is definitely money well spent, and after all, it's a drop in the ocean of the $600m that Obama has managed to amass from his supporters.

I think it was a risky move, as opinions could have gone either way but hats off to the campaign for taking such a gamble and coming away as victors. The clip also highlights the quality that is lacking in some of the leaders throughout the rest of the world, and one can only hope that the Americans are aware of the opportunity that is theirs for the taking.

And if you have the time, check out today's episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he interviews Obama. It is refreshing to see a politician who not only has a sense of humour, but is willing to laugh at himself.

Toy soldiers

I recently had a debate with a couple of friends regarding the pace of political change back home in Malaysia, especially with regards to the stated aim of the opposition to topple the ruling coalition and form a government.

It has always been my point of view that change for the sake of change is both naive and a non-starter, and would only lead to chaos both at a political and social level. When you cut off the head of an animal, the body eventually withers and dies. But when you cut off the head of a political entity, the leftovers become separate beings (much like the heads of a hydra), each acting in a chaotic, potentially dangerous and unstable manner.

It is therefore pertinent to come up with a roadmap or even a skeleton of a guideline to help the transition of power, not just for the holders of these newly-acquired powers, but for the rakyat, whose support is needed if one is to throw out the mandate given to Barisan Nasional.

One only needs to compare the situation to the other scion of change, Barack Obama, over at the States and how he has made a clear-cut indication on the direction that he will be heading towards. Granted, we are all bound to be disappointed at some stage or another as he has been elevated to messianic levels, but at least we have an idea on the path that he will take. This has not been the case for the opposition in Malaysia, and that was the bone of contention in our little debate.

It has been pointed out to me that it would be politically naive for the opposition to not grab the opportunity to establish a government at the current climate, i.e. one has to strike whilst the iron is hot. It might be true with regards to holding onto power in the short run, but if they were to cling onto power with the barest of grips, and end up performing badly due to mismanagement and the lack of cohesive planning, then it would be back to the drawing board for the next election campaign. Surely the recipe for long-term success is to build upon what they already have and prove to the sceptics that they can walk the talk.

I am glad to say that this has already begun to a certain degree e.g. with Anwar stating that he is in no hurry to form a government (after all, what use would a single-digit majority be?) and with the presentation of an alternative budget.
And whilst the states of Kedah and Penang continue to bicker and make a mockery of their partnership, it is quite heartening to see the changes that are being attempted at the state of Selangor (and no, this is not me being biased because of Budu).

The most striking feature of the administration so far is the fact that it has not shied away from promoting the concept of meritocracy, even at the expense of the popular vote amongst certain sectors of the Malay population. After the UiTM saga, a similar backlash is seen with the announcement by the Chief Minister that he intends to appoint a Chinese lady to temporarily head the PKNS.

Rather unsurprisingly, this move has come up with resistance from a number of Malay individuals within the State government, with the excuse that the PKNS was established to protect Malay interests. These individuals have obviously chosen to rewrite history and ignore the fact that the state body was created to help develop the state from a socio-economic point of view - an aim that would be applicable to all, regardless of one’s skin colour or ethnicity. The fact that a 20-odd-year veteran of the body was appointed to lead it should be met with aplomb, not whinged about.

Opposition was also voiced by the PAS element within the state government, which once again, is rather unsurprising. It merely serves to highlight the fact that PAS has yet to change its spots, and for all its talk about equal rights and the abolishment of anti-Islamic policies, it has not actually moved away from its parochial mentality, and shows no signs of doing so anytime soon.

It is almost tiresome to talk about the need to move away from a mentality where protectionism is a given and one need not strive for a higher strata in order to be rewarded. Beneficial change will not come overnight though, and it will take small, concrete steps such as these to open up the mental landscape of the rakyat at large.

I still have my doubts about PAS though, and I will greet the day that PKR and PAS cease becoming bedmates with great alacrity.

Flaw in the mechanism

It has been a rather mixed week with certain things having not gone according to plan. But it’s been an even more mixed week for some friends of mine; a few of them have suffered the loss of loved ones, and a few have had good times bestowed upon them. The latter especially applies to Elly, who was happily married over the weekend (congrats, again!). It’s yet another wedding that I wish I was able to attend, but that’s one of the prices to pay when you’re living away from home.

It seems that we’re facing a torrent of bad news and warning of catastrophe of biblical proportions. It seems almost irresponsible that politicians and the media to regurgitate the coming of Armageddon, when surely the job of these individuals (especially the former) is to talk up the economy, especially since for all the mathematics involved, it is driven primarily by psychology and emotion.

There is no doubt that things are looking grim, but surely living standards are much improved especially when compared to the rest of the world. It’s the same situation one faces when the public bitches and moans about the NHS, without realising the standards of care that are prevalent throughout most of the developing world. Likewise, whilst the economy comes to a shuddering halt throughout the UK, there is not going to be widespread famine or the withdrawal of essential services like healthcare and education or people dying from the lack of heat.

