THE Chinese New Year mood is in the air. I have been eating too much, drinking too much and making my rounds of the festive visits to family members and friends.

In each of these visits, I have been asked to give my views on Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Sirul Azhar Umar and 1MDB. No one asked about the in-fighting in MIC.

I have given them the same answer: this is Chinese New Year. I have a life. I may be a political commentator but I am no expert.

Like everyone, I have made wrong assumptions – but also made correct predictions – on issues. Some of my comments have fallen flat on my face, especially when they turned out to be pretty horrible in the end, while some of my stands have been consistently correct, despite initial public ridicule.

But I am in a nostalgic mood. The last thing on my mind now, as I turn 54 years old in the next few months, are some politicians with super-inflated ego who think they are the smartest people on earth.

As I spend my time with friends and family members, I can’t help but feel thankful for the wonderful things we enjoy in Malaysia.

In Malaysia, we eat too much. Our problem is trying to reduce our weight as we watch on television news of countries at war and people who find their food, water and power supplies cut off.

This CNY, most of the women in our family are not eating rice. Feeling guilty about the lack of exercise but reluctant to give up certain food, I try to eat just half a bowl of rice. After all, how can one enjoy steamed fish in soya sauce without the rice!

And how can they even refuse to touch the prawns – purportedly because they do not want to use their hands to peel off the shell or that it is supposedly laden with cholesterol? Such poor excuse.

But most of all, I feel really blessed and spirited to receive so many greetings from my Malay and Indian friends. Many of them turned up for our CNY lunch in Chinese costume, adding more colour to the festival.

My good friend Datuk Azman Ujang sent his greetings from Mecca where he is performing his umrah, and I told him to pray for me and my family.

My favourite aunt, Sarah Abdullah, made sure her son, Abu Zarin from Sabah, sent his greetings to this uncle before the festival began.

And not forgetting my media colleagues, Aziz Ishak and Rozaman Ismail, who never fail to wish me well. We have certainly gone through plenty together as friends in the same trade. Thank you, Anbu, for being on the line daily sharing our hopes and aspirations for a better Malaysia.

There are also other auspicious reasons as I pen this column on the third day of Chinese New Year. I would have taken a break but my colleague Soo Ewe Jin, who edits this column, reminded me that I have never taken a break, and this column has appeared every Sunday, except on the Sundays that happened to be press holidays, since the first one appeared on Feb 23, 1997.

Today would be just one day short of the 18th anniversary of the On The Beat column. So there can never be a day off even during this festive season.

The very first paragraph I wrote on that day went like this: “I have a confession to make. On Valentine’s Day, I bought my wife three stalks of roses. Not that I am a romantic. I parted with RM40 for the flowers because I am a conformist.”

The article was appropriately headlined, “Declaring your love expensively.”

And I ended that column with another confession, “By the way, I have another confession. Feb 14 was also my wedding anniversary. Again it has nothing to do with my being romantic. It’s an unpardonable crime to forget one’s wedding anniversary. Nobody, even someone as absent-minded as me, could miss this ‘double celebration of a Valentine’s Day wedding anniversary’.”

So much has changed over the years. I realised that in the earlier years of this column, it was more light-hearted. I tried to add humour and I realised that being funny is much more difficult than serious – and worse, it’s not appreciated! But the column developed its own character that in some ways matched my career in journalism.

As I rose through the ranks, and took on more responsible positions, I had to be able to feel the pulse of the nation. Thus, my reflections on the issues of the day became more pronounced.

And in recent times, it looks like this column has been closely monitored by some groups who simply want to lodge police reports against me.

I have accepted this as part of the trade. Just as there are admirers, there will always be people who are angry with my comments.

So every Sunday and Monday, as I read my email, I get adoring as well as hate mail, with some bordering on racist tones.

But as I look back, I remind myself that I have always written purely from my point of view. I write about people and events the way I see it. I write about developments in this country that make me happy, and also about the developments that make me sad.

I have been making a tough stand against the rise of extremism and this has upset some people who still choose to see issues from a narrow racial perspective. But I believe moderation is the right approach.

I can’t help talking about my old teachers and friends of all races as I grow older, talking about the era in which we grew up.

Perhaps most of us went through English-medium schools, which were regarded as neutral ground compared to the present Chinese and Indian vernacular schools and Malay-majority national schools. Only the middle and upper classes are enjoying the private and international schools.

