Was it Abraham Lincoln who left us with the maxim that everybody should be responsible for his own face after 30?

Well, with due respect to the great man, I cannot think of a Westerner who can really understand the intricate Asian game of giving, taking and saving face. Neither can they appreciate fully the value of manipulating that part of the human anatomy in all sorts of social and political interactions, from intimate relationships to affairs of state. Orientalist commentators on Asian politics are more than likely to sneer at this uniquely eastern cultural practice as mere hypocrisy.

The phenomenon of face is everywhere in Malaysia for all to see, except that for the players themselves, they may not be conscious always of actually playing this nebulous delicate game of life and death.

It is tempting to equate face with the Western concept of honour, in the sense of the British gentlemanly or military connotations for instance. There, to "give one's word" is to stake one's entire reputation and integrity on keeping a promise or being truthful.