A FEW years ago, I had a newspaper column titled ‘Tower of Babel.’

The focus was on the quirks and oddities of the English language. At times in the past few days, I have felt the title most appropriate to describe the country and the multitude of Malaysians talking at cross-purpose, talking trash, talking politics, talking to hear themselves (or not hear themselves in a few cases like the Perak assemblywoman who would rather live with a snake). It may be comforting to think that this cacophony of con icting voices is part of the process of democratic empowerment, a welcome change from the years when His Master’s Voice thundered down from on high and not too many dissenting squeaks were heard. However, when the massed choir is not chorusing in tune with each other, I am tempted to mentally reach for ear-plugs or disconnect from the Net. My auditory receptors would be quite happy just listening to the seductive tap-tapping of high-heels, but I cannot be deaf to the Menteri Besar of Kedah who wants to cull old trees before they rot and fall down in the forest, becoming useless pulp. Leave aside the point that if the ecological balance of water catchment areas is tilted, any shortfall in rain will affect not just the ablutions in neighbouring States but also the padi- elds of Kedah. Leave aside the bigger picture of the cycle of birth, growth and death leading to mulch for new growth, and if you want to extend the analogy, then take it back to the churning beginnings of our planet when forests were buried and brewed to become the expensive fuel of today. (To be reasonable, one can’t expect the MB to think of voters millions of years down the road.) Leave aside the point that there must be alternative means of raising revenue for development. As a senior citizen, I was prompted, by the whiff of prejudicial ageism, to wonder about the age of the Menteri Besar, and thought he should get together with the president of the MIC to bemoan the fact that while many people have the full complement of ve physical senses, some have not been given a sense of irony. Case in point: Datuk Seri Samy Vellu justifying the demand that the party’s youth chief relinquish his position because “we have to give way to young blood”. Belated 72nd birthday greetings, Datuk Seri. Is the new anthem getting members humming and drawing in recruits? Are the messages on the new letterheads getting across? Is anybody convinced? My impression when I trawl the Net is that many have made up their minds and taken sides, and there is little dialogue, more a clamouring for attention and a haranguing of those who don’t see eye-to-eye. Whatever the ndings of the police may be in the latest allegation of sodomy against the former DPM, one side is going to say, ‘No, I don’t believe’, and the other is going to say, ‘There, I told you all along’. One side is complaining about dastardly conspiracy, the other is dwelling on traditional wisdom that the observation of smoke proves the existence of re. The Bible’s reference to the Tower of Babel in the city of Babilu (today’s Baghdad) does not say what happened to it after God took exception to the hubris of the people who thought they could reach to the heavens, who undertook the construction not only to worship false religions but to make a name for themselves. The divine punishment was to confound the people by making their one voice break into different languages, with a consequent scattering of divergent tribes because of incomprehensible differences. Imagine, over 20 million Malaysians bristling and bursting with torrents of Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Hindi, Tamil, Arabic, Indonesian, Iban, Kadazan (this list doesn’t even come close to being exhaustive) words. What this country needs urgently are more translators and sub-titlers, because while on occasions, I may long for a lessening of squawking and squealing, in the long run I would prefer to put up with contentious debate than sit at the mute table of those who say certain issues are sensitive and should not be talked about. Thor Kah Hoong is an under-achieving Malaysian because he is master of only one language, and only competent in another language and dialect.

Source: Malay Mail – July 1, 2008