BOTH OF THEM, ZAHID AND ALI RUSTAM ARE BUFFONS. LET ME TELL YOU WHY!

With thanks to : 

Of stooges and Malaysian politics

CT Ali

 | October 10, 2013

The writer contended that many of the politicians are buffoons with him citing one who spent a fortune not only food and paraphernalia but with the serving of aphrodisiac drink at his son's recent wedding reception.

COMMENT

In the annals of comedy, we have had great double acts, which played on the mismatched friendship between a stooge and a sober man. We oldies remember the slender and long-suffering Stan Laurel and the heavy-set rotund Oliver Hardy.

We also recall with affection Abbot and Costello’s routine in “Who is on first base,” Those guys really knocked me out with their act every time!

Then came one of the most electrifying comedic team that ever walked this earth: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis! Those were the days.

These actors played their roles to the hilt – absolutely convincing! Deadpan delivery from the straight guy with the long-suffering stooge always receiving the kick, slap or fall…and somehow it all ended well.

After reading what I had said, you may be asking what was I trying to get at? – It was to draw your attention to such a double act unfolding in our midst.

In the year of 2013, we Malaysians had been witnessing the unfolding of an “arguably” truly comedic double act.

I said “arguably” because opinions are divided on this double act. Some would dismiss the actors as buffoons while some would contemptuously label them as desperados who were long past their prime and doing whatever they can to hang on in the limelight. My cousin Mamat from Kuala Pilah labeled them as Dumb and Dumber!

However, I disagree with all of them. I say that we are now bearing witness to the birth of a double act that might even rival Sudin, Aziz and P Ramlee’s characters in the comedy Bujang Lapok.

Ladies and Gentleman…. (drum roll) …. I give you the Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Ali Rustam with their comedic act leading to the the Umno party election in mid-October.

I was anticipating that some of the readers had decided that the “Dumb and Dumber” label befitted them but please do not be too quick to decide as this was not a comedic act with a sober guy and a stooge. Both of them, Zahid and Ali were buffoons. Let me tell you why they were buffoons.

Former Malacca Chief Minister Ali who had 130,000 guests at his son’s wedding. He insisted that he managed to feed them all at a costs of RM600,000 with kacip fatimah drink – a herbal energy drink to boost women and men’s libido – included so that everyone could have a merry time at the wedding and after when they got home.

Didn’t that remind you of Ali Baba? Did Ali Baba pay for the wedding or was with the help of the 40 thieves? Your guess was as good as mine!

Double comedy act

Zahid on the other hand had been with many factions in Umno and he could partly be described with the great Muhammad Ali’s saying: “Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee.”

But Zahid could float like a butterfly without packing the sting.

He floated from faction to faction within Umno with lots of hot air keeping afloat for as long as it lasted. Right now he is floating on the lie that the Chinese are the main drug distributors, internet gambling den owners and vice operators.

One such instance was when he recently blew hot air that there was no foul play or negligence on the part of the police force when the RM1.3 million of weapons and equipment went missing.

To keep himself afloat, he needs to continue blowing hot air and with that, God knows what he would think of next!

Zahid Hamidi/Ali Rustam’s double comedy act had garnered some chuckles from Umno Majlis Tertinggi hopefuls. No surprise if they were actually having a good laugh at them!

However, you cannot really fault them opting to verbally attack the Chinese as is it the pen is mightier than the sword or keris?

So my friends, let them be edged in history as the stooges of Malaysian politics who thought as Mark Twain said: “Someone who thinks that they can drag us all down to their level and then beat us with their experience.”

With all they had said and done, sober and wiser Malaysians would see they for who and what they were – two Malays unfit to lead our people but were still leaders in Umno.

However, the comforting thought of that there were still some crème de la crème in Umno would offer us a glimmer of hope that the country would change for the better.

These two Malays would soon be impasse as they could not comprehend anything outside their grand delusions and would were contended with their idiosyncrasy because to them, that was the ultimate way to be accepted into Umno’s first tier leadership enclave.

Both were buffoons of the highest order who would never be sullied by intelligence, common sense or decency – truly a rare breed among us but not those in Umno!

CT Ali is a reformist who believes in Pakatan Rakyat’s ideologies. He is a FMT columnist.