AS I was browsing the Internet last week, I found a syair or traditional Malay poem that appears to be apt in describing the current political upheaval as it reflects the sheer ugliness of politics.

The poem, titled Syair Nasib Melayu (Poem on the Fate of the Malays), is believed to have been written by the late Tengku Nasyaruddin Effendy or Tenas Effendy, a Riau-Malay literary scholar.

The verses of the poem were read out by popular preacher Ustaz Datuk Haji Badli Shah Alauddin in his religious talk at the Sultan Ahmad Shah mosque in October last year. The crucial verses of the poem, loosely translated, go like this:

Pantang bersiasah, tidak senonoh (Unabated to conflict, one becomes indecent) 

Cabar mencabar, mencari musuh (Challenging each other, thus creating nemesis)

Ke dalam bertikai, keluar bergaduh (Disputing inside, getting into altercations outside)

Rakyat sengsara, negeri pun runtuh (The people suffer, the nation collapses)

Pantang bersiasah, menurutkan nafsu (Unabated to conflict, one becomes lustful)

Berebut kuasa, palu memalu (Grabbing power, battered by blow after blow)

Tamakkan harta, tak ingat malu (Avaricious for material possessions, honour is abandoned)

Negeri rosak, banyaklah seteru (The nation in ruins, enemies are abundant)

Pantang bersiasah, mabukkan pangkat (Unabated to conflict, intoxicated by positions)

Berebut kedudukan, jilat menjilat (Contending for stature, excessive flattery and bootlicking)

Berebut kuasa, hambat-menghambat (This game of power-grab, is to impede and inhibit)

Negeri rosak, nama pun cacat (The nation is ruined, the good name too is tarnished)

This is the beauty of traditional Malay poems as they embody the Malay psyche and wisdom in many aspects of life, including politics.

Traditional Malay poems, especially the classical ones, are written in appealing, rhythmical phrases, and they contain messages in the form of advice, admonition and prohibition.

One thing for sure, they are the pearls of wisdom based on the learned Malays' observations, reflection and perceptions of their natural, cultural environment and practical experiences of their lives.

Poems by Tenas Effendy and many other Malay poets mirror the wisdom, thought and philosophy of their society.

Now reflect on this. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic with a deteriorating economy, political parties — with just too many Malay politicians in the fray — are squabbling with each other under the pretext of putting back the so-called democracy on track in this country.

I believe there's a pressing need for politicians to fully understand the grave situation the people are in right now.

The "game of thrones" must stop as the people are in the lowest ebb of misery.

They are finding it hard to fathom why their members of parliament could assume their duties in helping the people while at the same breath, they indulge themselves in excessive power-play by wresting authority and ousting each other.

I'd say to these politicians to wait for the next general election and see which coalition the rakyat favours.

I may be naïve in politics, but the political bickering and demanding a change of government during the height of a public health crisis are the lowest form of politics that only serve the politicians' and parties' interests.

Help the government of the day stop the spread of the pandemic first. It is ironic to see that the pandemic, which should have brought the nation together, is exacerbated by the endless growing political divide, especially among Malay political leaders.

Partisan affiliation is not good for the country; in fact it would ruin it.

In one political party, for instance, the leaders and members are split, with one side wanting to remain supportive to the ruling coalition with the intent of helping the government in its National Recovery Plan.

At the same time, we're seeing opportunists who like to menangguk di air keruh (to fish in troubled waters), ready to sacrifice democratic convictions as long as the end justifies the means.

It's a shame that we have to go through a two-fold-blown crisis like what we're experiencing now, although we accept the fact that sometimes, it's just unavoidable.

There has to be a middle ground to call for a truce between the feuding political parties.

I'm sure politicians would anticipate the consequence of their actions today as we do not want our future generations to inherit a ruined country with disrepute and bad politics like the poem implies.

The writer, a former NST journalist, is a film scriptwriter whose penchant is finding new food haunts

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2021/08/716034/malay-poem-warns-how-things-can-end-badly-nation