Onstage with her entire exco members in front of cheering supporters, Jamilah could barely hold back tears of joy at the final result of the Selangor state election - for Parti Amal had swept clean the entire state!
The guerilla political campaign had proven to be far more successful than any of them had anticipated - thanks to the brilliant marketing strategies executed by Charlene via their fastfood outlets - with large buttons depicting an orange diamond with the single word ‘Amal’ given out free to all the fastfood patrons in community campaign to drive safely while near schools. Flooding the populace, these later became the hallmark of the political rallies.
The website too was a huge hit among the online community and many gladly printed out the acronym ‘RiP’ on their own orange T-shirts when a virtual protest was run against noisy motorbikes at night disturbing everyone’s sleep. Eventually turning into a rather influential lobby forum championing all kinds of public complaints, the ‘RiP’ monicker became the website’s tagline and the benefits spilled over to the political push too.
All these were possible because Parti Amal had remained dormant since registration, with nobody really paying much attention to its initial leadership of lawyers. Munusamy had choreographed their exit brilliantly by every one of these lawyers symbolically carrying together an oversized ‘Amal’ button to the Shah Alam mosque on the Friday afternoon after the state assembly was dissolved - where it still stands - before nominating the actual exco members now on-stage lapping up the supporters’ cheers.
But, what happened in the subsequent days still remains a talking point among voters all over the state. Taking to heart Rizal’s concerns about possible injuries and unnecessary scandalous behaviour, none of the Parti Amal candidates had conducted any public rallies. Even their attendance on nomination day was low-key with only four party representatives, including the candidate and a back-up, riding bicycles on the final one kilometre stretch to submit the necessary documentation.
Then, while political rallies and ceramahs were conducted furiously at every possible location and time over the subsequent 10 days alloted for political campaigning, Parti Amal candidates and members were conspicuously absent from public sight. There were instead video clips and selected live streams posted on the Amal website of them going about their usual business of helping people in their communities with no pomp or fuss.
Instead of blanketing the streets and other structures with banners and posters, the message sent out via the website and fastfood outlets urged supporters to just wear their ‘Amal’ buttons or ‘RiP’ T-shirts so as “not to litter our environment”. When such free T-shirts and buttons were handed out at the fastfood outlets, they were snapped up quickly - prompting many other alert enterprising hawkers to sell these of their own accord for a tidy profit.
The website had also listed out the full exco list for Parti Amal, with at least three other candidates ready to step in if the preferred nominee wasn’t eventually elected - urging everyone to conduct their own checks into the background of these candidates and to go meet them at their various stations strategically located next to the company’s fastfood outlets. All these candidates had, as a matter of course, resigned immediately from the company on nomination day - but they had been the faces interacting with the community via the website and soup kitchens for many months beforehand, resulting in them already being familiar faces to many in the state.
As such, the voracious media looking for soundbites and nifty comments had to mine the blogsites of these Amal candidates, which were updated daily with just activities and thoughts on how they have already improved the lot of many in Selangor. Questions posted directly to the candidates at the stations were responded to immediately while online comments and queries were attended to promptly by a team led by Charlene.
So, in thanking Selangor voters for giving such whole-hearted support to Parti Amal, Jamilah acknowledged all these efforts leading up to the state election. “I am also glad to say the His Royal Highness, the Selangor Sultan has consented to grant an audience to me and my proposed exco members at his palace tomorrow afternoon. I have been informed by Palace officials the Sultan has no objections to a female Menteri Besar, but it is best to hear what he has to say before I can definitely be sure I can serve the people of Selangor in that capacity.”
One of the raging exchanges during the nomination period had been Jamilah’s gender as there had not been a female state leader ever in the nation’s history. Still, the overall tone had been positive and the other political parties had been put on the defensive, with their female candidates becoming being the most visible in any electoral campaign so far.
Another tactic that had caused the other political parties to stumble was the racial card - Parti Amal had presented a team concept for every candidate with all three major races present, together with representations from various minorities and persons with disabilities. Overall, the proposed state exco represented in its racial mix the national ratio - leaving no one any grounds to complain.
