I like to think of myself as liberal, open-minded and pretty cool, but I still draw the line at the last one. Maybe I grew up in an age when we kept diaries, which were meant to be private and secret, unlike the present generation who prefer to share their moments, even the most intimate ones, online and to count how many likes they receive from their postings.

Maybe it’s because I am 51 years old and have only one child, a daughter. Most probably, someone like this notorious blogger Alvin Tan would have to face the wrath of an angry father, and one can only imagine how serious the consequences might be. As one father has already commented, castration would certainly be one of the options.

But we are dealing with a different generation. For many urban Chinese couples, living together before marriage no longer creates emotional storms among parents as it did in the past. Even the word “cohabitation” no longer seems to be used.

There’s resentment and silent disapproval, to some degree, but no one is likely to find themselves banned from the family home.

I have attended wedding banquets where the guests cheered and congratulated couples when they announced that the wives were already pregnant. I am sure that for those in their 50s now, their parents would have walked off if the same good news was shared at their wedding banquet.

But this is the Facebook generation.

I met up with the sex blog couple, Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, last week to hear them out.

They have had their share of both condemnation and support. There seems to be some kind of generational divide in the reaction to their exploits. While those of my generation are still trying to make sense of the issue, a large section of the younger ones, those who use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, seem unperturbed and are wondering about the fuss over the couple. They also point out that Tan and Lee were not forcing their lifestyle on others.

Morality seems to be the last thing on their minds. Their stand is that those who called for the two to be punished are hypocrites.

Those who were angry with the media for providing space to Tan and Lee are in the same category, as they would probably have read every line of every article about the duo.

In fact, a check on The Star Online showed that news items on the couple continued to be the best-read stories. And on Google search, their names popped out immediately.

Tan seems to be your average boy next door. He is polite, plays the piano really well (his repertoire includes classical numbers) and is a gymnast. His body is well-toned with a six-pack to show off, as those who have seen his pictures on the Net would know.

He speaks impeccable English and talks in measured tones, very controlled and yet very open. He would put many of our politicians to shame when it comes to fielding questions from the media, really.

He is after all a graduate from the prestigious Raffles Institution in Singapore, an Asean scholar, and is reading law at the National University of Singapore. He is obviously a very smart guy. I try to think that the smartest and cleverest ones have a certain streak of eccentricity in them.

After talking to Tan, I still don’t know what makes him tick. He is clever but why would he do a stupid thing such as posting such videos on the Net? In the overall scheme of things, he has gone from a hero to zero.

In Lee’s case, she is outspoken, positive and obviously unconventional. She speaks her mind but this local graduate lacks fluency in English. She is not very coherent and occasionally gets her pronunciation wrong. She seems to reinforce our perception that our local graduates are no longer good in English.

They do not seem to really care what the future has in store for them. They are happy to live for the moment and enjoy their notoriety – or fame, in their own words.

Publicity, whether good or bad, is something they obviously enjoy. Their egos have been further boosted by young journalists who asked to pose with them for pictures in newsrooms in Malaysia and Singapore. These reporters can upload the photos on their Facebook immediately to show off their catch of the day.

As I finished lunch with them, a reporter from the Singapore-based Channel News Asia ambushed us for a short interview and photos. Tan and Lee seemed delighted by the attention.

Welcome to the Facebook generation – where the question of saving face, giving face and having face does not really matter any more. It’s a race for more Likes!

Chinese mitten crabs, or hairy crabs, are known for the unusual furry growth on their pincers and legs but they are most sought-after for their cream-flavoured roe.

Around this time, between autumn and winter (from September until December), these crabs make their appearance in Suzhou’s Lake Tai and Lake Yangcheng.

The small-sized crabs from these locations near Shanghai are “branded” with the name of the Chinese financial city. A comparison would be the ikan patin from Temerloh, Pahang and the durians from Balik Pulau, Penang.

For foodies in Malaysia, this is the time when they take out their wallets and gout pills to fight for these crabs at Chinese restaurants around the world.

