Heard along the corridors... (3)

Actually, a close friend asked this over lunch in KLCC last week.

"I have two questions I have been meaning to ask for a while, since you work in the government. First of all, did Anwar do it? Secondly tell me, what's with PM and the Mongolian woman?"

I am flattered people think I have access to "Who REALLY killed JFK"-type files, if they ever exist in Malaysia.

It also shows the kind of questions running through the back of the peoples' minds. In fact, it serves as a useful guide on managing public perception. It takes Herculean restraint for me not to feed on their wild imaginations ;)

My answers to such questions? Oh, I already have them memorised from page 25 to 63 of the "Official Response to Touchy Subjects Guidebook for Malaysian Civil Servants Volume XXVII".

Being cynical

I was born and grew up in Malacca, once the nerve centre of the Malay Archipelago. The great Malacca Sultanate, according to history books, thrived because of its port, situated at the mouth of Sungai Melaka. Traders from as far as Arab, China and India came to Malacca to trade in anything from spice, gold and silk.

Over the centuries, the river has become heavily silted. I still remember in the 1980s up to mid-1990s, the great Malacca River which brave ancient seafarers from faraway lands had sailed into, was reduced to nothing more than a giant drain. It was a filthy eyesore, to say the least.

In the mid-1990s, the Agriculture Ministry undertook a programme called "Love Our Rivers", aimed at rehabilitating many of the polluted waterways nationwide. The state government also launched its own projects to restore Sungai Melaka to its former glory. It wanted to turn my hometown into "Venice of the East".

Naturally, such announcements were met with the usual reaction that almost always accompanied pronouncements of major projects: deep-rooted cynicism. "Satu lagi projek pembaziran duit rakyat". "Yeah rite, Venice of the East". "Who do you think you are kidding?"

I have no qualms admitting I was one of those cynical Joe Public, although those who knew me from secondary school days know that I have an affinity towards the Cintailah Sungai Kita programme.

Fast forward to 2009 and I hear nothing but praise for the Malacca river. Friends post pictures on Facebook, extolling the beauty of the waterway. Word of mouth about the river spread far and wide. Here are some pictures, sourced (without permission!) from Internet searches:

Here's my point: Malaysians are a cynical lot. I make no apologies that I still am one. But when things do turn out well, we quickly forget our cynicism and beat our chests, hoping that the world takes notice of our achievements.

I still remember how cynical I was to the government's plans to build Putrajaya using the country's oil money. At that time I thought it was a bloody waste of money. But now, whenever friends and relatives pay a visit, I make it a point to take them there because I think the Federal administrative capital is rather awesome (besides, it's quite near to my house). I am especially proud of the buildings near Precinct 3 (the long stretch of road sandwiched by PICC and the PM's Department). In fact, one can see busloads of tourists near the mosque area almost anytime of the day, including at night.

Ok, I do not want to make this posting sound like a propaganda piece. But sometimes when you are now on the Other Side, it is good to remind oneself not to get too distracted by deep-seated public cynicism. I can see where Malaysians' cynicism are coming from and I think this is something politicians need to address.

As for me, I will just try to stay focused on the job. And it absolutely helps that my office is in Putrajaya - the very place that made the cynic in me ate my words.

Health check, reality-check

Yesterday, I was with boss at a health-screening programme at his constituency. He was invited to officiate at the event, which was, well, what you can expect from such functions. There were kiosks for visitors to check their blood pressure, health information booths and even a place where dental checks were done. I also noticed some doctors on standby dispensing advice. True to being a bersama rakyat programme, everything was free.

The official opening even had clown act to keep the kids entertained and silat performances. Children could also take part in a colouring contest. The response was rather good. I mean who wouldn't want to get a free health-check - rudimentary as it may be - and a chance to beramah mesra?

After my job was done, I headed for my car, ready for my next assignment, hoping to reach the venue before the boss did. As I was crossing a road, a car drove past me and stopped. The aunty driver, who must be in her 40s and sporting a huge white hat, wound down her window.

"Is this the place where you get your blood pressure examined?" she asked in Cantonese, pointing to the tents set up for the function. Her tone was rather anxious and she couldn't seem to care that she could be blocking traffic flow.

"Errr... yes, it is," I responded and must be subconsciously looking at my watch, hoping she could sense I was already running late.

"Crazy woman!" she said with huge relief. And before the irony sank in on me, she went on to explain: "One woman just now told me that this is where the elderly get their blood pressure checked. After that, they will chip in money for their own funeral expenses when they die."

"No, no, it's not," was all I could summon, still in a daze and before I knew it, she had sped off.

Ah... just another day of fire-fighting (of a different kind!) and a better understanding of the depth of human gullibility.

Brain Vs Heart

Very often, when you start working for the government you are accused of having turned to the Dark Side. You are branded as an accomplice in concealing the truth, a spin doctor out to distort facts and partake in mass deception to prop up evil dictators.

I get that sometimes, although often in veiled forms, hardly in-your-face. And I take it in my stride and regard it as part of the occupational hazards.

But one thing I have learnt on the job is that Malaysians are still very much emotional-driven. The depth of such inclination is something I have underestimated before taking up my present post.

We (yours truly included) tend to cast aside hard facts in favour of our preconceived notions, which we have formed over the years. We tend to see shadows when none exists. We regard rationale explanations as further attempts to keep the lid on excesses and wrongdoings that exist only in our imaginations.

Before I am accused of coming to the defence of anyone, least of all the government, let me just clarify that this posting is not about whether anyone has done anything wrong. Let's face it: the government has made many blunders in the past, some more grievous than others.

This posting is about our tendency to look beyond facts and hold on to our beliefs, some which we are willing to die for. We can be like kids who hold on to their security blankets while ignoring their parents' assurances that the bogeyman from under the beds exists only in their minds.

For example when certain leaders say that the Chinese voters in Kuala Terengganu appear to have backed a particular party during the recent by-election there, some rubbish it by saying that Bandar, the state seat in the Parliamentary constituency with the most Chinese, saw more voters backing the opponent.

To them, saying the Chinese back this particular party doesn't quite fit into their preconceived notion that the non-Malays are an angry lot out to vent their frustration at the Federal government.

Just for the record, Bandar has about 60 per cent Malay voters and only a few polling stations are Chinese-majority, where it is possible to gauge voter preference according to race.

Similarly, those who trumpet about getting the Chinese support in KT tend to ignore the fact that the young voters have largely voted for the opposition, as results according to voting streams indicate. To these people, this trend doesn't quite agree with their beliefs, for reasons too lengthy to discuss here.

This is not a forum to dissect the results of a by-election. This is a posting about how infinitely difficult it is to change peoples' beliefs even if the facts are all laid out bare. It also reflects just how mighty the human heart is over the nimble brains.

This makes my job all the more difficult. OK, enough said. One of my next postings will be on managing public perception.