Editor’s Note: The Peekapoo (main pic) is a hybrid dog breed, a mix of the adorable Pekingese and the showy Poodle.
VETERAN journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin raised a very interesting question on social media when he revealed that “lapdog” is an alien expression in the Malay socio-culture for it is very rare for Malays keep dogs let alone pet them.
“After all, if UMNO were so fond of DAP that it would want to hold tightly in its arms, just beware that this could break a thigh,” cautioned the former UMNO member who deserted the party after 32 years at the height of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.
“Even DAP before jumping into UMNO’s lap, should consider first that it is bigger than UMNO. You’ve 40 seats in the Parliament compared to UMNO which has only 26 seats.”
In a reaction, netizen Chem Fox reckoned that since dog is the most loyal friend to men, it would be better to hire a dog as one’s loyal staff.
“This suddenly reminds me of the tale of big dog vs small dog,” reminisced the netizen to which Kadir remarked: “I’m a zillion percent sure that DAP is no poodle or Pekingese”.
According to Kadir, a more appropriate Malay expression for the new DAP-UMNO situation is ayam tambatan (literally ‘tethered rooster’).
“It is up to us to classify which party is the chicken and which party rears the chicken,” teased the former Bersatu supreme council member who claims to be a supporter of Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporter today.
“If we read mainstream media news and follow social media chats, we will find that the two political parties have been very staunch in defending each other. They have all of a sudden become the best of buddies.”
Added Kadir: “So we shouldn’t be surprised if the future line-up, pact or alliance is between DAP and UMNO.”
Interestingly, another netizen Ma Hussin Musa revealed that there are three dog species in Perikatan Nasional (PN) – “lapdogs, pet dogs, and guard dogs”.
“Bersatu became a lapdog to PAS given it was so cherished by PAS because Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was then a Prime Minister hopeful (ayam tambatan) despite the Bersatu president only knows how to crow more than anything else,” suggested the netizen.
“Meanwhile, Gerakan can be PN’s guard dog as it barked the loudest when the government introduced the Hadith 40 in the education curriculum. Moreover, Gerakan is also a pet dog to PAS given that PAS was willing to sacrifice its seat in Penang for Gerakan.”
Added Ma Hussin: “PN also has many ‘tethered roosters’ to become goal scorers during the state and parliamentary elections but unfortunately most of its ‘tethered roosters’ are old, have broken spurs or are expired!” – Sept 13, 2023
