Expedition to The Land of Green

Star Q

i.  Vanilla Melty Hershey

ii.  Perkhemahan Pengawas

iii.  Pictures for Discussion

Image sourced from Google

Malaysians are a determined lot.  Everything seems to be "Malaysia Boleh!', which in a way is a good thing because it gives other people who are not Malaysians the impression that we Malaysians are able to undergo and overcome any obstacle and emerge victorious and smelling like roses!

Roses aside, there is something that does not smell quite right about the impending expedition by a group of young people to Greenland!  There is no argument about the group's intention (and that of their sponsors) to do something that others have not done before; to make a name for Malaysia, as it were.  And there is nothing wrong about selecting this specific group of people to represent Malaysia in that quest.

The only thing that I and I presume many other concerned Malaysians are thinking about is, what happens once they reach their destination.  Set up camp, stick a Malaysian flag or two there, yell 'Malaysia Boleh', spend a few days there and then head home?  Is that all?

I would think that for an expedition as momentous as this, there would have been more than the things I mentioned above planned.  I would think that the easiest thing could be done to immortalize Malaysians' 'landing' on Greenland soil would be to plant a time capsule of some sort containing the names of the group members and memorabilia about Malaysia for example; one that would warrant a second expedition in say, another quarter of a century in the future.  I would think there would be some kind of scientific research that could be, like testing the endurance of cold weather clothes with the lining made from palm oil husk, for example.  

In a nutshell, an expedition as expensive as this (even though sponsored) should have more than yelling 'Malaysia Boleh' as its objectives.  I mean it should not only be remembered for that, just like the group that climbed Mount Everest.  People would want to remember this group as people who did it for history and science for example, rather than just for being in Greenland.

No.  I am not a sour grape for not having the opportunity to go to Greenland.  But since I already have these thoughts about the more important reasons and objectives to be there, I would think twice about being a part of the group.  

The responsibility of being a representative of a nation of twenty-seven million would be so great that it is a weight on my shoulders that I would not want to bear unless I can carry them really well.

Note : If in case any of the suggestions in paragraph four (or more!) has indeed been included in the expedition's objectives prior to this posting, then this entry can only applaud all the efforts that are being made to realize this ambition.