In the sequel to Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, the clown prince of crime makes a face and pops that question. Maybe the sight of his nemesis, dressed in a skintight leathery black Bat suit with some parts of his body, especially the family jewels unable to breathe, made him feel concerned. Plus Batman never smiled. Then again it’s probably the cramped family jewels that gives the comic hero the constant constipated look. I don’t know I haven’t watched The Dark Knight yet- it’s due next month and for now this question of seriousness was playing in my head.
In some parts of Toa Payoh yesterday afternoon, I was having my cold beer at the coffeeshop where I sought refuge from the relentless sun; from my strategic location, I could observe the Tak Boleh Tahan campaign already underway in full swing. The activists were busy handing out flyers to people strolling by, some accepted with warmness, the majority gave a cursory look and avoided the democrats like they were lepers. They had that distinct constipated look on their faces, the same for Batman. I wondered why.
Maybe it was the sun. The heat was pretty unbearable. I was already sweating like a stuck pig, my shirt stuck to my body like a second skin not to mention my underwear which I will not delve into for the sake of this blog post- I have the profound ability to make people nauseous. I was saved by the cold Mr Heineken. Which is why they said a beer is better than a woman. I digressed but the point remains. It could be the scorching heat.
Another possibility that automatically sprang into my mind was the general perception of the opposition amongst the common sheep folk. The mainstream media have worked deep and successfully entrenched the orthodox belief that the opposition is somewhat of a bogeyman out to destabilize the very fabric of this sheepish society. I would surmise that many even would perceive Dr. Chee as a political terrorist. Which is why the constipated look on their faces.
The sophomoric Tak Boleh Tahan campaign yesterday was an event to raise awareness of the plight of citizens in this country. The rising unabated costs, indiscriminate influx of foreign workers, million dollar salaries and the Mas Selamat fiasco. In simple layman language the campaign clamors this simple phrase:
I have enough of this shit.
Given the premise in Sheep City, it is quite apt. The campaign went successfully without incident; T-shirts, badges, books were sold to raise funds to support further campaigning. Many deliberately overpaid for the wares or donated graciously. I took the time to exchange a few words with Dr. Chee and his sister, Siok Chin, party chairman Gandhi Ambalam, lawyer Chia Ti Lik and many others. I had a great time conversing with Uncle Yap and Rachel Absinthe as well as activists Seelan Palay and Rizal. It was a May Day well-spent except for the heat that made me feel groggy. Ti Lik was sun-burnt; I was sitting in the coffeeshop having a poor man’s grog. Maybe the air-conditioned culture already turned me into a wuss.
Looking in retrospect, I believe the campaign will grow in momentum as more people are made aware and one day citizens in Sheep City will wake from their drunken stupor and breathe a new dawn. To paraphrase a quote from the Joker in the highly-anticipated movie The Dark Knight, the Tak Boleh Tahan campaign:
It’s all part of the plan.
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