By David Koh and Joe Choo | Jul 09, 2009
I Ching And Tun Abdul Razak
From misunderstandings, people who get along by nature may find it impossible to meet in a formal setting but if there is inner affinity between them, they can still meet informally.
"Six in the third place means: one sees the wagon dragged back, the oxen halted, a man's hair and nose cut off. Not a good beginning but a good end."
Often, it would appear that everything is conspiring against the person. There are often hindrances and insults. Yet, he must persevere and stick with the group he belongs to. Despite a bad beginning, the matter will end well.
"Nine in the fourth place means: isolated through opposition, one meets a like-minded man with whom one can associate in good faith. Despite the danger, no blame."
Although in a group, the person finds himself isolated or ostracised by the others. However, if he meets a kindred spirit, he can prevail against the isolation and still achieve his goals.
"Six in the fifth place means: remorse disappears. The companion bites his way through the wrappings. If one goes to him, how could it be a mistake?"
The kindred spirit may be unrecognisable at first because of the general estrangement.
However, he will break through the "wrappings" to reveal his true character. Thus, the person must go to him and work together.
"Nine at the top means: isolated through opposition, one sees one's companion as a pig covered with dirt, as a wagon full of devils. First one draws a bow against him, then one lays the bow aside. He is not a robber; he will woo at the right time. As one goes, rain falls; then good fortunes come."
The isolation could have started from a misunderstanding, due to inner conditions (not external circumstances). A person will misjudge his best friends and become defensive. In the end, realising his mistake, he will mend fences. This resolves the tension and relieves the opposition.
In the context of Parliament House and the government of Malaysia, we can liken the external Fire element to the public. Fire also represents South, which also encompasses countries such as Indonesia.
Metal is an unyielding, determined and strong element. It is controlling, ambitious, forceful and single-minded. Internally, the country would try to be self-reliant and solve problems on its own.
At the beginning of this period, the ruling Alliance coalition comprising UMNO, MCA and MIC had suffered its worst ever electoral performance. Several stalwarts left with Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in the aftermath of the 1969 general election: MCA's Tun Tan Siew Sin resigned from all party and government posts in 1974. Tun V.T. Sambanthan stepped down as MIC president the year before.
Despite winning a simple majority in Parliament, the Alliance had lost a few states. It was practically isolated, rejected by voters and surrounded by "evil men", so to speak.
Emergency Rule
Malaysia was under emergency rule and Tun Abdul Razak ran the country. Ruling by decree, he was virtually a dictator. Yet, he did not attempt to consolidate his power by force, militarily or otherwise. Instead, he wooed opposition parties such as PAS, Gerakan and the PPP to form a bigger coalition, the Barisan Nasional. PAS joined the coalition briefly while the DAP rejected the proposal outright.
Thus, the allies did reveal themselves towards the end and Malaysia achieved its aims of remaining a democracy. UMNO's prodigal son, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, who was ejected from the party in 1969, rejoined in 1972. "If you lose your horse, do not run after it; it will come back of its own accord."
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The late Tun Abdul Razak did not attempt to consolidate his power by force.
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Despite opposition - a powerful Opposition indeed, after the 1969 elections - with seemingly polar-opposite views, Tun Abdul Razak managed to find allies and knit together a powerful new coalition at the end of the day. He attempted to solve the unity problem internally without any use of force.
The Rukunegara was promulgated as a gentle way to foster national unity. Bahasa Melayu was made a compulsory subject in an effort to create a common, unifying language (The merit of this is hotly debated to this day but it is beyond the scope of this series).
He also attempted to solve Malaysia's socio-economic woes by launching a myriad of development programmes, particularly those that benefited rural folk via agricultural programmes such as FELDA, and the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
Thus from a shaky start, the country recovered to end the period on a high note. All these are in line with the hexagram for this period. Uncanny, isn't it?
Unfortunately, Tun Abdul Razak did not live to see his selfless labours come to fruition. He passed away on January 14, 1976 while seeking treatment for leukaemia in London - two years before the cycle for this period ended.
Foot Note:
I Ching - The text we used comes from Richard Wilhelm and Cary F Baynes' translation, "I Ching: Or, Book of Changes" (3rd edition, Bolligen Series XIX, Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1967, 1st edition 1950). For readers who are new to I Ching, this could be a little heavy to read, and cryptic, too.
*This series on feng shui and real estate properties appear courtesy of the Malaysia Institute of Geomancy Sciences (MINGS). You can send in your queries on feng shui and properties via our feedback link at the bottom of the page. David Koh is the founder of MINGS and has been a feng shui master and teacher for the past 35 years.
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