by Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Jul 23, 2012
You’re on holiday, you’re curious about the government in the country you are visiting, but the travel guides say very little. Why not try the following unscientific survey?
First, look around to see if there are posters of the prime minister or president and second, check the condition of the public toilets.
A vain head of government would have posters of his image littering the country. The third world mentality is reflected in a profusion of his images in public spaces.
As if to reflect the oppressive nature of the government, the state of public toilets tends to mirror the decline of the nation. In a way, the overall condition of the public toilet could also be a metaphor for the governance of the country.
Those who have travelled widely (both internally and abroad) may have noticed that in some countries, they are charged for using public toilets, only to find that there is no toilet paper and the facilities are a disgrace.
Sometimes, all that greets them is a stinking hole in the ground. On occasion, they are supplied with only two sheets of toilet paper, at the entrance.
The toilet user feels much like the citizen who has paid his taxes but finds an inefficient public service. There is no one to complain to, the attendant (metaphor for the MPs and civil service) is indifferent, and the suggestion box only leads to the cesspit.
The visitor to America is not bombarded with pictures of President Barack Obama, on every street corner. Nor are those who visit England, repulsed by posters of Prime Minister David Cameron.
Last week, when members of the Free Syrian Army captured a border post on the boundary with Turkey, they vented their frustrations by decimating posters of President Abas Assad with machinegun fire. During the Tahrir Square demonstrations, angry Egyptians tore down posters and stomped on the face of then-president Hosni Mubarak.
Unless Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is trapped in his ivory tower and has no way of gauging the mood on the ground, why was he persuaded to plaster his face all over the doors, walls and pillars of the KTM Komuter trains and stations? Continue reading “The face that launched a thousand bricks”