But Jamilah had one more major announcement before she stepped off the podium. “I will also be proposing to His Royal Highness our intention to serve out our full five-year electoral term and we plan to call for the next state election roughly three months before our term ends.”
Awkward silence fell onto the crowd as the enormity of this statement sank in. Taking the opportunity, Jamilah quickly explained: “The three-month buffer is in case of any delays needed should there be any major reason why we might need to postpone the state election, but we hope there won’t be any reason to do so. We would like to assure everyone in the state we’re here to do our job and we want everyone to have some certainty as to how long exactly we have to fulfill our responsibilities. Hopefully, all of you will want us to stay on for another term and more!”
Loud cheers erupted and the newly elected candidates waved their thanks to all their supporters. It took a while before they were able to leave the stage and just as she stepped off, Jamilah stopped as if she had an afterthought and spoke directly to the TV cameras and microphones zoomed in on her.
“By the way, please note tonight’s election results means we’re also giving notice starting from today to everyone who has any contracts with the state, based on the various termination clauses.”
Other Parti Amal officials quickly stepped in to whisk Jamilah away, leaving the stunned reporters with no chance to seek clarification on her last statement.
ends
GUERILLA POLITICS in SELANGOR is a satire on how an "altruistic" billionaire secretly funded and formed the next Selangor administration - making it the inspiration of the nation
Monday 26 September 2011
Chapter 2 - Forming the strategy
After the initial shock and following Munusamy’s gracious agreement to defer any decision on the political quest until all the other directors had some time to read through and examine the ‘movie script’, Rizal had tried to talk to his daughter on the matter - but she was wily enough to avoid him until everyone had gathered again around the conference table the next evening.
Still, he was glad Munusamy had stepped aside from chairing this meeting - in compliance with their long-cherished convention - since it was his script and plan the board was to decide on after all.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I don’t like Jamilah heading this project.”
Signalling her to remain seated, Munusamy asked: “Why Rizal? What’s wrong with her qualification and abilities?”
As usual, Rizal came prepared with notes that he pulled out of his short pocket. “Firstly, she’s a woman and I seriously doubt the voters would want to have her as the Menteri Besar.”
“Rizal, you’re showing your age with such a sexist mentality. Do you seriously doubt your own daughter’s capability to do the job?” Munusamy questioned.
“I’m fully confident in her abilities,” came the response. “But, I’m not sure if the conservative Muslims ...”
Rizal didn’t get to finish as the other immediately spoke up in protest and it took a while before calm was restored.
“Let’s make this simple,” said Munusamy. “You’ve brought up a valid point as politics is definitely more about impressions than the facts. We’ll tackle this issue later, but I take it you have no serious objections about the plan to take over Selangor?”
Rizal hesitated, then shrugged. “The plan sounds about right if, and I must point out this is a very strong if, the Registrar of Societies approves the formation of our political party.”
Munusamy smiled broadly. “The application was approved two days ago. That’s why I gave Jamilah the script to read through.”
With this, Rizal signalled surrender and Munusamy then turned to Jamilah. “Well, what do you think?”
Jamilah gave the thumbs-up. “Since my three kids spend most of their time with my mum anyway, there won’t be a problem. And my husband’s catering business practically runs itself now, he’ll be able to help out with whatever I need. We’ve already had good practice during the six months while I was directing my last movie and maybe we can use the behind-the-scenes footage to counter any smear campaign of me being a lousy wife and mother. This will be the most fun I’d had in years!”
“Hold on to that enthusiasm, Jamilah. You’re going to need it as the journey will be long, tiring and likely to be nasty,” advised Munusamy. “Now, on the party name - does anyone have any opinions?”
“Parti Amal or the Right Party sounds just right, if you’ll forgive the pun. I’m sure the party mission will go down well with voters because we’re not planning to change the laws too much except to do what’s already largely in place,” said Raymond.
“I’m not sure of the English acronym of ‘RiP’ as it sounds like ‘rest in peace’ in the ‘being dead’ sense, although the intent is otherwise clear,” said Charlene. “The Malay short name of ‘Amal’ is perfect, though.”
