Politics...yeah, yeah I know it’s not exactly a topic some of you'd be interested in but with the upcoming elections in Malaysia and the current political struggle between US presidential candidate John Kerry and the clinically retarded George W.Bush, I just had to say a thing or two abt this matter...
the perennial dictum is that the political scene in every single country on the planet is shitty. yup. there’s no doubt abt it. it doesn’t matter whether it’s in Malaysia or the US, everywhere the administrative environment is riddled with greed, corruption and injustice. it’s so terrible that it really sickens me and that’s probably why some ppl just plain refuse to talk or get involved in politics.
I believe that the central idea of a government is the formation of a systematic administration, an organization given the authority to rule over the ppl, to make decisions and policies which would benefit the society as whole. but apparently that doesn’t seem to be the case in reality. those in power are more interested in getting themselves richer by the day and maintaining their power, influence and authority. in a world where democracy is thought to be the ‘ideal’ form of govt, I really wonder whatever happened to the whole idea of a “government of the people, by the people, for the people” that Abe Lincoln mentioned at Gettysburg more than 14 decades ago.
I'm no supporter of any political parties in Malaysia, but there are things done by the government that really ticks me off. this is not to say that the opposition is any better, they too have their own share of idiotic moments but as the current ruling party, I’m expecting much more from the government. some might say that I'm just being naïve, that it can't be helped that corruption exists within the administration. well I say that’s pure 100% , approved-with-seal-of-quality BULLSHIT. the govt. is elected by the ppl and they are supposed to serve the ppl. the ppl are the ones giving them their authority and I’ll be damned to cut them some slack for allowing this Tan Sri, or that Menteri to be involved in some scandal or just plain abuse their power for their own personal gain
what I really don’t get is how we can claim Malaysia as a democratic country. the mainstream media is govt. controlled, so anything that would go against the ruling party is not allowed. what kind of shit is that? I thought a democratic country was supposed to be a nation where the ppl can freely express their voices and opinions, as a reminder and to whip up the govt. should they fuck up with their jobs, but NO...everything portrayed on the media has to be abt how the govt. has helped improve the country, how this Dato’ visited and helped some poor villagers and how the opposition is nothing but a bunch of whiny misfits who are not fit to rule the country... hardly(or even never) do you hear abt some high official in the administration getting his ass busted w/ some shady dealings or a professional critic/political analyst publicly criticizing the policies of the govt. on national tv. I’m not trying to deny the many wonderful contributions the govt. has made but the media is supposed to provide the ppl with factual information, regardless whether it favors the ruling party or not. however, time and again it has clearly proven to be just another tool for political propaganda, so where’s the fairness in that? what’s so democratic abt a country where it's hard to even criticize your govt. openly?
and the case with Anwar Ibrahim...oh damn...that’s just more bullshit...let’s say that he was indeed guilty of those charges. let’s say he did commit sodomy and he was involved in malpractice and corruption, but hold on...isn't it strange?? how come all of these charges, all of these allegations only began to surface after he was sacked? how come the accusations only began when he decided to go against our then-PM Mahathir? you don’t have to be a nuclear physicist to figure out something’s wrong there. apparently, the ugly side of every politician is only revealed when the govt. decides that they have no use of him/her. I’ve heard that new PM is enthusiastic abt battling corruption within the administration, but until I actually hear the news that he lets his own close political partner exposed, I still have my doubts of his intentions.
on a larger scale, the global political scene is even worse. I’m gonna say that I’ve never liked our former PM Mahathir because he was just as crooked as any corrupted bastard in the administration. HOWEVER, I will admit and respect him for the great leader he was and how he helped mold Malaysia into what it is today. but what truly made me admire him is because unlike those bunch of cowards in the Arab world, this guy actually had the balls to condemn America and its pro-Israeli policies in the Middle East. tell me, what has the OIC done to help remedy the situation in Palestine? it’s all talk and no action. did they even do anything worthy of mentioning to help improve the situation in Muslim countries, esp those of the Third World nations? did any of the Arab kingdoms do anything at all to prevent the US’s UN-unsanctioned invasion of Iraq? not a diddly squat. and why? because of self-interest. they have beneficial political interests in maintaining a healthy (or at least considerable) relationship with the world’s strongest superpower. so why should they bother?
sometimes it does make me wonder why is there so much injustice in the world. why do ppl practice nepotism? why do you do ‘favors’ to help out a friend when you have political power? after giving some consideration, I thought that the answer can actually be traced back to our human nature. just like some of the Arab countries that are pro-US, we believe in maintaining our self-interest first. given the opportunity, every man wants to give the best for his family, maybe even his close friends but more importantly, himself. likewise, politicians are the same too. they have power and the authority. it’s only human nature that they would want their family members (and themselves) have special privileges. I mean, if you were someone in a high position, wouldn’t you want to send your children to the best school there is? wouldn’t you give your family members/close buddies a higher consideration regarding work contracts or available job positions? would you refuse to “help” an old friend from high school, even though it might involve pulling some strings (read: use your political power/influence)?
like I said, it’s all human nature. sometimes you may feel that you don’t want to, but the feeling of guilt, the pressure from what your family members or friends would think of you if you don’t help them, makes you resort to the abuse of your own political power for their benefit. it’s perfectly understandable and maybe even natural, but is it right? NO. to me, if you are an honest and responsible politician, you have to be someone who looks no one in favor. you don’t do special favors or any backdoor assistance for friends, family members or even your own spouse just because you can. you are a person who is even willing to sentence your own parent if he/she is found guilty. now that, is what I call a truly honest and just politician. there’s a saying that goes “you’ve got to be cruel to be kind”. well I say “you’ve got to be cruel to be just”.
America is right now the best example of a country ruled by a bunch of brilliant, conniving and dastardly men with their own self-interests regarding the invasion of Iraq and almost every single international tragedy in the world. too bad their front man/leader is an Ivy League graduate who’s a complete dumbass who not only can’t deliver speeches properly, but is stupid enough to get himself nearly choked to death while eating pretzels. he lied not only to the Americans, but the whole world by claiming that Saddam Hussein had WMD. and this is the same man who also bitched abt how Iraq was violating human rights and Osama bin Laden is an evil terrorist while keeping a blind eye and ignoring the fact that the Israel Defense Force committed many war crimes in the military operation in Jenin. oh, the hypocrisy of it all. and I’m still wondering why the hell is that asshole still in the office...
*image courtesy of "AaronIsGodOnEarth", posted on Fark.com
I guess if Spiderman believed that “with great power, comes great responsibility”, I bet politicians on the other hand believe “with great power, comes great opportunity to abuse that power”. too many ppl have suffered because of one’s own interest and because he or she has the political power to do it. what pisses me even more is that the ppl are actually helpless to do anything abt it. everyday you are spoon-fed by facts and information that the politicians want you to believe. it’s already hard for ppl of the middle classes to avoid from all of the propagandistic bullshit, so it’s really no wonder why those of the lower classes blindly follow what the corrupted leaders tell them to do.
in the end, the problem of politics as we see today is indeed perpetually perplexing. unless people are willing to change, the never-ending cycle of corruption and abuse of power will continue and we the ppl, will forever suffer and be taken advantage of...