But a report in Shanghai’s Oriental Morning Post has made me sit up. I know of all those fake items in street stalls in Beijing but now crabs from other lakes have been passed off as genuine Yangcheng crabs – defined as those raised in the lake for at least six months. Now, that’s really crap!

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) also reported that “most of the crustaceans sold as Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs on the mainland are actually grown in other waters.

“Some are known as ‘bathing crabs’ because they spend a short time – several hours to a couple of weeks – before being passed off as the genuine article.”

Malaysians are paying between RM100 and RM300 for a single crab and unless you are an expert, which this writer isn’t, many would not realise they have been conned. It’s like some wine buyers who think the more pricey their bottles, the better the wine.

A quick research found that reports of fake hairy crabs are nothing new. There have been reports of crackdowns by the Chinese crab industry and the authorities who obviously cannot be too pleased about such matters.

One may think that this is quite a silly thing to worry about but this is really a huge industry, running into millions of ringgit, and involves brands and reputation. Intellectual property, as the lawyers would say.

The Chinese, who have been known to be experts at copying mechanical and electrical items, are now suddenly facing the same problem. Their branded hairy crabs, running up to over 100,000 tonnes each year, are being copied!

Farmers from Yangcheng Lake are reminding consumers that their crabs are fresher than the impostors, without the need to add condiments when eating them.

But there are also health issues here. The SCMP reported that “while the genuine article is celebrated for its golden carapace, pure white belly shell and glistening roe, fakes are now being treated with ‘crab washing powder’ to make their bellies turn white.”

Now that’s pretty frightening especially after what we have read about the excessive use of recycled cooking oil and other horrible chemicals in Chinese-made food products.

There have been suggestions that the real Yangcheng crabs should be tagged with a plastic ring attached to one of its claws bearing a unique 12-digit code but it has been reported that the campaign has been proven to be useless. That’s not a surprise.

That’s a lesson that Malaysian durian exporters must remember. Most durian buyers in Chinatown are able to tell the difference between Malaysian and Thai durians.

Those from Hong Kong who joined organised durian tours can even rattle off the various durian names but these are the passionate ones who demand the best.

Brands and marketing techniques are important tools. That includes durians and well, crabs, too. Probably we also have to differentiate between genuine and fake politicians who all claim to fight for our interests.

From refusing to go to certain destinations or use the meter to taking circuitous routes to get from one point to another, these are horror stories of taxi drivers shared by many regular commuters.

Admittedly, there are good and decent cabbies doing their work honestly but, unfortunately, there are many others who take every opportunity to rip off their passengers. And when their targets are tourists, you can be sure that their notoriety will gain worldwide attention.

Which is why, in a recent ranking of the worst taxi drivers worldwide by LondonCabs.co.uk, the cabbies of Kuala Lumpur made it right at the top of the list.

Often, taxi drivers are the first to meet up with tourists, but some have badly tarnished the tourism image of Malaysia because of their attitude and cheating ways. One only has to surf the many travel websites to have an idea of what foreigners who have visited KL think of them.

Last week, an official from a taxi drivers’ association called the news desk of this newspaper to voice his unhappiness over how the issue of the free Go-KL bus service in the Bukit Bintang area has been reported.

My colleague who took the call politely told the official that he should perhaps try getting a ride on a taxi himself and see if he can find anyone who is prepared to use the meter for travel within the busiest part of Kuala Lumpur.

To prove our point, the news desk decided to ask our reporter, Natalie Heng, who is of English-Malaysian Chinese parentage, to pose as a tourist from London.

Heng speaks and writes Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and English but is also able to speak like a BBC newscaster if she wants to.

She was asked to try out the taxis around Bukit Bintang – where hundreds of taxi drivers staged a protest last week, bringing the city to a standstill for hours, over the free Go-KL City Bus service.

When Heng came back from the assignment, she had nothing positive to report as she related her experience to us. She was practically a victim of “daylight robbery” as almost all the drivers believed she was a foreigner with her Caucasian look and British accent.