Noting there weren’t any objections, Rizal took back the discussion mantle. “What about the orange colour to represent vibrant action?”
Again, there weren’t any objections and the proposed logo of a kite diamond too was okayed. It was when the campaigning strategy came up for discussion that concerns were raised.
“While I like the idea of presenting a possible exco line-up even before the election, I don’t like our company being stripped of almost two-thirds of our senior and middle level staff,” said Raymond.
“It’s time the underlings are given a chance to prove themselves. Same with our bankable actors, there are many more talents just waiting to be given the opportunity to play lead roles in our movies,” argued Munusamy.
Seeing Raymond unhappy, but unwilling to contradict the boss, Jamilah chipped in. “Chances are not everyone nominated will be voted in. That’s why I like how the proposed exco line-up has each two back-up candidates to take over. So, it isn’t going to be that bleak an outlook for the company.”
Rizal allowed himself an inward smile at how his daughter naturally took on this concern so well. “What about our fastfood outlets being used for campaigning purposes? As it is, we’ve had a hard time over the past 10 years or so convincing everyone these outlets can function well as soup kitchens after 9pm. How are we going to avoid flouting campaigning rules?”
Jamilah had a ready answer. “For one, the areas in front of our outlets are open to the public and I hardly see our company refusing the rentals to hold rallies there.”
Munusamy nodded and gestured her to continue.
“Also, what better gesture to the people we are serious about delivering on our promises for the better good instead of just lining our own pockets?” Jamilah asked.
Rizal didn’t seem to be satisfied. “Are you also going to register everyone who also happens to come to our soup kitchen as a political supporter or vice versa? And don’t you think this will annoy our loyal supporters who have continued to buy food at our fastfood outlets to be later distributed at the soup kitchen if there’s any chance those attending the political rallies might monopolise food meant for the needy?”
“Also, what about possible security problems if anyone decides to cause trouble or any intimidation by shouting and physical threats? What about cowards who might throw Molotov cocktails or worse? If there are enough daring idiots to desecrate places of worship before, you’d simply be turning our fastfood outlets into new targets for them. Also, what about ensuring the safety of our people, especially staff who aren’t part of this political project? You’ve also got to think of their children, who might be intimidated in schools by their peers or anywhere they go.”
There was total silence when Rizal finished. Jamilah simply glared at her father, daring him to say more, but he simply leaned back in his chair to indicate he had made his point.
Munusamy eventually acknowledged: “I didn’t think of such negative elements, but you’re right. We have to be prepared for such attacks on our character, families, friends and properties. Maybe this idea isn’t so great after all.’
Jamilah immediately responded. “Since when were we such cowards? You showed us with both the movies and the fastfood outlets cum soup kitchens that such projects are worthwhile doing regardless of the odds and the high chance of failure. Maybe the stakes are higher now, but I’m sure my husband and children are ready to face the challenges, come what may. I’ve been called worse before in gossip columns and I still am able to stand proud despite anything done to destroy my reputation. I don’t look forward to becoming the first political candidate fatality during the campaigning, but I’m prepared to be the first martyr if is to be so.”
“I’m not,” said Rizal quietly. “As your father, I also realise I can’t stop you if you’re mind’s made up, Jamilah.”
“This is too important for all of us,” replied Jamilah. “What’s the worst that can happen to any one of us? Most of our company income comes from abroad anyway and all staff will be taken care of financially. Everything else is just talk and words, which can’t hurt us unless we let them. But, let all our staff in on this proposal and let them speak up. If we can’t practise true democracy among ourselves, how can we then expect it of the state electorate?”
“Maybe there’s another way,” suggested Charlene. “What if we undertake guerilla tactics? Let’s not campaign at all.”
Seeing the puzzled expressions, she explained: “What if we print promo pamphlets from now with the message ‘We deliver’ in the orange diamond? We can flood this into the state via all our fastfood outlets, movies, banner ads, billboards, TVCs and every opportunity we can. Then, when the state election is finally called, we simply give out these same pamphlets with the party name printed on them too.”
