Wednesday, August 20, 2008

A mansion

Suppose there were 4 friends; Ali, Chong, Guna and Joe. They decided to settle down and have a home where they can each raise a family. But then they realized that they could not have 4 houses for every man because Ali had nothing but a piece of land, only Chong had the money and only Guna knew how to design a house. Plus, Joe was the only person who knew how to lay bricks.
Without much deliberation Ali, Chong, Guna and Joe decided that they would build a massive mansion and live together. Ali was to provide the land for the building, Chong was to take care of the finances, Guna was to be in charge of designing while Joe volunteered to provide manual labour.
Many months past and much to their excitement, the mansion was completed. And of course, they moved in and each man occupied an equally sized room big enough to raise a family. Ali, Chong, Guna and Joe were proud of their achievement and looked forward to many years as house mates.

Then came a time when Ali, Chong, Guna and Joe grew old and died, leaving behind their children to inherit the mansion. Unfortunately, dissent started to take root amongst the children of the 4 men.
Ali's children thought to themselves,"Our father owned the land this mansion is sitting on. Therefore we own this mansion!" Hence, they plotted to drive the rest of the occupants out of the mansion.
Chong's children then said, "Our father provided the money for the construction of this mansion. Without the finances, this would just be a wasteland. Hence, we own this land!". So, they too harboured the intention to be the sole owners of the mansion.
Guna's children also exclaimed, "Our father was the only one with the knowledge of construction. Without him, there would not be a roof over your heads. This mansion is ours!". They too wanted the mansion for themselves.
Joe's children then responded, "Our father built this mansion with his hands and sweat. Without him, there would be no mansion today. We own this building, not you people!".
All these bickering did not stop for next few years. It became so bad that the children of the 4 men refused to speak with one another. As a result, they only stayed in their respective rooms.

One day, a fire broke out in the living room and thick smoke engulfed the entire house. Ali's children said to themselves, "The fire is in the living room and not in ours. Let the others extinguish the fire!"
Chong's children then replied, "The fire is not our problem. It is closer to your rooms. You guys handle it. We shall stay in here." They could not care less for the impending inferno ready to consume the mansion.
Guna's children in response, hollered, "It's just a small fire. There's nothing to worry about!". So they went back to what they were doing.
Joe's children then shouted back, "Our room is the farthest away from the fire. It will not reach us. So it's your responsibility, not ours!"

The fire then consumed the mansion and everyone in it.

Fellow Malaysians, we are going to celebrate 51 years of Merdeka soon enough. Are we just going to save our little 'rooms' but let the whole mansion burn to ashes?

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11 comments :

  1. qusta luqa said...

    How selfish the children. Each family only sought to look after thier own interests, and not the wider interests of the people living together in the mansion. This reflects malaysian politicians today. Hopefully we can usher in a new chapter in malaysian history where politics is no longer based along racial lines cos frankly ive had enough of racial politics. MOVE FORWARD PEOPLE!!

  2. AsherLasherAtNine said...

    Wow, this is simple but powerful. Wake up malaysia, let's get up and move on!

    REAL UNITY is the key.

  3. fungwern said...

    hey good metaphor :)people could be so selfish when it comes to fortune. keep up ur good work!

  4. clarawan said...

    yo bff! wonderful job, love this post, keep on writing ok!

    btw, i forgot that merdeka day is coming soon. sigh.

  5. Anonymous said...

    Malaysia is for Malay + S.I.A. (S=? I=? A=? It doesn't matter!) To reflect this inclusive mindset, I think your links should not be pro one group, but include eg. even Dr M's site! What we must sow for the next generation is goodwill, righteousness and justice tampered with love for those who need help. We can make Malaysia that great nation without denying our ethnicity, yet able to love each other by giving help where it is needed, irregardless of race, creed, or status.
    I like your story, but your site betrays the mindset of those selfish children who finally died and loss it all.

  6. jonathan ong said...

    Dear anonymous, thanks for your input. However, I'm not too sure what do you mean by 'betraying the mindset"? Also, I would like to add, my links are not entirely pro-one side. For your info, MalaysiaKini and The Malaysian Insider are neutral agencies. However I would consider putting up Dr.M's blog as well.

  7. kannan said...

    well put lah...lets just hope most Malaysians realise this before the 'fire' actually starts...or has it already started???

  8. Anonymous said...

    Start di lah long time. Now everybody just waiting for the other person to do something about it, yet no one has done anything. Sad case.

  9. Anonymous said...

    Hello Jonathan, It is good to see that you are trying to be fair-minded by adding in Dr M's link. 'Betray the mindset' means being 'lobsided' in taking side of a group, rather than to stand up for Malaysia regardless of creed, colour, or company/coalition/crowns. The issue is to look at issues concern in order to stand up for what is right/just/righteous. That is the issue! The issue is the issue under consideration. Listing links that is 'on your side/viewpoint' alone is what I mean as 'betraying the mindset'. My view is but mine, yet even if you disagree, even if you are my enemy, they must still be heard rationally. So here is my view on neutrality: Malaysiakini is definitely NOT neutral, nor Malaysia Today!, and surely not Lim Kit Siang's blog! And of course NOT Dr M's blog. Malaysia Insider seems better balance though.But my point is ALL viewpoints need to be heard to come up with the best; for we all do have our blindspot, needing others to check us. Sometimes our enemies are our 'best friends' for they dare to tell us the truth which our friends often do not tell us. Good blogs. Keep up the good work.

  10. jonathan ong said...

    Dear Anonymous,

    I thank you once again for your input and your visit to my blog. I think you might have misunderstood the gist of the post, "A mansion" here. My point is to say that Malaysia has to get past racial politics and come together as one people. A point that you would agree too!
    It would be unfair to judge this site as 'betraying the mindset' as that was only the first post. Mind you, that a site should also not be judged simply by looking the sites it is linked to. Similarly, I cannot judge a person by going through his address book.


    I'm sure you agree with me as well that the time is nigh that every Malaysian be known as a Malaysian and not by skin, creed or religion. Though on the topic of neutrality, it is debatable. If a site was to post an issue which is against BN, then would it be constituted as pro-Pakatan? Or if a post happens to be against the Pakatan, does it mean that it is pro-gov? I believe sites like MalaysiaKini reports on both sides of the spectrum. On the other hand, I agree that Malaysia Today, Lim Kit Siang and Dr. M's blogs are one-sided. That's because they believe in something that they think is right.

    I am trying to post issues which I think have a lot of discrepancies and I want to raise a few questions about it. I have my stand in politics and so does everyone else, even you. So you might say that my posts tend to sound less-neutral. That's fine because that's just reflecting my stand on certain issues, not one a side of the fence. After all this is a blog, not a news ticker.

    I hope that you do not misunderstand my intentions having this site. I am not pro-Pakatan nor anti-Gov. I am merely questioning issues.

    Thanks again for your insight. Do drop by often =)

    P.S - I hope that you would have the courtesy to identify yourself the next time so that I'll know to whom am I corresponding with.

  11. Anonymous said...

    Great illustration! It's a good start for ur blog too..