Number Junkies

Malaysian politicians could well learn a useful lesson about the 1Malaysia concept from the many betting shops that dot almost every town and city in our country. Step into any of these shops run by Magnum, TOTO or Pan Malaysia Pools, you’ll see what I mean : number junkies of diverse social, economic, political and religious backgrounds converge at these kedai nombor ekor betting on their hopes three times a week. They speak the same lingo-money. And they have one common aim : to win money.

Ask any number junkie you know, they’ll have some stories to share with you about winning and losing – mostly about winning, of course. Here are a few stories from real winners:

“One morning, I got up and I found an egg under my car. I bought my car number and won first prize.”

“I was taking a walk in the evening when I came across a security pass lying on a kerb. I picked it up and it turned out that the pass belonged to someone I know. I betted on the number on the pass and I won.”

“I was holding the baby and it kept crying and pointing in the direction of a box in the living room. The box had a four digit number on it. The number won me third prize.”

“I went to a TOTO shop and I had no idea what number I was going to buy. I betted $10.00 on a 6-D number I saw on a box in the shop and I won a million.”

Here’s a near-miss story:

“Aunty sold her old jalopy and bought a new used car. She betted on the old car number for two consecutive draws. When she stopped, her number came up third prize.”
Here’s one lucky winner who never stops winning:

“A few years ago, I was driving a pick-up and it plunged more than 20 feet into a ravine. Thank god, I survived. That evening a friend persuaded me to go with him to see a Chinese medium. I had no intention of seeing the medium, but when I got there the medium called me over. Astonishingly, he somehow ‘knew’ about my accident and even said that the deity (Tua Pek Kong) with the long white beard in my house had saved me. He added that I didn’t have to ask him for any numbers because from then onwards I’d be blessed with winning numbers.”

There are countless other stories about winning and losing in this numbers’ game and they range from the pedestrian to the bizarre or supernatural. But one thing is for sure: the odds are always against the better. And there are more losers than winners.

On second thoughts, perhaps this is not the 1Malaysia that the country needs, where the majority are losers. We should instead aim to be a country where everyone is a winner. Then, it’ll truly be 1Malaysia.

Selamat Hari Merdeka!