“Also, it’s time to start gaining more attention to our charity and community outreach focus. Let’s set up a website where the public are invited to suggest where we can deliver solutions still within our means now. We can even name the website ‘Amal’ from now so that we don’t have to make major changes later. I can think of more such ideas as we go along.”
For the first time in the discussion, Rizal allowed his smile to show. “Are you sure you don’t me to be part of the Right Party?”
Still, he was glad Munusamy had stepped aside from chairing this meeting - in compliance with their long-cherished convention - since it was his script and plan the board was to decide on after all.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I don’t like Jamilah heading this project.”
Signalling her to remain seated, Munusamy asked: “Why Rizal? What’s wrong with her qualification and abilities?”
As usual, Rizal came prepared with notes that he pulled out of his short pocket. “Firstly, she’s a woman and I seriously doubt the voters would want to have her as the Menteri Besar.”
“Rizal, you’re showing your age with such a sexist mentality. Do you seriously doubt your own daughter’s capability to do the job?” Munusamy questioned.
“I’m fully confident in her abilities,” came the response. “But, I’m not sure if the conservative Muslims ...”
Rizal didn’t get to finish as the other immediately spoke up in protest and it took a while before calm was restored.
“Let’s make this simple,” said Munusamy. “You’ve brought up a valid point as politics is definitely more about impressions than the facts. We’ll tackle this issue later, but I take it you have no serious objections about the plan to take over Selangor?”
Rizal hesitated, then shrugged. “The plan sounds about right if, and I must point out this is a very strong if, the Registrar of Societies approves the formation of our political party.”
Munusamy smiled broadly. “The application was approved two days ago. That’s why I gave Jamilah the script to read through.”
With this, Rizal signalled surrender and Munusamy then turned to Jamilah. “Well, what do you think?”
Jamilah gave the thumbs-up. “Since my three kids spend most of their time with my mum anyway, there won’t be a problem. And my husband’s catering business practically runs itself now, he’ll be able to help out with whatever I need. We’ve already had good practice during the six months while I was directing my last movie and maybe we can use the behind-the-scenes footage to counter any smear campaign of me being a lousy wife and mother. This will be the most fun I’d had in years!”
“Hold on to that enthusiasm, Jamilah. You’re going to need it as the journey will be long, tiring and likely to be nasty,” advised Munusamy. “Now, on the party name - does anyone have any opinions?”
“Parti Amal or the Right Party sounds just right, if you’ll forgive the pun. I’m sure the party mission will go down well with voters because we’re not planning to change the laws too much except to do what’s already largely in place,” said Raymond.
“I’m not sure of the English acronym of ‘RiP’ as it sounds like ‘rest in peace’ in the ‘being dead’ sense, although the intent is otherwise clear,” said Charlene. “The Malay short name of ‘Amal’ is perfect, though.”
Noting there weren’t any objections, Rizal took back the discussion mantle. “What about the orange colour to represent vibrant action?”
Again, there weren’t any objections and the proposed logo of a kite diamond too was okayed. It was when the campaigning strategy came up for discussion that concerns were raised.
“While I like the idea of presenting a possible exco line-up even before the election, I don’t like our company being stripped of almost two-thirds of our senior and middle level staff,” said Raymond.
“It’s time the underlings are given a chance to prove themselves. Same with our bankable actors, there are many more talents just waiting to be given the opportunity to play lead roles in our movies,” argued Munusamy.
Seeing Raymond unhappy, but unwilling to contradict the boss, Jamilah chipped in. “Chances are not everyone nominated will be voted in. That’s why I like how the proposed exco line-up has each two back-up candidates to take over. So, it isn’t going to be that bleak an outlook for the company.”
Rizal allowed himself an inward smile at how his daughter naturally took on this concern so well. “What about our fastfood outlets being used for campaigning purposes? As it is, we’ve had a hard time over the past 10 years or so convincing everyone these outlets can function well as soup kitchens after 9pm. How are we going to avoid flouting campaigning rules?”