In the Go-KL protest, some 200 cabbies gathered outside the Fahrenheit shopping complex during the evening rush hour. They parked their vehicles right in the middle of the road as they staged their noisy protest. They told reporters that their livelihood was being affected because the Go-KL bus service passed through the most popular destinations. They also complained about alleged harassment by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

However, they did not say or, rather, acknowledge that the authority was finally enforcing the rules on those who break them as a matter of course. Certainly, they were surprised that in the court of public opinion, they had no supporters whatsoever.

Badge of dishonour

The KL taxi drivers may even want to dispute their ranking as the worst taxi drivers in the world, but those of us who travel far and wide know that this is a badge of dishonour which they must discard for their own good, and also for the good of our country’s image.

Visitors to our country, when they share their experiences, are generally pleased with our good food, nice people, and the fact that most Malaysians can speak English. They may complain now and again about how dirty KL has become, the uneven kerbs around Bukit Bintang, dirty eateries around Jalan Alor, and not enough policemen on the beat. But they always have lots to say about our horrible taxi drivers.

There are free bus serv­ices available in the city circuits of Manchester, Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney, for example. These services are used by city folk, which helps to reduce their financial burden, and also by tourists.

In the case of the Go-KL buses, all the 15 vehicles are disabled-friendly, WiFi-enabled, and are equipped with security cameras to ensure the safety of passengers. They also have GPS on board and enforcement officers often travel incognito with the passengers.

That’s not all. The bus service is also reportedly eco-friendly as, according to a report, a sapling will be planted for every cumulative 1,000km travelled to offset the estimated carbon emission of 0.11 metric tonnes. Thinking ahead, the worn-out tyres will be used to create artificial reefs to help restore damaged coral reefs.

Our KL taxi drivers simply have to accept the reality that competition is good. They also need to get their act together if they want to continue sharing the tourism pie. They will have passengers if they are honest and act as friendly ambassadors of the country.

Those of us who travel overseas always appreciate the fact that taxi drivers are practically like tourist guides. Our taxi drivers prefer to talk about politics, regular passengers tell me.

Our KL taxi drivers can learn from their Japanese counterparts. Although fares in Japan are reputed to be the most expensive in the world, taxi drivers there are well-groomed right down to their gloved hands, and they do not accept tips. They issue receipts without being asked, and even if communication problems arise, a passenger will never feel that he could have been ripped off.

The Prime Minister deserves our applause for pushing ahead with the inner city free bus shuttle service and also the hefty discount on KTM commuter rides for the distressed middle-class, senior citizens and students.

The taxi drivers must not see such measures as taking away their livelihood but as a challenge of the changing times.

Let’s not be cowed by the possibility of these disgruntled taxi drivers getting opportunistic politicians to take up their cause because of the impending general election.

Let them whine as much as they want: Go-KL deserves our support. The silent majority must speak up for what is good for them.

But this is a group that is not easy to please. If they have their way, they would want to have personal taxes reduced. I would want to pay less to the taxman too, but it is also about time that we wake up to the reality of having the consumption-based goods and services taxes (GST) implemented.

It may not be politically savvy to introduce the GST prior to the general election but the fact is the current tax base is simply too narrow. Just over a million people are now paying personal income tax in a country of over 27 million people.

Through the GST, the tax net would be wider and those who spend on more pricey items would just have to pay for them. An ordinary wage-earner buying economy rice or roti canai won’t have to pay GST, for sure.

But if you buy a Louis Vuitton bag in KL, then it’s only right that you pay a hefty GST bill, and help the government raise its tax revenue. If we want to encourage tourism, we just have to follow what other countries are doing – limiting GST only to our citizens. Tourists, even if they are rich sheikhs, can apply for tax refunds at the airport.

That’s how GST works, but there is a general election ahead. The government does not want to be in a defensive mode, where it has to explain how GST works.

We are always looking to pay less while we expect the government to spend more to boost the economy, or even give away monetary goodies to spur spending.

When the government spends, it has to look for money. Currency speculator George Soros is surely not a good option.

Reducing by one percentage point for those with chargeable income between RM2,500 and RM50,000, as proposed in the Budget, plus the other tax reliefs, also mean that only 1.7 million people will now pay taxes compared with the workforce of 12 million.

