Politicians testing people's patience

A ROCKER capped a breathless week by showing off his boxer shorts, and many got their knickers in a twist as a result. This week, thus far, has been a snoozer, but surely we should not bet on that.

Nevertheless, grant me a rant on the past week.

It was indeed surprising, the sanctimonious tone adopted by some of us against politics -- and politicians, too, surely -- for all the sordidness our tender ears have had to endure.

But did we not lap up all the juicy bits to help down the teh tarik? And when things got too hot, we suddenly found our moral compasses and showed disgust? I must confess, it took me a while to be offended, too. Not many things can faze us Malaysians.

When it is our man getting the stick, we are indignant and righteous. But when it is the other guy, it just has to be true. In dictionaries, this would be called hypocrisy. In Malaysia, it could be a legal document called statutory declaration.
If you believed the private eye the first time, why not the second time around? Or vice versa? Surely he has done enough to impeach himself that a trip to the court would be a sheer waste of time and petrol.

People will believe whatever they want to believe, making saints out of sinners, or sinners out of saints, regardless of what is put in front of them.

The past week has reaffirmed that the so-called liberals can be as rabid, dogmatic and undemocratic in their opinions, as well as unflinching in their righteousness, as the people they seek to discredit or get replaced. Surely, a free-thinking liberal is an oxymoron.

Pakatan Rakyat abandoned its moral high ground to rail against the Perak Barisan Nasional opposition for the latter's claim that it would be forming the next state government soon, presumably by convincing some Pakatan members to defect.

The Perak BN gave Aug 31 as the date for the switch, two weeks ahead of the Pakatan plan for the change of Federal Government on Sept 16. The Perak BN, needing just two turncoats, is more likely to be successful.

The irony is that having boasted of crossovers from Sabah and Sarawak, Pakatan can only mutter under its breath and contemplate the possibility of losing a state. But should we be encouraging any of this?

Of course, what we should be doing is screaming in disgust and telling our politicians that there are many other things that need to be done.

For example, a national transportation policy like we really mean it. How about an energy policy? And what do we do for natural gas now that people are investing in tanks for their cars? Nuclear energy, is it for us, or not?

But of course, we and our politicians are less inclined to think of the serious stuff. Parliament is a place for grandstanding. I do not believe that single mothers living on welfare amid rising prices are impressed by the glib and glide of our MPs in the house.

The miracle that is the Internet has now shown us its full potential. It is of course a great equaliser, where anyone can publish and be damned. It encourages diversity in opinions, promotes discussions and all the other good things that a democracy needs.

But the fine print also suggests that it is an avenue for lies, slander, hearsay, name-calling, and digital tarring and feathering. Some of them tend to stick, too.

As much as we embrace the technology, which we should, and promote activities like blogging and postings, which we must in the name of diversity, we find in ourselves major deficiencies, especially a sense of fair play. This is a trait often amplified by anonymity.

While all is fair in love and war, surely even in matters of such import, scruples count, too.