Jamilah had a ready answer. “For one, the areas in front of our outlets are open to the public and I hardly see our company refusing the rentals to hold rallies there.”
Munusamy nodded and gestured her to continue.
“Also, what better gesture to the people we are serious about delivering on our promises for the better good instead of just lining our own pockets?” Jamilah asked.
Rizal didn’t seem to be satisfied. “Are you also going to register everyone who also happens to come to our soup kitchen as a political supporter or vice versa? And don’t you think this will annoy our loyal supporters who have continued to buy food at our fastfood outlets to be later distributed at the soup kitchen if there’s any chance those attending the political rallies might monopolise food meant for the needy?”
“Also, what about possible security problems if anyone decides to cause trouble or any intimidation by shouting and physical threats? What about cowards who might throw Molotov cocktails or worse? If there are enough daring idiots to desecrate places of worship before, you’d simply be turning our fastfood outlets into new targets for them. Also, what about ensuring the safety of our people, especially staff who aren’t part of this political project? You’ve also got to think of their children, who might be intimidated in schools by their peers or anywhere they go.”
There was total silence when Rizal finished. Jamilah simply glared at her father, daring him to say more, but he simply leaned back in his chair to indicate he had made his point.
Munusamy eventually acknowledged: “I didn’t think of such negative elements, but you’re right. We have to be prepared for such attacks on our character, families, friends and properties. Maybe this idea isn’t so great after all.’
Jamilah immediately responded. “Since when were we such cowards? You showed us with both the movies and the fastfood outlets cum soup kitchens that such projects are worthwhile doing regardless of the odds and the high chance of failure. Maybe the stakes are higher now, but I’m sure my husband and children are ready to face the challenges, come what may. I’ve been called worse before in gossip columns and I still am able to stand proud despite anything done to destroy my reputation. I don’t look forward to becoming the first political candidate fatality during the campaigning, but I’m prepared to be the first martyr if is to be so.”
“I’m not,” said Rizal quietly. “As your father, I also realise I can’t stop you if you’re mind’s made up, Jamilah.”
“This is too important for all of us,” replied Jamilah. “What’s the worst that can happen to any one of us? Most of our company income comes from abroad anyway and all staff will be taken care of financially. Everything else is just talk and words, which can’t hurt us unless we let them. But, let all our staff in on this proposal and let them speak up. If we can’t practise true democracy among ourselves, how can we then expect it of the state electorate?”
“Maybe there’s another way,” suggested Charlene. “What if we undertake guerilla tactics? Let’s not campaign at all.”
Seeing the puzzled expressions, she explained: “What if we print promo pamphlets from now with the message ‘We deliver’ in the orange diamond? We can flood this into the state via all our fastfood outlets, movies, banner ads, billboards, TVCs and every opportunity we can. Then, when the state election is finally called, we simply give out these same pamphlets with the party name printed on them too.”
“Also, it’s time to start gaining more attention to our charity and community outreach focus. Let’s set up a website where the public are invited to suggest where we can deliver solutions still within our means now. We can even name the website ‘Amal’ from now so that we don’t have to make major changes later. I can think of more such ideas as we go along.”
For the first time in the discussion, Rizal allowed his smile to show. “Are you sure you don’t me to be part of the Right Party?”
Chapter 1 - Taking the plunge
"What kind of country are we living in?" Munusamy spat in frustration.
His fellow directors seated around the conference table simply shrugged silently, knowing that the boss would soon come up with his own answer to this rhetorical question. Munusamy always had, even to the most challenging conundrum - which is why he headed one of the most successful production houses in the country, with five blockbuster movies that had so far grossed over US$3 billion globally.
Therein lay the nub of the issue - the firm's latest script had been rejected by the Malaysian Censorship Board, even though it had been written by the Entertainment Minister's award-winning son and was well within the ruling government's policy stand against the now-defunct Malayan Communist movement.
"What do they mean that we're glorifying the communists? This script potrays them as sex-starved radicals who fail in their attempt to pillage a village of all their women, young and old, and are wiped out by the combined armed forces in a spectacular fight with explosions all over!"
