A dear friend I've known for more than 40 years showed up yesterday with a beautiful companion. I already had several other visitors who came to spend a mellow Sunday afternoon at the river. As usually happens when a group of convivial friends assemble on my scenic veranda, we soon were discussing the political impasse that has brought deep furrows to many a Malaysian brow.
There was talk of the obscene manner in which the Umno old guard was throwing their financial support behind Najib's quest for prime ministership out of sheer desperation. Their fear and panic are quite understandable. Indeed, they are essentially fighting to save their own skins, and certainly not because they give two hoots about the welfare of this country. The possibility of a Pakatan Rakyat government is all too real to them - notwithstanding the jeers and taunts of ill-wishers and establishment pundits who point fingers and wag tongues at the apparent "failure" of Anwar Ibrahim's 916 takeover plan.
Umnoputera capitalists who built their business empires on the fast track during Mahathir's 22-year reign, are petrified by the thought that a new government will implement genuine reforms of the judiciary, the Anti-Corruption Agency and the police; unmuzzle the mainstream media and - in the process of a massive spring cleaning - uncover a terracotta army of cobwebby skeletons, thereby exposing them to prosecution and public humiliation, leading to enforced exile or even imprisonment.
Anyway, my old friend said something that pricked all our ears. Apparently, he has been consulting a medical astrologer named Dr K who practises traditional Indian horoscopy in combination with powerful astrological software. Not only can he generate detailed horoscopic charts on his computer in a matter of seconds, he also happens to be unerringly intuitive in his interpretation of the data.
In February 2008, weeks before the general election of March 8th which altered the political destiny of Malaysia, this astrologer had dropped a hint that the nation was in for a couple of years of extraordinary upheaval: by the end of 2008, he said, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his son-in-law would be removed from power by their own party. At the time, my friend was skeptical about this prediction - it seemed so totally unlikely.
But now, twelve months after GE12, Dr K's prediction is beginning to manifest with uncanny accuracy. So my friend started taking seriously what Dr K had told him in February last year. The astrologer's specialty is medical diagnosis and prognosis, but his methodology could easily be applied to corporations and entire countries.
And what Dr K had predicted, in addition, was that Umno's power succession plan was ill-fated and would end in utter disarray. By early 2009 there would be a vote of no-confidence against whomsoever inherited the PM's job, resulting in Parliament being dissolved and fresh elections called. A new government would be voted in and Umno would take on the role of parliamentary Opposition.
This would not spell the end of Malaysia's political and financial turmoil - but if we successfully navigate our way through the turbulent sea changes of 2009, Malaysia will rise like a phoenix from 2010 onwards. Dr K concluded: "If you were thinking of taking all your money out of Malaysia, that would be a foolish move. From 2010 onwards this country will shine like a beacon of peace and prosperity in the world."
I've always felt that this country was born under a lucky sign. And that the day will soon come when all of us can celebrate our unity in glorious diversity - and the wealth of genetic resources that is the true legacy of having been visited and influenced by so many different cultures, ancient and modern. Happy Deepavali, folks, one and all!
[Originally posted 27 October 2008]