I AM IN the foothills of the peninsula’s main mountain range, off Gopeng. It is early morning, 7am. From the balcony of my room, I throw pellets from a bag provided by the hotel to the multitude of pink and gold fish in the pond. They go into an occasional frenzy as the food hits the water surface, giving up the natural and harmonious swimming pattern they had a minute ago.
Two things occur to me. First, how finding food is the major concern of the fish as soon as the Sun is up. Second, how I, with my collection of smelly pellets that I dispense with a wave of my hand, am like the State. I feel the privilege, and the power. My largesse decides how the mass of fishes behave. I decide where and when they go into a frenzy.
