Of Pigs and Politicians

I have been thinking about my blog topic this week for the past few days and actually did have something in mind. But this morning another topic occurred to me and I thought I wanted to get it off my chest by blogging about it.

As the non-existent readers of this blog would know, I never blog about politics. This is not because I'm not interested in the subject but more because I feel that adding more rants--of which most socio-political commentaries are--serve no purpose. There are tons of them around and I have nothing new to say. Nor am I an insider with a first-hand knowledge of things in the corridors of power. But what I am interested in is the psychology politics, politicians, their supporters and the masses, who are the ultimate victims or beneficiaries of the political game.

Comments about politicians are often cynical: they are doing what they are doing for power or other greedy selfish interests. It is often said also in Malaysia that it is politicians that divide us with their rhetoric on race and religion. Actual everyday Malaysians live in harmony with each other and will help each other irrespective of skin-colour or creed.

I think that view is absolutely naive. Politicians are not much different in terms of their 'greed' or 'selfishness' from ordinary people. They are a reflection of who we are--just an exaggerated version. It is very much like how social media amplifies the good and the bad in our society. They are the manifestation of our deepest hopes and fears. They are neither devils or angels, only caricatures of ourselves pushed to the fore by voters who need a vehicle for their expression.

The ordinary citizen is not more virtuous nor moral than politicians. True, to become a politician, one requires certain qualities. I can never see myself as one. But if there's a political figure who believes and expresses the views and principles that I also hold, obviously I would support him or her fervently. Politicians exist because they have support---they exist because we need them to channel our beliefs and principles on how our government should function.

The greed for power does have something to do with a lot of political intrigues in any country. But even ordinary people are seduced by power, just that there is no opportunity for it to surface yet. You want power because you want to be able to command others to do things that you believe in and enjoy the privileges that you think you are entitled to, or get away with.

If you look at how 'ordinary' citizens behave when they are customers in a restaurant: chastising waiters when they get an order wrong, making demands which they are entitled to as a paying customer, you'll see the root of that instinct manifested in our politicians. Politicians are just the embodiment of the ordinary flaws and foibles of society, writ large.

The seemingly selfless NGO leader, who works tirelessly in a charitable organization and criticizes the corrupt political leadership of the country, when put in the position or power, will also face the same criticisms. This is not to excuse the corruption and ineptitude of the government, which in many cases is true but let's not view the world in black and white. 

Everyone has flaws and when you are a public figure, every action of yours, whether good or bad is judged in a very superficial way. The opinion the masses have on a politician is never nuanced. It is the nature of the human mind to make instant judgements and put someone in specific box, often with scant information.

An ordinary citizen who uses his company resources which are within his authority for some harmless, even reasonable personal purpose, gets a way with it because it is trivial. But a politician in power with the authority to award million dollar contracts at his whim, is considered corrupt if he takes such liberties.

Again, this is not to excuse the bad behaviour of our politicians. They are just no better and no worse. The real political leader is someone who understands such human weaknesses and chooses to rise above them. But they are few and far between. 

I don't love or hate politicians. But I do not believe that we'll be better off without them. When you think that we have gotten rid of them, like the chickens and the horses in Orwell's Animal Farm, we will find that the pigs who have taken leadership, are no better.