Beyond the statistics, it is clear that the government is well aware that the middle income group has found itself in a sandwich position. They are the ones who feel the rising cost of living the most, and any effort to reduce their tax burden should be lauded.

It is this group that the Budget wants to target. The rich can take care of themselves and the poor has been taken care of.

The higher income group would still benefit, in some way, as regardless of how much one earns, the existing tax relief for their children’s education has been increased to RM6,000 from RM4,000 per child.

But it is the financially distressed wage earners, especially those in the lower earning bracket, who are doing their best to stretch the ringgit. After paying for their home rentals, car or motorbike loans and food expenses, there is nothing left, really. Saving itself is difficult, let alone finding the downpayment for the first home.

The affordable houses scheme would be essential to allow this group of urbanites to believe that they can own houses. The government must make it work.

Another measure that is targeted at this group is the 50% discount on KTM fares for Malaysians earning RM3,000 and below monthly. I would have preferred the government to just provide a blanket free KTM ride during peak hours in the mornings and evenings.

I am curious to see how KTM plans to carry out the registration of commuters who qualify and give them the special discount cards. If it is not effectively carried out, due to practical logistic issues, this scheme is definitely open to abuse. So the government might as well just provide free rides.

The whining upper middle class won’t be joining the queues at the crowded KTM stations, that’s for sure. It will still be the same KTM passengers who want to cut down on their financial expenses because they live in the outer city zones or even in Negri Sembilan but travel daily to Kuala Lumpur to work or to study.

The 70 new 1Malaysia Clinics will surely be welcomed as they would be a great help to the urban poor. Furthermore, 350 clinics would be upgraded and an additional 150 dialysis machines will be made available in government haemodialysis centres nationwide. All measures to improve healthcare facilities for the masses are surely welcomed.

But there is one area where the whining from the Malaysian middle class is legitimate – the crime problem.

We have repealed laws such as the Emer­gency Ordinance because the intelligentsia in urban areas demanded it. But the reality is that many of the Simpang Renggam graduates are now on the streets and the police cannot find these crooks because their hands are tied.

Budget 2013 has allocated for 496 CCTV cameras to be installed in 25 local authorities nationwide to prevent street crime in urban areas. This is like a drop in the ocean and surely insufficient.

We should have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of these cameras put up, as in London, to keep an eye on potential criminals.

As I write this, I have just been informed that my colleague had his new car hijacked by two men while he was on his way home with his wife and son in Subang Jaya. Incidents like this point to the necessity of having more of our policemen out on patrol.

The proposal to increase the number of police personnel for patrolling and combating crime is in the right direction. The police also have to review how police reports are made so that a person making a simple report about a car accident, or a lost handbag, does not have to compete with people making reports for serious offences. We need to put our policemen on the streets, not behind desks.

Let us consider making Rela, the civil service group, and volunteer policemen take over simple tasks like crowd and traffic control. The Budget has proposed an additional 10,000 officers for the Police Volunteer Reserve force. This is not something new but it will definitely reduce the unnecessary burden on the police.

The Prime Minister certainly has a tough act ahead. He has to make the contents appealing to the voters and at the same time take into account the measures that are needed to promote growth and revenue.

The reality is that dark clouds have set over Europe and the United States, and Malaysia depends on its exports to these countries. Malaysia’s growth of about 5% a year has been tremendous, given the global financial challenges, but testy waters are ahead.

Najib cannot promise too much lest the country goes bankrupt. But there is a general election looming and any practical Prime Minister must be aware that his political party needs to get re-elected.

It does not look like the elections will be in November and the fresh speculation is that it will be after the Chinese New Year celebrations, with March now regarded as a possibi­lity.

The opposition has already made promises of every kind and would probably throw in heaven as well, if it is able. That is the kind of stakes political parties have to compete for to win the hearts of the electorate. Emotions have always prevailed over minds in most democracies.

But the urban middle class is a huge segment that the PM must address in his Budget. The rural heartland, especially the Felda settlers, which forms the core of Umno support is perceived to have their interests taken care of already.

In every Budget, the common complaints are that the middle class feel that they have not gained much. Many are salaried workers who pay income tax but feel desperately short-changed.

