Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Paper for Wrapping and the Jokes are FREE

(Adam enjoying his chicken leg or what's going to be left of the 'chicken' when he grows up)





On page N6 of The Star today, Datuk Dr. Abdul Rahman Embong, Professor in Sociology of Development and Principal Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, UKM was quoted as saying that the 9th Malaysia Plan's implementation period 2006-2010 is particularly strategic because we are now entering the second phase towards realising Vision 2020, to become a developed nation.

Developed nation? 2020? Hmmm...I think maybe not so soon la. Just take a look at the photo on the front page of today's Star. In particular the man on the left with a plateful of fried chicken in his left hand while his right hand is grabbing another handful of the free food. There's also another guy on the right with a plate of chicken enough to feed half the population of Ethiopia. Why this sudden rush for fried chicken when chicken sellers in markets all over Malaysia are lamenting a drop in sales due to the bird flu scare? Why? Because it's FREE what! Free cannot die one.

The news story reported that the event was a publicity stunt by the Malacca Hawkers and Traders Association. 18 chicken traders donated 10 birds each for the free chicken meal which was later supplemented by another 200kg more. The invitation I guess was come and eat free chicken la. No bird flu problem with our properly cooked chicken. But being Malaysians people brought along the infamous pink plastic bags to ta pau and stockpile for the next famine.

Looking at the photo of those 'hungry' Malaysians at the chicken feast in Malacca I thought...Vision 2020 ah? Hmmm...........Vision 4040......MAYBE.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

And if you take a closer look at those guys with the heaped plates, they sure don't look destitute.

Anonymous said...

dangerous lar like this,if really got bird flu virus then spread even faster lor....u see...tah pau chicken give auntie,uncle,grandmother and neighbour.afterwards family and friends kena.Headache larrr

patrickteoh said...

The event wasn't organised for the destitute as you put it. It wasn't a feed the poor kind of thing. It was just a promo to show that it is safe to eat chicken. But I suppose some poor people were there too. The thing that struck me was the obvious greed shown in the photo.

Anonymous said...

Exactly, Patrick. It was not for the hungry. It was a promo and to promote that chicken is safe to as many people as possible, it makes sense to let as many as possible try it. Not have a situation where all chicken is finished in minutes. And the paper said that they were grabbing for the raw stuff too! Malaysians need to have such food fests apportioned out in plastic bags (or styro boxes) and restricted to one pack each. So sad. And we want to be an advanced nation. Need to be civil first.

jiahling said...

well.. the penang event LOOKED more civilized... at least nobody was grabbing food like they hav been starved for yrs...

or is tht mebbe cos penang ppl really 'kiasi'?!!

afiq said...

I think they(suppliers and businessmen) knows Malaysian well. Everything free, bad or not is NEVER bad. hah, Funny. It works what!

remember those free rose in Midvalley. I mean just look at the queue! I'm a sucker too when it comes to free things. When i was a child, my mum will force me to queue up if there's free toys up for grab eventhough I have them alrady at home.. Nothing to lose what... my mum would say.

is this kiasuism.. im not too surelah..

Anonymous said...

not only free stuff lor...Remember Hello Clitty from McDonald's? Lines were forming even before opening...
Malaysians in general are not so much kiasu,just easily excited by fads...

Look at formula 1,before Sepang was built,how many people knew who Michael Schumacher was?

blinka.Li said...

oh and they reported something like the association president was delighted with the response..what is there to be happy about ah? so 'pai seh' and Star perhaps purposely put it on FRONT PAGE to show the irony maybe.

Anonymous said...

Why you always kutuk Malaysian ha...can you at leat see a positive side in every action...reading your blog give me a bad impression to POLITICIANS and Malaysian as a whole...i know you are entitiled with your own opinion but at least show some respect...those Malaysian and politicians that still give us hope for a bright future...maybe someday you'll realize that typical behaviour maintain the perfect harmony in Malaysia...

papa bear said...

jiahling,
being penang-born, i can let you know penang ppl are not "kiasi" but "pai-seh" (shy)- especially after seeing our melaka folks behaving like hungry ghosts !

mebbe melaka folks get the kiasu factor after being rubbed off from frequent singapore visitors...

Anonymous said...

dear anonymous 10.51 march 31
if malaysians do not want to be kutuk, please don't behave in a way to be kutuk.

you get a bad impression of the politicians as a whole because they are bad as a whole. as for Malaysians I am not too sure how you get the bad impression as a whole. however certain traits highlighted here are real and give a bad impression like this free food grab. hang looselah bro, it is not that bad. we (except perhaps the politicians) are not so bad - just funny.

those politicians give us bright hope?? They are the ones that turn off the lights lah.

Anonymous said...

I think this is an Asian thing lor...last time I was at a buffet aar,this Japanese fella just took the whole plate of lobster to his table,while apologising to people.
Oxymoronic don't you think?

patrickteoh said...

Took the whole plate of lobster and you let him just do that? Aiyoh! Should have ticked him off and informed the management la.

Thanks bangsa: malaysis. But I am not sure what exactly anonymous meant by his post about us kutuking Malaysian politicians. Anyway, anonymous respect is earned and not delivered on demand. Unless that rule has changed here in Bolehland. "maybe someday you'll realize that typical behaviohur maintain the perfect harmony in Malaysia..." You mean that our politicians' behaviour is what maintains harmony in this country??? I think you're in need of serious councelling, kawan.