"I really don't understand why. It's a fantastic script that any movie lover would enjoy and chances are that we could have another blockbuster on our hands. Imagine how much money we stand to make for ourselves and also the country! Imagine the tourism potential from the curious who want to visit this village."
"Did the censors even bother to read the script before rejecting it? Or did they simply say no because it was written by their minister's son?"
The fiery red of his eyes seemed to flare even brighter. "Could it be that they've also been sucked into this never-ending torrent of politicising any and every issue possible, to be seen as not condoning any cronyism and nepotism, instead of just focusing on the script's merits alone?"
At this juncture, Munusamy seemed ready to tear apart the conference table with his bare hands. But, seeing the bemused expressions of his fellow directors, he visibly reined in his temper and lowered his flailing hands to his side.
Then, in a steely voice that none of them had ever heard before, Munusamy continued. "This time, I'm no longer amused or tickled by this nonsense. If everything is going to be dragged into politics, then maybe it's time we raised the ante."
Wary of this new Munusamy before them, the directors looked worriedly at each other.
"If the only way we're going to get this script produced is by dragging it into politics too, maybe it's time we did it."
Eyebrows raised, Rizal, the deputy chairman, asked: "Why are you taking us on that first step down the slippery slope? Don't we have enough problems as it is with our own businesses?"
Seeing the other directors nodding in agreement with Rizal's concern, Munusamy responded: "Why not? What's stopping us from starting our own political party and running the country the way we want it to be? If Arnold Schwarzenegger can get elected Californian governor and Ronald Reagan could go all the way to become US President, what's stopping us here?"
Eyes rolled and all the company directors sighed. There was no stopping Munusamy once he got into this mood. Like a stubborn terrier, he was going to do exactly what he'd suggested - never mind what anyone else thought or advised.
"If there's anyone here with doubts that we can pull it off, maybe it's time to speak up now. We can't afford any naysayers once we go down this path," Munusamy said evenly.
Immediately, three hands shot up.
Raymond, the chief operating officer, was the first to explain why he did so. "If you're going to be busy with the politicking, you'll need somebody to continue running this company so that you'll have the funds needed and also to make sure you have a place to return to if you fail."
"Thank you Ray, I'm glad you're staying out of this venture and I appreciate your sacrifice. But, take note that I'll be announcing this plan to everyone in the company and chances are that you might end up with a skeleton crew."
"You can't be serious!" groaned Rizal, who had also raised his hand. "I thought we'd yet to decide on this crazy idea of yours."
"Of course I'm serious," replied Munusamy. "What's your reason for wanting to stay out?"
"At 62, I'm too old to be traipsing around villages, listening to all kinds of petty complaints and pretending to smile while my joints ache something fierce. Since I won't be able to stop you from going ahead with this stupid plan, I'll play your devil's advocate and point out where and when you step out of line."
"That sounds fair. And Charlene, why's your hand up?"
Charlene, the production director, pointed at Ramond. "He's explained why. Who's going to produce your campaign materials to make sure you win? If you going up against the big boys, you'll need some very clever people who can focus on giving you the necessary support services."
Munusamy smiled. "I'm glad no one has actually said this is a very bad idea, apart from Rizal. But, I'm not going to head this plan."
Everyone was surprised and Rizal finally took the bait. "So, who's going to be your puppet?"
"This person is no puppet, though I believe our sound advice will be well received. It's like choosing a director for any movie we choose to make, and this is going to be our biggest production yet."
The silence was so complete as everyone waited for Munusamy to name the individual he had in mind. And when he finally did, she actually smiled - to everyone else's surprise.
Rizal was the first to speak, turning to accuse his long-time partner. "Munusamy, have you been discussing this with my daughter all this while and kept us in the dark?"
Munusamy just spread his hands and let Jamilah speak for herself. Which she didn't, though her grin grew broader.
"Come on now, will either one of you please explain just what's going on?" asked Rizal.