My good friend Keng Hooi often wonders about the whereabouts of our primary school friends – Rahim, Bakri, Tengku Rohiman and Habibul. Where are you? We do get the occasional text from Azmi!

Our country is rich because we are diverse. We may be different but we all know where our limits should be when it comes to our words and actions.

This Chinese New Year, I am glad the Prime Minister in his message reiterated that this diversity is what we must “celebrate, cherish and protect.”

“The lunar new year is one of the biggest celebrations in our country, as it signifies the turn of the Chinese calendar and the new beginning of a new chapter in life,” Najib said.

How true.

The celebrations will go on for 15 days, and I know I will be putting on weight with the many extra dinners over this period.

And over these meals, I realise that we Malaysians who care about this country share a common purpose. We really want this country to do well. We want less politicking and more efforts to be spent on the bread-and-butter issues that affect all of us.

Even as many moan about the state of affairs in Malaysia, all of us do acknowledge that we are truly blessed to be Malaysians.

My father has turned 91. He was born in Kuah, Langkawi. If you do not see his physical features, you would think you were talking to a Malay as he speaks with a thick northern Malay accent.

And my mum, who is 86, is a nyonya who still prefers her sarong. She remains the best cook, insisting on using the freshest items for her peranakan dishes.

Keep the Malaysia we know for its multi-ethnicity and appreciate its pluralism because it is an asset – this is a beautiful country, and we are truly blessed to be born here.

Then, now and forever.

ACCEPT responsibility and apologise. These two actions seem foreign, or, to put it stronger, alien, to our Malaysian leadership culture.

It is exceedingly difficult, almost impossible, for those in leadership positions to be willing to take the rap, admit to a wrong­doing or rectify an error.

And we are not just talking about politicians with their over-inflated egos who refuse to budge from their positions.

Even in the corporate world, the NGO fraternity, and also the religious institutions, few would bravely own up to mistakes, or concede that they could be wrong. Some simply choose to remain slaves to their own ideologies even if the whole world has changed.

Everyone makes mistakes. We are mere mortals after all. Decisions have to be made daily and we all know that not all decisions come out right. But even if we make bad decisions, we can always learn from such experiences to improve ourselves.

Elected representatives are humans too, even if some of us may wonder about their so-called human traits, or lack thereof.

Like everyone else, they will have lapses in judgment. In the heat of the moment, and when they face enormous pressure to respond, they can sometimes make remarks that will get them into deep trouble.

We have seen so many examples in our Dewan Rakyat, and while they can always get away by “withdrawing” their offensive remarks, the recalcitrant ones probably use this tactic to keep themselves in the news.

The astute politician, however, knows that he should never say anything in a fit of anger. In fact, he can always rely on the phrase, “I have no comment to make at this moment”, until things cool down.

But such politicians are rare. Most of them not only want to say something, but also want to share their instant wisdom on social media so that it can spread far and wide, whatever the consequences.

Once posted, there is no turning back. Even if one were to delete an offensive post, someone would have captured that moment in a screen-grab and make it go viral. Even if you are truly pissed off about some issue, it may be wiser to sleep over it before making your views public.

Let’s make this clear. If you tweet or post on your own Facebook account, you cannot blame anyone but yourself. You cannot even blame the press for misquoting you, since it is all there in black and white.

Even the ordinary people have learnt that an offensive or seditious post can have serious consequences because social media platforms are public.

You can set your privacy settings but the moment it is published, don’t be surprised if groups of people turn up at a police station to lodge a report against you. From Mr Nobody, you will become an instant celebrity.

Actually, if the brickbats start to fly, the most noble thing one can do is to own up, admit it was done in a moment of weakness, apologise and move on. Simply deleting the post after the fact can be construed as an admission on one’s part.

Those in prominent positions who now embrace the power of social media should take some lessons about crisis management.

Malaysian leaders, in all spheres of life from political to corporate, need to brush up their skills on how to manage crisis in today’s world. One has to understand social media ethics and manage public relations quite differently in a high-paced world.

For example, if a CEO learns that the products his company makes has a slight problem that may necessitate a recall, he can no longer afford to take his own sweet time to make a decision.

If someone posts about it on social media, he has to respond just as fast. He may have to immediately say sorry even if his lawyers tell him that saying sorry may create liability issues.

I like what life coach Audrey Marlene has to say about situations like this.

