Have we lost our minds?

 

In my youth, I once believed that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan would lead the country to a better tomorrow.

Yes, I cringe at the thought from time to time, considering where he ended up.

Even though years of adulthood had tempered my expectations since then, that sense of naive optimism never left me. I like to think that most people are inherently good-natured and act in good faith.

To some, that is foolishness. According to them, you should always assume that everyone else is out to get you and you should exploit every opportunity to gain an advantage over your adversaries.

It doesn’t matter if the threat was real or perceived, all that matters is that you strike your opponent down in the harshest manner possible with no quarter. Nobody exemplifies this approach better than our politicians today.

Every misstep, every perceived insult, every misspoken word, every gaffe is an opportunity to denigrate, mock, and run amok in retaliation. Add the toxic mix of racial and religious demagoguery that certain quarters love to indulge in and here we are today.

Heads must roll

A fire erupted at Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham’s home yesterday, destroying three cars. If not for a young couple passing by, who alerted the DAP leader’s family of the blaze, this may have ended in grave injuries or even deaths.

Authorities and Ngeh himself have said it is likely an act of arson, although investigations have yet to conclude on the matter.

This was assumed to be related to his proposal that non-Muslim constitutional experts should be included in the committee reviewing the syariah courts’ jurisdiction.

Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham

Perhaps I’m seeing this with the eyes of a non-Muslim, but that felt like a fairly innocuous statement that attempted to promote understanding between those of different religions, especially since it has been shown time and again that Islamic laws do affect non-Muslims, intentionally or otherwise.

Isn’t it important to not draft legislation in a vacuum in order to ensure fairness and justice to all? I believe the principles were crucial in Islam, as I’ve often been told.

Alas, I was but a fool. Ngeh was just another Chinese politician meddling in Islam, which he had no right to.

His proposal drew him an avalanche of vitriol from the usual suspects - right-wing politicians and agitators who only ever seem to talk about the “threat” against Malays and Islam - with the cherry on top being a reprimand from the Selangor sultan.

Predictably, DAP went fully into damage control mode and bent over backwards to apologise. But of course, the party practically castrating themselves before the altar of race and religion wasn’t enough. An example has to be made.

Words matter

Let us be honest, if this is indeed arson and was linked to Ngeh’s proposal, it fulfils the literal definition of terrorism.

This brings to mind the pipe bomb found under lawyer-activist Siti Kasim’s car last year.

Given the causes that Siti have often championed, I’ll let you take a stab at who might be responsible, given that the police investigation seems to have hit a dead end.

All this while the government of the day, led by supposed reformist Anwar Ibrahim, stood by doing nothing at best, or attempted to play to the gallery at worst.

At the same time, Anwar himself seems to be more comfortable with shutting down or diverting discussions on thorny subjects with his much-touted rhetorical and oratory skills.

Siti Kasim

Is it any surprise that public intellectual discourse has died?

Here’s the thing, politicians are leaders. They are supposed to be the best among us and, like it or not, many among us common folk take our cue from them.

Monkey see, monkey do. If politicians merely engage in mindless racial and religious rhetoric, some of which are so outlandish I’m not sure they believe it themselves, then their supporters would do so as well.

Some have argued that this is mere political theatre, as some politicians may be public enemies but close friends in private, and that most people can see through the facade and tell that they don’t really mean what they say.

Sure, but the keyword here is “most”. If even only a single person among a hundred people believes the racial and religious vitriol being spouted by these “leaders”, that adds up to tens of thousands of people when you consider how many supporters they have.

Is it so hard to believe then that among these “true believers”, some would take matters into their own hands after being whipped into a frenzy by irresponsible political rhetoric?

So instead of the endless antagonism between opponents, why can’t we just give each other the benefit of the doubt and try to get along? - Mkini

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LEE CHOON FAI is a member of the Malaysiakini team.