No Excuse Is Better Than Bad One

A Kadir Jasin

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UPDATE - THIS is no gaffe, no faux pas. This is the King's order:

"The word Allah is exclusively for Muslims. Non-Muslims must respect this and are banned from using the world." - The Star.

I say: "Charge those who disobey, non-Muslims and Muslims, with treason." Period.

The government should stop making excuses.

ORIGINAL POST 

AS world leaders have found out, they do not have to employ billion-ringgit international advisers and scriptwriters to come out with memorable quotes.

Many were made famous by gaffes than well-planned and well thought out quotes and words of wisdom.

Well before our Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, became world famous (picked by world media) by asking “why don’t they thank the government now that kangkung prices have fallen?” other world leaders had also became famous with their faux pas.

Among them:

US President George H. W. Bush (Bush Senior):

“I do not like broccoli, and I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”

He was laughed at as well as criticised because broccoli (like kangkung) is rich in vitamins and Western parents make a point of feeding it to their children. Children don’t like it.

My mom and dad were too poor and ignorant to be introduced to broccoli, but thanks to our past leaders who developed this country, most us can now afford and enjoy broccoli.

President Ronald Reagan (like our dear Pak Lah) was famous for falling asleep at meetings and functions. Being a film star that he was, he joked about it:

“I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of a national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.”

With political leaders being increasingly accused of breaking the law, the saying by Richard Nixon might be a source of false assurance. He said:

“When the President does it, that means it’s not illegal.”

He was wrong. Nixon was found guilty of the Watergate break-in scandal and resigned in 1974 rather than facing impeachment.

The fortunes (and misfortunes) of world leaders, past and present, are caused by the things their wives say and do.

The most famous (or infamous) was that of Marie Antoinette, the consort of the last King of France, Louis XVI.

The story (not necessarily history) has it that when told that the people had no bread to eat, Marie Antoinette supposedly replied: “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” (Let them eat cake.)

For her extravagance and insensitivity, she and Louis paid with their heads, literally. They were executed using the guillotine in 1793, a year after the French republic was proclaimed.

The famous French writer, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, wrote:

“Enfin je me rappelai le pis-aller d’une grande princesse à qui l’on disait que les paysans n’avaient pas de pain, et qui répondit : Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.”

(Finally I recalled the stopgap solution of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: "Let them eat brioche (cake).")

Paid a heavy price for dismissing the people

But Rousseau's assertion was disputed by Zhu Muzhi, president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, that the French writer’s version was an alteration of a much older anecdote:

"An ancient Chinese emperor who, being told that his subjects didn't have enough rice to eat, replied, 'Why don't they eat meat?'"

It was attributed to Emperor Hui of the Jin Dynasty, who was “developmentally disabled" and died of premeditated poisoning.

Back home in “modern” Malaysia, a minister was recently quoted as saying: “...if chicken is expensive, change your taste, eat fish and meat instead.”

No need to humour that minister by mentioning his name. The man could be so out of touch with reality that he didn’t know beef is more expensive than chicken?

And before more Malaysian leaders put their foot in their mouth, causing disgust and shame to all of us, may I quote a gem from President George Washington, the first President of the United States, as a reminder? He said:

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”

Wallahuaklam.