“We all like to feel important and have others have a high opinion of us. Some more than others develop an over-inflated view of themselves. These tendencies act to wrap us in what many call ‘denial’, which creates a false perception of self and the inability to accept the truth about us,” she writes.

“It then becomes painful to accept that mistakes are possible and when we make them the first reaction is to point the finger at someone else. We refuse to think objectively and accept any involvement for our actions. Taking responsibility can be a very painful thing to do.”

She goes on to say: “The inability to accept responsibility for our actions and behaviours is a result of insecurity. By taking responsibility one feels they are admitting to being weak, powerless, or an opportunity to lose the respect of others. It may cause one to feel they will lose their sense of value and importance.”

But until more Malaysian leaders learn to accept responsibility for their actions, they should be thankful that we Malaysians are quite a forgiving lot.

During Hari Raya, the “maaf zahir dan batin” practice is so wonderfully enshrined. All religions also emphasise forgiveness and tolerance. To err is human, and to forgive is divine, as we were taught from young.

Taking responsibility and admitting one’s mistake is not a sign of weakness. It can earn you even more respect from the wider public.

Only the insecure and unreasonable diehard followers will tell you to stand your ground, even when it is obviously shaky.

At the end of the day, accepting responsibility is a measure of one’s self-worth and the true sign of strength and courage, as one commentator puts it.

In Malaysia, we have seen how difficult it is for people to own up even if they are caught in the act, so to say.

A politician can be caught on video, not once but a few times, for the most scandalous acts but can still get away by denying it. And there will always be enough fans to swear that the person in the video cannot possibly be their idol.

The same line has been copied by other politicians and, more recently, by one preacher.

A lawyer can be filmed engaging in a questionable deal but he can get away by stating that there may be a physical resemblance, and the person may even sound like him, but of course it is not him.

This nation needs leaders who embrace humility and celebrate diversity. We need leaders who can see things objectively. And we also want them to be human and know how to say sorry.

Even if they slip up, no one will think too badly of them if they admit their errors and are sincere in their repentance. They should not try to wriggle themselves out of sticky situations or, worse, look for scapegoats.

Japanese linguist Namiko Abe said that “apologising is considered a virtue in Japan. Apologies show that a person takes responsibility and avoids blaming others. When one apologises and shows one’s remorse, the Japanese are more willing to forgive.”

Author Brian Koslow wrote, “the more you are willing to accept responsibility for your actions, the more credibility you will have.”

It is Chinese New Year and I wish all readers Gong Xi Fa Cai. I seek your forgiveness if anything said in this article has hurt anyone. I write simply to remind ourselves to learn to take responsibility, to apologise and to forgive. These are noble traits for all of us.

It is bewildering that there are those who can imagine political motives tinged with religious and racial overtones in small trading enterprises.

THE joy of being Malaysian must surely be in the immense variety of food, representing the rich diversity of our nation, before us. We Malaysians love our food passionately.

This is a great nation – where else but here in Malaysia do we wake up and can’t decide what we should eat for breakfast? And even as we tuck into our breakfast, we are already thinking about the spread of choices for lunch, and dinner too.

Coming from Penang, I am very selective when it comes to food. It must be nothing but the best.

Before I moved to the Klang Valley some 25 years ago to work, my day in Penang would start with nasi kandar.

It was difficult for friends outside Penang to comprehend why I wanted to eat rice, the dreadful carbohydrate, in the morning.

It seemed awfully wrong for anyone who wanted to stay healthy, but the 7am trip to my favourite nasi kandar stall in Kampung Melayu in Air Itam was like a pilgrimage.

In Petaling Jaya, where I currently reside, I found my nasi kandar at Kayu Nasi Kandar, which had its origins in Penang.

But it was at a small outlet in a coffee shop in SS2 that I first met its owner Burhan Mohamed. I would eat there at least once a week. From a customer to a good family friend, that’s how my relationship with Burhan has developed over two decades.

I also like the char kueh teow served by a Chinese hawker in Kelana Jaya. It is great stuff and her customers are predominantly Malays.

Then there is the nasi lemak kukus outlet in SS2 operated by a Malay. The long queues there each morning comprise mainly non-Malays.

The same scenario is repeated at the famous Jalan Tangsi nasi lemak stall, which used to operate under a huge tree, and also at Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa in Kampung Baru.

Every morning, we are thankful for the many nasi lemak stalls by the roadside that offer us delicious breakfast – the ones wrapped in banana leaf and newspaper! That’s a Malaysian institution and we swear it’s a lot better than the nasi lemak served on a plate!

