The week has been eventful, to say the least. Donald Trump must have shocked even himself by winning the United States presidential battle, and PKR’s Rafizi Ramli was sentenced to 18 months’ jail for unlawfully having in his possession n 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) audit report and exposing it to the media.
New Zealand was hit by a tsunami, and the supermoon was just a superb sight to behold.
Fatigue has set in considerably, especially as we approach the last mile of the year, with the challenges of a soft economy and currency depreciation adding to concerns.
Amidst all these, I had the chance to attend a tribute to the late Datuk Sudirman Arshad at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre on Nov 5, and experienced a two-hour stress reliever as the horde of singers, mostly unknowns, gave their all in a lively show.
I knew all the songs by heart, and the singers, Tia Aziz, Aaron Teoh, Amir Hazril Harith, Ian Chow, Joel Wong and Dasha Logan, gave outstanding performances.
The night also saw a special performance by Sudirman’s favourite nephew, Atai.
Watching Atai sing Sir Charles Chaplin’s Smile and Stephen Sondheim’s Send In The Clowns stirred emotions. It was like we were watching the great legend himself.
Sudirman was indeed a great inspiration. I had just left school (which also happens to be Rafizi’s alma mater), when he attempted the audacious open-air concert on then super-busy Chow Kit Road in Kuala Lumpur.
I remember how he was decked in a Malaysian flag attire, and lowered onto the stage by a crane.
More than 100,000 people of all races and creeds turned up that night, and it was a Monday night too. Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Raja Muda right up to Jalan Raja Alang were jammed.
Sudirman, the Singing Lawyer, gave Malaysians something memorable, as he always did, that night.
At the time, Malaysia was undergoing a recession. Kuala Lumpur came to a standstill, but not due to the recession, a newspaper reported. It was this diminutive 1Malaysia lawyer-turned-singer from Pahang who did that.
Just like Trump’s victory, Sudirman winning the title “Best Performer” at the 1989 Asia Music Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, London, beating an illustrious field of superstars such as Leslie Cheung (one of the founding fathers of Cantopop), Anita Sarawak (Singapore’s Best), Epo (Japan singer songwriter), and Kuh Ledesma (Philippine pop diva), came as a surprise, and was a pleasant one for our small nation.
Sudirman was a gem. He was all about love, respect, unity and tolerance. He could sing about harmony because it was obvious then that Malaysians, despite being berbilang bangsa dan agama were one.
Today, we have to compose songs to compel unity. Love for the country is there still but it is often ruffled by consistent interruptions — some well-meaning and others dubious.
This weekend, a group of people will be adorning yellow T-shirts to march through some parts of Kuala Lumpur as part of Bersih 5.0. It is as obvious as day that this has little to do with love for the country. The Bersih organising committee, which had initially received support which later waned, is facing a huge credibility issue.
On the quiet, it has been exposed as working with a George Soros organisation allegedly bent on overthrowing Malaysia’s legally-elected government.
It is now seen as a DAP rally more than anything else. Those who joined the opposition recently will probably join the rally to ride on the wave. They will use it as a stepping stone.
There are already signs that Malaysians are getting tired of this Bersih gimmick.
On Nov 11, only about 50 people in yellow T-shirts made up the Bersih 5 convoy, which launched its journey at the Sultan Abdul Aziz recreational park in Ipoh.
Most park visitors went about their exercise routines, seemingly not paying any attention to the group and the speeches delivered by its leaders.
The participants in the Bersih 5 roadshow included Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah and several opposition leaders, including Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming and Perak Parti Amanah Negara deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin. They must have had a sleepless night that day.
After all, Perak had been a strong opposition state, with BN having a slight edge. It also speaks well of the Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
Down south, the Bersih rally has received a royal rebuke in Umno’s bastion and birthplace, following a decree by Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, prohibiting street demonstrations — making it the first state to ban such acts.
Indirectly, it has dealt a blow to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is Pagoh member of parliament and former Johor menteri besar. How serious an ally can he be when he can’t even get Bersih going in his own backyard?
I say, just do us a favour and follow the Perakians. Stay home and enjoy your Saturday.
And, if you are not happy, there is always the next general election to march to...
Yushaimi Yahaya, NST’s deputy group editor, loves Sudirman’s ‘Warisan’ that became Malaysia’s 57th Independence Day’s theme — ‘Disini Lahirnya Sebuah Cinta’ in 2014