LUST for LIFE

UMNO Youth chief Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who caused concern among some communities when he unsheathed a keris, waved it in the air and then kissed it at the youth wing’s assembly in 2005, has set a tall order for himself. At this year’s youth assembly held earlier this week, Hishammuddin, who’s the son of Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia’s third Prime Minister, said:

The keris is unsheathed with the aspiration to defend our people and country, not just the Malays but also the non-Malays in the country. The Malay keris is a protector of all, just like the government of today will always protect people of all races. So don’t let anyone be fearful or nervous about this everlasting symbol.

Hishammuddin, who has been the country’s Education Minister since March 2004, also pointed out that he kissed the keris because he accepted the power and the responsibilities that came with it and pledged to be fair in discharging his duties. This could well be a KRA (key result area) for Hishammuddin. Hmmm, what will be his KPIs (key performance indicators)?

Earlier, in officiating the assembly’s opening, Deputy Umno President and Deputy PM, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said:

When Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj declared that the date of Merdeka would be 31 August 1957 at a special rally held in Bandar Hilir Malacca on 20 February 1956, he was handed a symbolic 100-year-old keris by Wanita Umno which the Tunku then unsheathed, kissed and thrust towards the sky. This act was witnessed with great jubilation and pride by all races who were overjoyed about the forthcoming independence. At that instance, the keris was a symbol of the success of a united struggle.

I guess time will tell whether the spirit of 1957 will be resurrected.