Halal restaurants have sprung up so that Muslims can enjoy Chinese food but, more importantly, businessmen understand the consumer power of Malays. It is just business sense to cater to a wider market.

By and large, Malaysians have never connected the business of food to a racial angle. It would simply be ridiculous. By extension, we can include other kinds of businesses as well.

None of us really cares about the ethnicity of a trader so long as the price is deemed fair, the quality of goods sold is good and the service favourable.

It would be strange, even stupid, for a Chinese consumer to continue buying from a Chinese trader who continues to raise his price. He would rather buy from a trader of another race if the rival offers a better deal.

That’s common sense and that’s how things work in real life. It is bewildering, to say the least, that there are those who can imagine political motives tinged with religious and racial overtones in such enterprises.

I prefer kopi kaw in a warung or coffee shop, served by the Ah Pek in his Pagoda singlet, simply because I am old school, and I do not want to buy an expensive cup of branded coffee at a fancy coffee chain.

In fact, nowadays, we have a lot of ­modern-day coffee shops that usually ­operate in the malls and try to replicate the traditional coffee shop in terms of the drinks and food they serve.

But I still prefer to eat Ipoh koay teow in Sea Park and have roti canai at the mamak shop near my home. I think the food is more authentic, not to mention cheaper. So the extra money I pay for the air-conditioned comfort and cool ambience at fancy coffee shops is not worth it.

Maybe the younger generation will disagree with me, but never mind. The point is that people still look for good food because it is good food. And they do not even mind travelling great distances to savour a particular dish.

We are now going through a period when people are concerned about stretching their ringgit.

Somehow, they wonder why despite the price of petrol coming down, prices of many things that are part of daily life are still going up. And food is really a big part of the equation.

Recently, we ran a cover story on how a plate of char kueh teow was now not only more expensive, but also came in smaller portions. Many of our readers could identify with that.

Chinese New Year is just around the corner and I am sure many are trying to figure how much to put into the ang pow, especially when their employers have not been generous with bonus and increments.

These are the real bread-and-butter issues that affect everyone. And it will be good if we spend less time arguing with one another over inconsequential matters and concentrate on the bigger picture.

There is a term in psychology called cognitive priming. Simply put, it means that if your mind is currently thinking of something, you will tend to see that thing over and over again.

So, if you are planning to buy a new car of a particular make, it will show up at every nook and corner, as if to confirm that you are on the right track.

Malaysia seems to be going through this phase. Because of those who continue to fan racial and religious sentiments, now even the ordinary people are beginning to see everything through racial and religious prisms.

Even in the most ordinary things, we are too quick to raise the racial or religious angle without getting all the facts.

Social media can be both a blessing and a curse. While information can be quickly shared, comments that are given in an instant, without time for reflection and understanding, can really make matters worse.

We are a diverse nation. And just like the rich variety of food before us, we should rejoice in the diversity of views. We can disagree without being disagreeable.

The nasi lemak may be categorised as one dish, but everyone will tell you that the nasi lemak at one place is quite different from the nasi lemak at another place. So, even within the same category, you will have your differences.

Only politicians and those with certain agendas like to categorise people by race – that because they are of the same race, they must vote in the same way, eat in the same way, talk in the same way, and live in the same way.

It is time for all Malaysians to pause and look closely at how things really are. They should just turun padang and see the real Malaysia. And the best representation of this is when we gather together to eat and enjoy each other’s company.

No one should be allowed to think that race-based protests are tolerated or, worse, encouraged, because the authorities continue to close an eye to such protests.

IGNORANCE, prejudice, politically and racially motivated advice and, worse, economic disparity in an urban setting are a potent, and potentially volatile, combination.

The race-based protest against the Datum Jelatek condominium project in Keramat, Ampang Jaya, is hugely disturbing and it would not be wrong to say that the incident, though local in nature, should be of national concern because of the increasing racial polarisation gripping the country.

Malaysians are by now used to reading about protests by local residents in the Klang Valley and other major urban centres against the construction of apartments, malls, highways and even schools near their neighbourhoods.

The fight by residents to preserve space in their own backyard has never been so loud. It’s simply because residents feel squeezed and, more importantly, they are now more conscious of their rights, more willing to challenge the authorities, more astute at organising themselves, and more clever at using the social media and the press to highlight their plight.

