And suddenly, it’s April

Time, indeed, is too fast for those who enjoy, too slow for those who suffer but for those who know how to love, time is eternity. Time is too fast for the outgoing administration, too slow for those not in the administration. But for those who see the light, time is timeless.

For those who are directly and indirectly affected by the COVID-19, this episode with the virus and its multiple variants had been too long and overly extended. When will this end, and when will the deaths, the sufferings, the pains, and the fears subside? Time is too slow, indeed, and the government is losing funds for vaccines and for ayuda. The people are losing hope and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel because the tunnel seems not to have any end.  The numbers of mortality keep on rising and the government is losing steam in addressing the malady. The people are losing faith, too, in the ability of our health authorities to crack this pandemic nut. The darkness of hopelessness has lingered too long. The people are hungry, angry and restless, impatient, and on the brink of giving up.

But for those who are in charge, for those in government, time is too fast. They are running out of days, of weeks, of months. Soon, it will be goodbye.  If they cannot explain well the whys and the wherefores to the people, in a language simple and sincere enough, then, they really should be overcome with panic. The masses are now in a state of critical boiling point, if the government cannot find any credible script on how to explain the rising statistics to the people, then we all have a problem. While the numbers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam have not reached our levels, why are our statistics rising? The Palace spokesman does not exude sincerity. The frontliners are tired and are on the brink of surrender. Therefore, those in the administration should indeed become jittery, fidgety, and overwhelmed with a sense of panic.

The opposition, on the other hand, feels that time is too slow. That is why 1Sambayan is in a hurry to organize and launch a massive campaign for new members and propaganda. This new group of retired and disgruntled seniors are taking over because the mainstream opposition members are too slow and too weak, too fragmented and palpably lacking a common theme, a common leader and there is no apparent overall conductor among all the many voices, singing varying tunes. That is why they are at odds with each other. They are not a symphony but a cacophony of clinging cymbals and noisy gongs, to borrow Saint Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, each one trying to sound better than the others. This is the problem with a multi-party system. They are not giving the people a clear alternative.

And suddenly, it's April. All of a sudden, it's Holy Week. Before we know it, it will be October, and time to file one's candidacy. Then, Christmas, and New Year won't be far behind. After that comes the May 2022 elections. Politics and politicians will come and go, but there is a strong indication that COVID is going to stay. Time is the enemy of those who are in a hurry, and a friend of those who have no reason to rush. To those who understand the meaning of it all, time is just the distance between what is and what is desired. Those who do not know how to connect the dots should really be jittery. But those who know the way can just smile the days away. Because their eyes are on the light, the answer which the rest do not see.