In response, Jamilah just took out a stack of bound paper from her favourite leather sachel and slid it across the conference table to her father. "This is a script for a possible new movie which the boss gave me last night to look though. He asked if I wanted to be the director."
Warily, Rizal flipped open the bound booklet and glanced at the summary pages. He then slid the book over to Raymond and asked him: "Were you aware of this new script?"
Raymond shook his head. "As you well know, we get scripts all the time. What's so special about this script?"
"Just read the summary page," Rizal instructed.
"Written by K Munusamy..." Raymond's voice trailed off. "Judging by the track record alone, this could be another blockbuster on our hands."
"Stop the nonsense, Raymond. We're talking about being dragged into the mudpit here and not some celluloid fantasy. And besides, are you really sure you want to be a part of this, Jamilah? You're our financial controller now and the last movie you directed was five years ago. And let me remind you this is no movie!"
"What are you really annoyed about Rizal? Are you really that sure we're going to fail with this project even before you've read the full proposal, even if it has been written as a draft movie script?" Munusamy asked.
Rizal visibly bit back on his words before finally responding. "I know it's your money to do with as you please. But, there are a lot more at stake here. A movie can be lousy and everything can still be okay. Can we afford to have a whole country fail and be turned into a mockery?"
"Let me answer your last question first," said Munusamy. "The country's already been turned into a mockery by our politicians. And besides, we're only aiming to go for one state - Selangor - and not the whole country."
Rizal narrowed his eyes. "Why take on such a strange tactic? Are your serious about this project or not?"
"It's a smarter way to get what we really want as both the average and corporate citizens of our beloved Malaysia. By showing everyone what can be achieved in one state, the other state governments and also the federal agencies will have no choice but to follow our examples. I'd like to call this guerilla politics."
His fellow directors seated around the conference table simply shrugged silently, knowing that the boss would soon come up with his own answer to this rhetorical question. Munusamy always had, even to the most challenging conundrum - which is why he headed one of the most successful production houses in the country, with five blockbuster movies that had so far grossed over US$3 billion globally.
Therein lay the nub of the issue - the firm's latest script had been rejected by the Malaysian Censorship Board, even though it had been written by the Entertainment Minister's award-winning son and was well within the ruling government's policy stand against the now-defunct Malayan Communist movement.
"What do they mean that we're glorifying the communists? This script potrays them as sex-starved radicals who fail in their attempt to pillage a village of all their women, young and old, and are wiped out by the combined armed forces in a spectacular fight with explosions all over!"
"I really don't understand why. It's a fantastic script that any movie lover would enjoy and chances are that we could have another blockbuster on our hands. Imagine how much money we stand to make for ourselves and also the country! Imagine the tourism potential from the curious who want to visit this village."
"Did the censors even bother to read the script before rejecting it? Or did they simply say no because it was written by their minister's son?"
The fiery red of his eyes seemed to flare even brighter. "Could it be that they've also been sucked into this never-ending torrent of politicising any and every issue possible, to be seen as not condoning any cronyism and nepotism, instead of just focusing on the script's merits alone?"
At this juncture, Munusamy seemed ready to tear apart the conference table with his bare hands. But, seeing the bemused expressions of his fellow directors, he visibly reined in his temper and lowered his flailing hands to his side.
Then, in a steely voice that none of them had ever heard before, Munusamy continued. "This time, I'm no longer amused or tickled by this nonsense. If everything is going to be dragged into politics, then maybe it's time we raised the ante."
Wary of this new Munusamy before them, the directors looked worriedly at each other.
"If the only way we're going to get this script produced is by dragging it into politics too, maybe it's time we did it."
Eyebrows raised, Rizal, the deputy chairman, asked: "Why are you taking us on that first step down the slippery slope? Don't we have enough problems as it is with our own businesses?"
Seeing the other directors nodding in agreement with Rizal's concern, Munusamy responded: "Why not? What's stopping us from starting our own political party and running the country the way we want it to be? If Arnold Schwarzenegger can get elected Californian governor and Ronald Reagan could go all the way to become US President, what's stopping us here?"