Regarded as the “sandwich group”, many of these wage earners suffer from financial distress, having to cope with the rising cost of living.

Unlike the lower echelon, they do not qualify for low-cost housing. Also, given their income and lifestyle, they would not want to stay in low-cost flats. But affordable housing is beyond their reach, especially in urban centres. For many, the down payment is a burden in itself.

It will be this sector that the Prime Minister must address by building affordable homes – not low-cost homes but affordable homes.

The prices must be reasonable with flexible conditions to allow newly married couples and even bachelors to own these homes.

The models can range from studio apartments to three-room units, like those Singapore’s Housing Development Board has successfully implemented.

Seriously, we do not have to look further because the fact is that our neighbour down south has done a good job as far as providing affordable housing is concerned.

The Government has announced its First Home Programme (PR1MA) to cater to this middle-income group but to make the locations attractive, the federal government needs to identify its land assets in the Klang Valley, and in other states as well.

There is little point in building such affordable houses in locations far away from the city. If prime land owned by the Government are taken over by private developers, the prices of these units would be at premium and beyond the reach of many.

For many urbanites, their concerns are jobs, the cost of living, homes and safety. If these priorities are addressed, the Barisan government would have no difficulty securing their votes.

People do not want our leaders to waste time issuing guidelines on how to identify gays, or the daily dosage of nonsensical political mudslinging over the media. Over dinner tables, the conversations are about pricey food and homes, and crime on the streets.

While we grapple over the prices of our cars and the need to sustain Proton, a quick fix by the PM would be to fast-track the use of public transportation and the KTM commuter trains, which are widely used by the financially-distressed urbanites.

The PM should seriously waive the fees for public buses and KTM trains for certain zones during peak hours in the morning and evening.

School children and elders could be issued free season cards, which would greatly reduce the financial burden of urban households.

Crime is a top concern. The Government can show us its report cards with statistics that crime has gone down, but the perception is otherwise. People must feel safe. There is little point telling us we are safe when we do not feel so.

Extra allocations to the police forces have been a yearly ritual in the Budget but Malaysians want to see more policemen on the beat in crime-prone areas and tourist spots.

Community police or police volunteers, as in the United Kingdom, can be formed to take care of crowd control and paperwork at the police stations while the professional policemen tackle crime.

The civil volunteer corps, or Rela, should also be deployed in bigger numbers in neighbourhoods and the city to complement the work of the police.

Occasionally, I like to put on a pair of pointed shoes, a throwback to the John Travolta days of the late 70s/ early 80s. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin tweeted, in jest, that I must be suffering from a post-midlife crisis.

But I am concerned whether my fashion taste, or lack of it, would be included in the outrageous guidelines on tackling the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) recently drawn up by two organisations.

According to reports, the guidelines have warned parents to be wary should their sons start wearing tight-fitting, sleeveless or V-collared shirts or colourful attire to show off their muscular bodies.

I did an immediate check of my wardrobe and found, to my horror, that I have tight-fitting jeans, V-collared shirts and an assortment of purple, pink and maroon shirts and ties. Then there are a couple of floral shirts with colourful designs.

No, I am not talking about batik but last summer’s metrosexual shirts, which were fashionable then.

If I strictly go by the guidelines drawn up by the Yayasan Guru Malaysia Berhad and Consultative Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, I am already classified as gay or at least suspiciously one. I do not know how a person’s sexual orientation can be expertly classified by his choice of clothes, but that’s what most Malaysians have been reading over the past few days.

A lot of shrinks will be out of work soon if the simplistic classifications drawn by these two unheard of organisations are to be taken seriously.

I am worried now because there are at least two colleagues – in their 50s but they like to think they are at least a decade younger – who are always wearing tight shirts. I know they want to show that they have no bulging bellies, even at their age, but I may be having the last laugh because they are now under suspicion of being gay.

To the guys at the office gym, please do not show off your well-toned bodies and do keep your V-shirts in your closets, no pun intended.

Thanks to these two groups for their discoveries, which I am sure must have medical backing, I will know for sure who is what from now on.

According to the news report, the guidelines also advised parents to be wary of boys – or men, I assume – who have a penchant for carrying big sling bags.

