opinion

On the steppes of central Asia, the sons of fierce Mongol warriors hone their ancient skills in the game of buskashi, in which horsemen in a golden horde compete to snatch a headless goat from the ground and defend it while circling distant goal posts five times.

The game lasts several days, the outcome shifting often before the climax. The winner happily displays his prize, waving the bedraggled carcass before the referees and spectators. The losers congratulate the winner in good sportsmanship, vowing to win next time, then retreat to tend their fires.

A tsunami , or tidal wave, begins with an earthquake, invisible beneath the open ocean. Initially only a small wave betrays events to come. As the wave approaches the continental shelf, the shallower water propels the wave to ominous proportions.

The decreasing depth onto the beach soon presents a wall of water that carries all before it for many meters inland. It is tragic, but it is also cleansing.

Even as Ling smiled in triumph, waving the sale and purchase papers of the beheaded Nanyang before the cameras, the MCA Youth announced its opposition. It is a notice of things to come. The old guard, full of wiles, can command the carcass, but the youth control the fires of the future.

Ling calls for reconciliation and good sportsmanship. None expect him to forgive and forget. This matters naught for the longer run, as the dissident faction is not only right, they are the majority.

Hardly visible now but in a short time the situation will reveal itself as the tidal wave of the future. The MCA Youth voted overwhelmingly against the purchase, and the Chinese business community is resolved that they will observe the boycott by withdrawing advertising.

The two Nanyang papers have been beheaded with removal of the editors, and the life blood was drained away with the departing writers, who are principled people.

The carcass is left for Ling to wave, and claim his win, but the Chinese community, supported by the youth of Malaysia, have withdrawn in an outward show of good sportsmanship. But they have not forgotten, and they may be seen here and there, tending their fires.

Feast of tomorrow

On the horizon one sees the approaching tsunami , denied by the oldsters defending their gains, afraid the waters of the coming waves will wash away their sand castles and pompous parades protected by platoons of police.

Let those who take comfort in the latest survival of the government regale in the repression of the reformists. Let the worshipers of public placidity pay the price of human rights; let them fall prey to the manipulation of the market shares. Let them espouse the false security of authoritarian stability.

Let them find at their leisure that right is might. Let them suffer the horrible emptiness which comes with self-knowledge and belated admission that all the cruelty, insensitivity and craven corruption was made possible by their own unwillingness to take an active part in current events.

Let us draw near these fires of youth, for there is warmth of humanity to be shared. There to enjoy the smiles of comradeship, commingled with a sense of purpose. Let us relish the fight for justice; rejoice and take hope.

The carcass of today is the feast of tomorrow. There will be glory to share. There will be losses. May it be for every one who falls, ten step forward to fill the void.

HARUN RASHID is a scientist avidly interested in the application of Islamic principles in international affairs. The promotion of goodwill through civilisational dialogue motivates his writing. His Worldview column is a personal analysis of Malaysian affairs from a global perspective.