Look Before You Leap

"and everyone of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver...."

if you can find out "by what means we may over-power him...." Judges 16:5

Much has been said about the coup d'etat in Perak these last several weeks and it saddens one's heart to see so much anger and hatred being expressed. I guess you cannot blame them, after all this is not something that happens everyday – in fact it has never happen before in our whole entire history since Independence!

I am a Perakian myself and I would be a hypocrite if I were to say I kept my cool thru it all, submitting all this passively to God's Will. My family has lived in this part of the world for five generations. I grew up in Sitiawan, home to the first Methodist church in Malaysia. Ironically, it is also home to Malaysia's most famous Communist leader, Chin Peng. In fact, his family home is only seven doors away from ours.

Sitiawan is a DAP stronghold, a Chinese majority. The BN government has been trying to wrestle this seat away from the DAP for the last thirty years or so without success. The folks here have a very different mentality. They fear God more than men. In this respect rather like PAS, I would say. So who said DAP and PAS have nothing in common?

Naturally, Sitiawan folks have nothing good to say about the way the government had sneaked up "like a thief in the night" and stole the State from the newly formed government of Pakatan right under their nose. The reaction from the Sitiawan folks was understandable judging from their past history but the reactions and sentiments from the other Perakians was I must say really took me aback. I was astounded by the fearless demonstrations both by the PAS supporters and the Chinese folks in Ipoh particularly and other parts of Perak in general. It was unprecedented. Just as the blogger Zorro commented - "the Chinese in Perak has arrived!" (meaning unlike the Chinese in other parts of Malaysia who are more kiasi).

Noticeably, the Chinese as a whole was only angry with one person, not so much the Sultan or Najib but one particular person by the name of HEE YIT FONG – now widely called "the Prostitute of Jelapang". The cause for this anger? Raja Petra Kamarruddin provides the answer crudely : "A Chinese made the restoration of maruah Melayu (Malay dignity) possible. She should be given the next Ma'al Hijrah award and be accorded Bumiputera status". A Malay said it, I did not.

State Assemblywoman of Jelapang, Hee Yit Fong had unwittingly and foolishly took upon herself to play the role of "Delilah" in the Malaysian history much to the scorn and ridicule of the Perakians specifically and the Malaysian public in general.

Who is Delilah and what did she do?
Delilah is listed among the Top Ten Bad Women in the Bible. She first appears out of nowhere in Judges 6:4 and mysteriously disappears after Judges 16:20. For someone who only has 16 verses in the Bible, she certainly played a big role in history and has been known as the ultimate temptress. Movies, books, TVs and operas have been written about her plot with the Philistines to emasculate Samson.

The name Delilah is a play on the Hebrew word laylah, which means "night"; it can also mean "flirtatious" or "inclined towards love". The name may hint that Delilah worshipped a goddess of sexual love, and was a sacred prostitute. I often shudder when parents name their daughters "Delilah". Which parent in the world would want to name their daughter after a famous prostitute?

The story describes the way Delilah, a Philistine prostitute, was secretly paid by the Philistines lords to find out the secret of Samson's strength, a hero of the Israelite people. The story is set during the period of Judges, when the Israelites were still attempting to gain a foothold in the land they had invaded, the years between the death of Joshua who succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites, and the beginning of the kingships of Saul, David and Solomon.

It was a time of social turmoil. All over the Mediterranean and the Middle East, people and nations were on the move and the Hebrew tribes, coming up from Egypt, were among these migratory groups. The beleaguered Hebrew settlers tried to find a place for themselves in a land already occupied by the Canaanites and Philistines (now covered by Israel and Lebanon). These two groups governed the land, particularly the fertile plains and sea-ports, through a sophisticated system of city-states. The Israelite tribes attempted to gain a foothold in the sparsely populated, less fertile hill territories. They looked for a hero and Samson's qualities made him ideal – not as a leader because he did not have the cunning or intelligence for that role, but as a fearless warrior who could protect them.

Archaeological research shows that their occupation of Canaan happened not by sudden conquest, as the Bible describes, but by gradual infiltration. The Canaanites and Philistines naturally resisted this intrusion, as the stories of Delilah and Samson show only too well. They were more technologically advanced than the Israelites, who for a long time had only a precarious hold on the territory. However, over a period of time the Israelites gained control of the extreme north and south of the country. Jerusalem while the fertile plain of Esdraelon remained under the control of the Canaanites, and the Philistines controlled the coastal area, particularly the five major cities on the southern coastal plain. As they put down roots, the Israelites gave up their nomadic life. Instead of being wanderers, they became farmers and herders of animals.

Delilah is introduced as a woman from the valley of Sorek, which in Hebrew means "vineyard valley". It is about twenty kilometers southwest of Jerusalem. At the time of the story, it was held by the Philistines. We are not told whether she was Israelite or Philistine. Perhaps the story-tellers took it for granted that she was a Philistine. We do not know for sure. However, she is widely accepted to be a courtesan, independent of either group.

The story is told in four different episodes:

1 Delilah and the Philistine lords, Judges 16:4-5. Delilah was approached by the powerful Philistine lords who ordered her to help them.

2 Delilah questions Samson, Judges 16:6-14. After the approach from the Philistine lords, Delilah set about finding the secret of Samson's strength. Why was he so much stronger than other men? How could the Philistines curb that strength, and so protect themselves against Samson? She asked him this questions three times, Three times he lied to her. Each time, when Delilah called out "The Philistines are upon you", Samson immediately broke the bonds.