There you are, I am guilty. I can only blame my wife for buying me this bag, and convincing me that men these days do not carry brief cases any more. I am wondering what the guys in the two organisations carry in their bags.

I know for a fact that some fat cats carry small bags, which resemble ladies’ cosmetic pouches, for their pistols. Yes, concealed weapons, if you prefer, but no one says the firearms are gay objects.

But there’s more. Parents have also been advised to pay attention to daughters who are inclined to hanging out only with their female friends.

Now this is confusing. I have always thought I had little to worry about if my one and only precious daughter does not hang out with dangerous, nasty, hormone-raging teenage males. But now, I am told, I should be losing sleep if she only hangs out with the girls!

Seriously, this is all very confusing. For a start, I have to buy a new set of clothes because I do not want any whispering behind my back when I visit government offices. Dull, black and white shirts and jackets should be safe for sure.

I am also going to continue with my diet of nasi kandar and char koay teow and keep on watching football. These preferences surely are guaranteed as signs of manhood and manliness.

We can only advise the state authorities not to send boys with effeminate behaviour to boot camps. Real men never really go to Outward Bound type camps. We are found at the mamak shops, warung kopi pak cikand pubs, watching football matches on weekends.

If we need to pay attention to any guidelines, it should be to those in the education transformation blueprint.

Housing developers, loggers, plantation owners and local authorities have found themselves subjected to greater scrutiny. This writer, being the group chief editor of this newspaper, has had to take angry calls from both sides of the political divide when these politicians deem certain news reports as being negative to them.

I should be in Malaysia but I am no longer prepared to skip another vacation, presumably because of an impending general election. There have been too many wrong guesses and I could be appearing in family court soon if the same reason is given for aborting another vacation.

The government has been blamed for everything these days, ridiculous as it may seem, and I have no intention of adding on a new one.

The best part of a long-haul flight is that you get to talk to people – that is, people who want to chat during flights.

One passenger reminded me to be appreciative of the little mercies in Malaysia. The gentleman from Perth complained about the high cost of living in his city.

He believed Brisbane, where we were heading, would be cheaper. Yes, the Austra­lian dollar has gone up but it has done nothing to ease inflation in his country, he said.

A regular visitor to Kuala Lumpur, my fellow passenger was well aware of the many stickers put up blatantly by loan sharks and money lenders.

He said I should go to Greece and Spain – these two countries have more stickers than us. He believed the money lenders there would even put such stickers on the bodies of human beings if they could. That’s how bad the economy of the two countries has shrunk.

Interestingly enough, as I update this article while enjoying myself at the Gold Coast, I cannot help but notice the slew of bad news highlighted in the Australian newspapers. For example, one report cited the plunging prices of iron ore and coal which would result in lowering government revenue by as much as A$10bil (RM32bil). The much talked about boom in mineral prices appear to be tapering off, and the downturn has impacted government forecasts.

And, of course, the reports are already talking about the chain reaction and how the lower-income households would be affected.

At the Gold Coast, I can sense that the Aussies are thankful that tourists, primarily from mainland China, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, continue to visit their paradise on earth.

Sometimes we have to be out of our own country to appreciate the good things that we often take for granted when we are back home.

It was definitely a pleasant pre-Hari Raya surprise when Bank Negara announced that Malaysia was growing at a much faster pace than anticipated.

The Central Bank announced a 5.4% growth in economic activities between April and June, spurred by investments in both private and public sector spending. For the first half of the year, the economy registered a 5.1% growth.

The credibility of the news has been backed by the Financial Times, which described the country’s economy as “enjoying a gravity-defying boom that is confounding sceptics”, adding that the “impetus behind the growth comes from an ‘Economic Transformation Programme’ initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when he came to power in 2009”.

Firm labour market conditions, income growth and improved consumer sentiments have certainly helped to push local demands. Government initiatives such as financial assistance to the lower income households and increase in salaries for civil servants have led to higher consumption, helping to offset the weakness in export growth.

Construction activities led the growth path, recording a sturdy 22.2% growth during the second quarter. No doubt, retail in some sectors has registered lower growth with mixed reactions over how growth would register.