Eyes rolled and all the company directors sighed. There was no stopping Munusamy once he got into this mood. Like a stubborn terrier, he was going to do exactly what he'd suggested - never mind what anyone else thought or advised.
"If there's anyone here with doubts that we can pull it off, maybe it's time to speak up now. We can't afford any naysayers once we go down this path," Munusamy said evenly.
Immediately, three hands shot up.
Raymond, the chief operating officer, was the first to explain why he did so. "If you're going to be busy with the politicking, you'll need somebody to continue running this company so that you'll have the funds needed and also to make sure you have a place to return to if you fail."
"Thank you Ray, I'm glad you're staying out of this venture and I appreciate your sacrifice. But, take note that I'll be announcing this plan to everyone in the company and chances are that you might end up with a skeleton crew."
"You can't be serious!" groaned Rizal, who had also raised his hand. "I thought we'd yet to decide on this crazy idea of yours."
"Of course I'm serious," replied Munusamy. "What's your reason for wanting to stay out?"
"At 62, I'm too old to be traipsing around villages, listening to all kinds of petty complaints and pretending to smile while my joints ache something fierce. Since I won't be able to stop you from going ahead with this stupid plan, I'll play your devil's advocate and point out where and when you step out of line."
"That sounds fair. And Charlene, why's your hand up?"
Charlene, the production director, pointed at Ramond. "He's explained why. Who's going to produce your campaign materials to make sure you win? If you going up against the big boys, you'll need some very clever people who can focus on giving you the necessary support services."
Munusamy smiled. "I'm glad no one has actually said this is a very bad idea, apart from Rizal. But, I'm not going to head this plan."
Everyone was surprised and Rizal finally took the bait. "So, who's going to be your puppet?"
"This person is no puppet, though I believe our sound advice will be well received. It's like choosing a director for any movie we choose to make, and this is going to be our biggest production yet."
The silence was so complete as everyone waited for Munusamy to name the individual he had in mind. And when he finally did, she actually smiled - to everyone else's surprise.
Rizal was the first to speak, turning to accuse his long-time partner. "Munusamy, have you been discussing this with my daughter all this while and kept us in the dark?"
Munusamy just spread his hands and let Jamilah speak for herself. Which she didn't, though her grin grew broader.
"Come on now, will either one of you please explain just what's going on?" asked Rizal.
In response, Jamilah just took out a stack of bound paper from her favourite leather sachel and slid it across the conference table to her father. "This is a script for a possible new movie which the boss gave me last night to look though. He asked if I wanted to be the director."
Warily, Rizal flipped open the bound booklet and glanced at the summary pages. He then slid the book over to Raymond and asked him: "Were you aware of this new script?"
Raymond shook his head. "As you well know, we get scripts all the time. What's so special about this script?"
"Just read the summary page," Rizal instructed.
"Written by K Munusamy..." Raymond's voice trailed off. "Judging by the track record alone, this could be another blockbuster on our hands."
"Stop the nonsense, Raymond. We're talking about being dragged into the mudpit here and not some celluloid fantasy. And besides, are you really sure you want to be a part of this, Jamilah? You're our financial controller now and the last movie you directed was five years ago. And let me remind you this is no movie!"
"What are you really annoyed about Rizal? Are you really that sure we're going to fail with this project even before you've read the full proposal, even if it has been written as a draft movie script?" Munusamy asked.
Rizal visibly bit back on his words before finally responding. "I know it's your money to do with as you please. But, there are a lot more at stake here. A movie can be lousy and everything can still be okay. Can we afford to have a whole country fail and be turned into a mockery?"
"Let me answer your last question first," said Munusamy. "The country's already been turned into a mockery by our politicians. And besides, we're only aiming to go for one state - Selangor - and not the whole country."
Rizal narrowed his eyes. "Why take on such a strange tactic? Are your serious about this project or not?"
"It's a smarter way to get what we really want as both the average and corporate citizens of our beloved Malaysia. By showing everyone what can be achieved in one state, the other state governments and also the federal agencies will have no choice but to follow our examples. I'd like to call this guerilla politics."
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