3 Delilah learns the truth, Judges 16:15-17. By persisting, Delilah continued asking Samson to trust her enough to reveal his own weakness, but he was reluctant to do this. The story seems to be told by someone with an insight into human psychology. Samson recognized her power over him, and struggled fruitlessly against it.

4 Samson's hair is cut off, Judges 16:18-21. Ultimately, Delilah's persistence paid off. Samson confessed to her that the secret of his strength was that he was a "nazir". Being a "nazir" meant that Samson had been consecrated to God at birth, had never drunk wine, and had let his hair remain unshaven throughout his life. Soldiers who fought a "holy war" often left their hair long - this is hinted at in a previous description of soldiers in Deborah's army (Judges 5:2). Apparently ancient Spartan soldiers go into battle with their long hair unbound and tangled to make them look more frightening.

She then sent a message to the Philistine lords. The Philistine lords came, bringing the money promised to Delilah. From that moment, we hear no more of Delilah. Delilah enjoyed a comfortable retirement. The money they offered her was enough to free her from "working" for the rest of her life.

Throughout this whole story, Delilah's emotions are not mentioned. This omission dehumanizes her, as if she was detached from what was happening. Perhaps she had good reason to hate all Israelites. Perhaps not. We do not know the terms of the arrangement Delilah made with the Philistine lords, or what she expected would happen to Samson. In the context of the times, she probably expected a quick death for him, rather than the protracted torture which eventually followed his capture. Samson's eyes were gouged from their sockets and he was thrown into prison. However, he lived and his hair began to grow.

In one of the most dramatic scenes in the Bible, Judges 16:22 gives an ominous glimpse of what is in store for the Philistines, as Samson's hair began to grow back again. His strength came back. He waited for the right moment, and then took his revenge. Samson will kill himself and many people when he topples the building at the great celebration in honor of Dagon, a fertility god and patron of the city of Ashdod (Judges 16:23-31). Delilah it seems was absent from this horrifying event. If she had been among the dead, this fact would surely have been noted.

How is this story relevant to what happened in Perak?
I am not a politician and I am not a member of any political party but like all responsible citizens, I vote every 4 to 5 years. Since Malaysia do not have an anti-hopping law and speaking as a non-partisan bystander, this whole discussion will then revolve around the moral and ethics of hopping - how you hop and why you hop do make a lot of ethical and moral difference especially when done in the dark and not above board.

Just like the Israelites, Pakatan too had just possess the land of Perak from the BN (Philistines)and were struggling to a gain a foothold in this land for the last 11 months. BN naturally resisted this intrusion and attempted to regain their hold on this land. They approached Hee Yit Fong to help them, bringing money and promises.

The reason why she agreed to help them

For someone who has been serving her political party, DAP for 22 years the reasons she gave for "helping the Philistines" was certainly very shallow and serves only to reveal her low-intellect and weakness of character. It is of no wonder "the leaders of DAP had sidelined her" as claimed by her. Would you want a person like this to represent you in the Assembly?

If you cannot get along with your Pastor, for God's sake just change church. You don't have to become a Jehowah Witness just because of that. The whole Methodist church falls because of you. I am sure not only will you incur the wrath of the people, you will also surely incur the wrath of God. DAP and BN stands on entirely different beliefs - the former in a multi-racial society while the latter practices race-based policies.

Irregardless of whether she was paid or not for hoping over to the other side, public perception will always be, she did. To the Malays, she will always be "that Philistine women". To the Chinese she is a disgrace, a "tor shui kar" in Cantonese - the one who brought shame to the family. Like a prostitute she has served her purpose, her services is no longer needed. After being used, she will be discarded. She sold her soul and her country (State). Like Delilah, she too will soon disappear from the Malaysian history only to be remembered by future generations as "the Prostitute of Jelapang" and the Top Ten Bad Women in Malaysia.

In the meantime, Perakians has given our MB a new name - "Hang Jebat" a fearless Malay warrior during the Malacca Sultanate who ironically also defied the Sultan at that time. Doesn't he remind you of Samson? Like Samson, our MB too did not have the intelligence to preempt BN. Delilah betrayed Samson and cause the Israelites to lose their land to the Philistines. Hee Yit Fong betrayed the MB and cause the Perakians to lose their government to BN.

Our MB has promised he will defend the people of Perak till the last drop of his blood. He like Samson, may soon be imprisoned. The Question remains - Is he willing to die together with the Philistines like Samson? We will wait in anticipated breath as the story unfolds before our eyes....

It would be interesting to see God's providence unfold in this drama. Will we have a Samson to deliver us? If I were Najib, I would be very careful from now on and try not to step on these peoples' toes. Don't play, play. Remember PAS is a party that claims they will die for God. This could be the beginning of the end for Najib. I very scared lah.

The Moral of the Story is.....

Think very carefully the next time you are faced with a life and death decision – look before you leap. You can either end up a Hero and be remembered by society as the one who saved your contry or end up a traitor and be remembered by society as the one who sold your country to the enemy. Three names have been sullied by this event - the Sultan, Najib and especailly Hee Yit Fong. One wonders whether they will ever be able to reclaim back their credibility. The Prostitute of Jelapang has betrayed the trust of her MB and party and cause the collapse of the State government due to her greed for power and success. Remember Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name is to be chosen, rather than great riches”. Do not become another Hee Yit Fong. May we all live up to the name God has given us: The Children of God..

Character is something that is built and proven over time. And the way we develop character in our lives is by consistently making choices to follow God's way - not our own way - each and every day.

By the way, Welcome To Malaysia where Money talks and Morals take a walk – Truly Asia, Truly Corrupt.