Still, the news of a growth is welcomed when compared to Singapore which registered a 0.7% contraction for the same quarter. More importantly, signs of our inflation index decelerating have been identified.

In fact, the country’s Consumer Price Index is at its lowest level in two years with the 1.4% reading for July, according to reports.

In Europe, the slowdown is continuing and certainly the demand for our exports, especially palm oil, rubber and electronic and electrical products, will be affected.

Given the uncertainties in Europe and talk of an impending attack on Iran by Israel, the next few months will be challenging to everyone in Malaysia.

While the hearts and minds of many Malay­sians are on the general election, they must also not forget how much the economy and politics are tied up.

What Malaysians want to hear is how the country can do better at improving our living standards, cutting down on leakage and wastage, making our streets safe, better public transportation and killing corruption.

That is not too much to ask for and we hope the Prime Minister will address these concerns in his Sept 28 Budget speech.

As editor of a media group, I am often asked to give my educated guesses on when the elections would be held.

I have to confess that I have got it wrong at least two times. One editor of a news portal predicted the election date three times in one month alone and has become the subject of amusement in the media circles. Most of us have given up predicting now.

The campaign period, or the silly season as the media calls it, has dragged on for far too long it’s safe to say that every party has been campaigning since the 2008 general election.

So we have to treat with great cynicism anyone who still claims that the duration of the campaign period is not sufficient once the polls are called. Political parties have been staging ceramah, forums, dinners, gatherings, and all sorts of functions almost daily. Call it what you may, but the bottom line is these are all political campaigns.

That’s as far as I would want to talk about politics in this season of forgiveness where we show the world that, as in every ethnic and religious festival, we can come together and celebrate as One Malaysia. Please don’t tell me even that description is political.

We shall talk about football, the one topic that, besides politics, can send Malaysians into a frenzy. The English Premier League has started.

Notice that Malaysians just love games that we perform badly in. Take football and the F1 – we are lousy at these two sports but we are still emotional when we talk about them.

Most of us have never heard of 10m platform diving until Pandelela Rinong Pamg won the Olympics bronze medal. But it’s safe to say that most of us won’t be taking up diving, even though there is a heightened interest in the sport at the moment. Then there is squash. Datuk Nicol David is a world champion and while there are many Malaysians playing squash, it is unlikely to be the subject of intense debate over endless glasses of teh tarik at the mamak stalls.

So, it’s not wrong to say that most of us, the ordinary sugar- and calory-loving Malaysians, are not very good at squash. Let’s confess, most of us do not even know the rules.

We will stick to English football. As an emotional Arsenal supporter, I am still unable to accept the decision of Robin Van Persie (RVP) to join Manchester United. That’s Arsenal’s arch enemy!

Every time RVP scored a goal, he rushed to the camera while kissing the Gunners badge on his jersey. He also kept repeating his undying loyalty to the Gunners. But the next thing you know, he has joined Manchester United for RM120mil.

I know, I do not want to talk about politics but this is beginning to sound political. Are the footballers starting to behave like politicians? It’s like those political frogs who may be in a party for decades and then decide to jump. It often happens when they are no longer being considered for party positions. That is when they point out the many flaws in their party, which they have conveniently ignored before. Talk about principles.

Some spend their time tweeting away their frustrations while a few, despite their crony records, decide to change their political affiliations. One can be expected to grow a goatee and wear a robe soon at ceramahs.

Okay, RVP is 29 years old, prone to injury, and his heart really isn’t with Arsenal. Business sense dictates that both RVP and Arsenal can part ways with both sides making money out of the deal.

The Gooners hate MU but the reality is NO other club can afford RVP at that price. As a public listed company, Arsenal is doing the right thing but it’s hard for us fans to stomach.

That’s like politics here too. It’s becoming difficult to be reasonable and logical to hardcore fans. Everyone is accusing each other of being biased when they are biased themselves.

Oh no, I meant to skip politics and stick to football but it did not end that way. Please learn to laugh at ourselves and keep Malaysia sane. Maaf zahir batin and Selamat Hari Raya to all.