Send In The Clown

The Malaysian Defence Minister was interviewed by TVOne via telephone.

"Finally!" I sighed out loud from the kitchen. I was about to prepare "Dada Ayam Terserah". Yupp. I do cook. Once in a blue moon.

Ayam Terserah because.. ya, terserah gue mau masukin apa. It all depends on the raw ingredients immidiately available at that moment. It's something I learned from Buntal, my housemate during uni days. However, Buntal's primary goal in preparing a meal was good tasting food.

Unfortunately, his primary is my secondary. My main concern is minimal mess.

So there I was in the kitchen, with a cleaver in hand, slicing the chicken breast while listening with all eargerness to the interview.

My hopes went high. I thought to my self, at long last, an official from the Malaysian Government was about to offer clarification on the sensitive issue at hand.

Mid way through the interview, my hopes went for a free fall.

I was half-expecting a wise minister speaking. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

"... itu di bawah Kementerian Dalam Negeri. Bukan di bawah Kementerian Pertahanan". Oh great! Ping-pong game?

".. saya belum terima laporan dari Menteri Dalam Negeri". After almost three weeks this incident surfaced and outraged Indonesians? More like a Menteri Dalam Tempurung.

If you're not prepared to shed light on the matter, why grant an interview?

And the killer moment.

The anchor asked for the upteenth time, what remedial action would Malaysia take on the issue. Our "wise" Defence Minister, audibly upset, shot back a question which clearly showed his lack of intelligence,

"... apa yang hilang?"

To which the anchor sharply replied,

"Kedaulatan negara".

I found myself half chuckling. I hope this guy doesn't end up becoming our Prime Minster.

Focusing back to my Dada Ayam Terserah, I prayed hard for the fate of Malaysian national security at the helm of this man.

I was no longer slicing delicately. It turned into forceful chops.