On Pointe - What else can I write about?

STUMPED is how I feel at the moment. It's not writer's block – let's call it bamboozled. It's got a nice ring to it too.
The dilemma is, what should I write about this week? So many things come to mind especially with the events of the past month or two alone, but the warnings of stern action on media outlets does contribute to this bamboozled, stumped feeling. I don't want to be silenced into writing fluff but I also don't want to spend time in a police station. So I went through a list of possible topics and here's what happened.
First I thought I'd write about donations. After all, there are a lot of organisations and people wanting or needing donations, and it's getting harder to secure money without strings attached. Charities and non-profits have to be more creative and enterprising these days. Then there is that dreaded "A" word – "accountability" and everything else that comes with it, like good governance and transparency. We can't simply take money without accountability of what we do with it and transparency of where it came from. After all, if I have to declare all my income yearly on tax return forms or risk being fined and put in writing which recognised charities I've donated to, how come a RM2.6 billion donation … OK, I can't finish that sentence, it seems to be too touchy a subject for this week. Better not write about it.
Next topic! Maybe I can write about our growing funny bone. Lots of comedians around these days. Even the news makes us look like clowns and creates jokers of us all. It reminded me of when an analyst speaking about the political climate in Indonesia said that, with the regime shift from dictatorship to democracy, one noticeable change was that there were less cartoons, satires and jokes about the state of the nation. When the country was in bad shape, political humour was widespread. There seems to be an epidemic of jokes and political humour circulating here wouldn't you say? Malaysians are a funny lot, and if we were to measure our current state of humour against the observation above, the conclusion is that we are moving in the opposite direction of democracy, and that as a nation we are in bad, bad shape. Not a good sign, I better stop right there. Not everyone can take a joke. Lots of sensitive people around, so better sober up and steer clear of the jokes. Next topic.
How about writing about our democracy. It is after all the month of August where we remember the shouts of Merdeka as a symbol of our freedom and all the good things democracy brings. Essentially, the separation and balance of power, upholding the rule of law, legislative autonomy, an independent judiciary, a pluralistic system of political parties, independent institutions, respect for political rights, accountability, transparency and media freedom. Nope, not a good idea especially since asking questions and critical thinking can be misconstrued as activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy. Don't be too smart, loyalty is the way to go, so best not to write about these things.
Maybe I can write about the concerns of the depreciating ringgit and how that affects our savings, long-term investments, retirement plans and daily standard of living. Why is this even happening? Perhaps those two fellas, Fitch and Moody need to explain this in layman terms especially since they gave us A's for our performance. But it gets a bit muddy and muddily as it will bring up the controversy surrounding a certain debt-laden state fund. Not a good idea, change the topic.
Let's see, what else can I write about? Maybe something less contentious. Cleaning tips perhaps since I'm in the midst of spring cleaning the kitchen. Let's talk about how to keep cabinets clean and rodent free. But it seems there are quite a few people who have also cleaned and reorganised their cabinets recently. So might be best to write about something else.
Perhaps I can write about our education system but even that has become a bigger political issue than a welfare issue. Everything is everything these days. Maybe I should just watch cute cat videos and eat home cooked GST-free fried rice instead – it might just be the cure for my bamboozled thoughts.
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