Developers, especially the high-end ones who build exclusive gated properties and charge high maintenance fees, have found that they can no longer increase rates at their whim and fancy.

The residents scrutinise every bill and nothing escapes their attention. Then there are also those residents who are overwhelmed by the rapid changes taking place around them in the name of development.

Many of them stay in areas at the fringe of some of the prime districts that are already bursting at the seams.

For these people in closely-knit communities, there is a genuine fear over the loss of identity and even their homes.

We should look at what happened in the Datum Jelatek protest last Sunday in this context.

The protest turned rowdy when some 100 protestors reportedly turned aggressive and broke into the construction site.

While the police managed to bring the situation under control, what was worrying was that the protestors – and we are not even sure if they are residents – were in a frenzy because they had been led into believing that the project would transform the area into a Chinese district.

They claimed that Malays had been sidelined and that one or two blocks would be sold mainly to foreigners.

The RM1.2bil Datum Jelatek project, which started in 2008 on a 2.4ha land next to the Jelatek LRT station, comprises four blocks of luxury condominiums, a hotel, offices and a shopping centre.

The condominiums are being built on the former site of four blocks of Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) flats, owned mostly by Malays, which were demolished in late 2010.

The project received its planning approval in November 2011 from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, but actual work had been postponed several times over a variety of issues.

This is normal in any project where the residents in the immediate surroundings have a right to voice their objections, and to point out procedural matters within a specific time period.

It is also common to have public protests but this becomes a problem when other parties get involved.

Whoever had a hand in organising the protest last week certainly did not believe in civil discourse.

Worse, they played the racial card and directed the protestors to vent their anger at the Chinese for daring to enter into the Malay enclave. In this case, the Chinese has become the bogeyman for nothing.

According to a media report, members of the Selangor chapter of Perkasa were seen among the rowdy crowd in the protest that was supposedly under the ambit of the Datum Jelatek Action Committee (BBDJ).

BBDJ chairman Salleh Samad was quoted as saying that the demonstration was organised to warn Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali to stop the condominium project, saying that “it would open the floodgates to other races entering the Malay-majority area.”

Selangor Perkasa chief Abu Bakar Yahya, who was present, allegedly made racially inflammatory and offensive statements, going by a report in a news portal.

It is worth noting that the developer, Datum Corp International Sdn Bhd, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PKNS and its management team is almost entirely bumiputra.

And we are now told that 1,097 bumiputra buyers had registered their interest to buy the 674 units available.

This means that the condominiums could entirely have only Malay residents although the PKNS quota for the project is 50% for bumiputra and 50% for non-bumiputras.

We can be sure that after this widely reported racially-slanted protest, potential buyers from other ethnic groups will shy away from this project, proudly proclaimed by the developer in its website as “the epitome of luxury in the heart of metropolitan city.

“A sanctuary in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a cosmopolitan city, Datum Jelatek is an oasis of rest and relaxation with world-class amenities and still be a stone’s throw from the excitement of a modern city.”

There is a lot of damage control to be done. According to the developer, the Keramat residents were not directly involved in the protest as the company had already met with them in stages to listen to their grievances.

It has already lodged a police report and is contemplating taking legal action against those involved.

The high number of interested Malay buyers has also proven that the community can afford to buy the apartments despite the high prices, and claims that the project would be swarmed by the Chinese are sheer rubbish and nothing more than a figment of the imagination of racist minds.

With the support and coordination of various stakeholders, local residents can benefit from the economic spin-offs of the projects in the area, even if they cannot afford to buy the units.

Local businesses can bloom and jobs can be created because of the project, and this is something that should be highlighted by the major stakeholders to the residents to counter the outsiders who seek to poison their minds.

The police have said that no arrest has been made so far, but they would investigate reports of trespassing by the protestors. But I think many Malaysians want to know what action will be taken against those who made racially inflammatory remarks at the protest and if they will be able to get away scot-free.

We should all be concerned about any form of racial or religious provocation by any individual or group.

We want the authorities to be fair and firm and not allow any form of race-based protest. Last week’s protest over the Datum Jelatek project is not just a local issue, but a matter of deep concern for all.

No one should be allowed to think that such race-based protests are tolerated or, worse, encouraged, because the authorities continue to close an eye to such protests.

This is not the Malaysia that rational Malaysians know. We certainly cannot allow such extremists to take control of the country’s directions.

Whatever their race or religion, they must not be allowed to grow and threaten the country that we all call our home.