It is almost laughable that people on the telly are talking about the possibility of having a miserable Christmas because they’ll have to cut back on presents. It merely serves to highlight the lack of insight these individuals have on the blessings that are bestowed upon them.

As I told a friend recently, good times don’t last forever but neither do bad times. Things occur cyclically, and all we can do is ride the waves before we crash onto the shore.

On a not-so-different note, doesn't Senator McCain remind you of the Emperor from Star Wars?

Dan sebenarnya

A lot better than the crap you get off Akademi Fantasia (although I must admit that I haven't actually watched more than a couple of episodes of the show, so it might have improved by leaps and bounds for all that I know).

Ramblings

A columnist in the paper I read is collecting money so that an advertisement can be placed to promote atheist thinking, as a reaction to an increasingly widespread religious advertising campaign (including the statement that one is destined for Hell if one does not believe in Jesus). The project, in tandem with Richard Dawkins, will see the phrase ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy yourself’ on a few buses in London.

I am not the biggest fan of man-led organised religion at times, and one can go into a deep debate on the ramifications of promoting both religion and atheism to the public but the whole episode reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend once re the reason I believe in the existence of a God. My friend pointed out that one who prides himself in utilising logic should inevitably come to the conclusion that scientifically speaking, there is no proof of the existence of God.

It is innately human to want to believe, but it is very rare for us to sit back and ask ourselves why we believe the things that we do. After all, how often do we sit back and grasp such existential questions or even pick apart our own thought processes in interpreting the world with a fine comb? After all, what need is there to believe in God? Why do we even ask such questions in the first place?

The central tenant of religion is the embrace of faith, which is not good a bedfellow with most scientific thinking. However, I do believe that it is almost irrelevant to question the idea of faith.

Putting aside the concept of God, we place our faith in a great number of things in our daily lives – we drive our cars and don’t think about planes falling down from the sky with the assumption that someone more knowledgeable has set things right without actually understanding the mechanisms of thermodynamics.

Even the USB drives that we take for granted are based on quantum physics. The very same quantum physics that subscribes to the possibility of objects existing at two places simultaneously or the possibility of an infinite number of parallel universes. Now if either one of these theories are correct, surely it is not too farfetched to believe in the presence of a greater being? Especially when one considers the infinitesimal planes of existence.

And when we start questioning our place in the universe, we should also start questioning the definition of reality. From the tangible role of language in bringing meaning, to the girl who cuts herself to realise the emotional turmoil within – all play a role in not only religion, but in any way in which we perceive ourselves. And when we stand on the precipice of nothingness, it is difficult to determine how much of our self is really us, as opposed to a reactive aberration towards the force of nature.

It is essential to understand the limits of logic, as well as embrace the fact that logic isn’t always logical within the finite confines of our brains. And when that possibility is accepted as fact, it isn’t too far along before you allow yourself to come to terms with the concept of a God. There are a few thousand Gods to choose from though, and which one to choose is a topic for another day.

Time

Time does fly by, regardless of whether you’re having fun or not. The grinding halt of the international financial system was not foreseeable this time last year; in fact the high prices of real estate and easy access to credit is probably still fresh in our collective memories. The same can be extrapolated to the demise of the darlings of the free market economy in both the UK and the States; humbled to the point of asking, nay begging, for state intervention.

Back home, the unfortunate drawn-out affair of Abdullah Badawi’s ‘stewardship’ of Malaysia is finally reaching its conclusion, after his announcement that he will be stepping down in March of 2009. The resignation of the country’s most spectacularly unsuccessful premier will hopefully coincide with the start of a new political era across the Atlantic, where Obama is currently leading McCain in all major polls. The conviction behind Hillary’s bid for presidency seems oh-so-long-ago, just as Bush’s presidency will hopefully be a nightmare that will soon be lost in the glare of day.

On a more personal level, the PACES exam was as hellish as expected. Time did not only seem to fly by during the stages of preparation, but the actual exam itself was a blur. And I am sure that the feeling of dread that permeated throughout the exam played a significant role in ensuring that my mind was numb, a protective mechanism of sort presumably. It was quite literally a case of listening to Canon in D in my head whilst waiting for the bell to go off at one moment, and standing outside and feeling the rare thrill of sunshine on my face soon thereafter.

(For the record, I had the following cases : Station 1 – a discussion re the differential diagnosis of a lady with left basal crackles and a young guy with ?splenomegaly. Station 2 – history taking re a blackout. Station 3 - mixed aortic-mitral valve disease and myotonic dystrophy. Station 4 – ethics discussion re a daughter’s concern about her father’s deterioration after suffering from pulmonary fibrosis secondary to amiodarone. Station 5 aka the worst station of it all – some unknown skin condition, ?Marfan’s, Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome and retinal pigmentation).

The initial burst of enthusiasm in exploring Aberdeen (which is as grey as they say it is) slowly descended into a miserable drone of uncertainty as I replayed the events over and over again in my head. But luckily enough, that soon gave way to ambivalence and even slight exuberance as reality shoved itself back into my consciousness. I might have peaked if I had a week or two more, but even the worst case scenario leaves me as a better and more confident doctor.