As a dog chases its tail

Even as we need the incompetent to step down, we need the competent to step up.

Braindrop, The Rakyat Times

In my 20 years of breathing, I’ve only known one person who wanted to grow up to be a politician.

He was a classmate in college.

He had confided in me that he planned to get elected, then steal as much as he could for as long as he could before moving to Singapore, hopefully with his Datukship intact.

Happily, he has been cursed with the laugh of a cartoon villain, so I doubt he’ll be appearing on campaign posters anytime soon.

I asked my aunt whether she knew anyone that had aspired to be a politician when she was young.

She told me ‘no’, but she knew this guy who idolised John F. Kennedy. Arguably, it could have been for the same reason I idolise Hugh Hefner.

As a final check, I asked my dad.

He interacts with young people pretty often. His response was the same: not one of them aims to become a politician.

In my case, my ambition changed a few times. It started off with my wish to become a businessman, then a street bum, and after that I lowered my expectations and decided to breed ornamental fish.

Then it changed again, this time to my becoming a teacher and it has stayed the same, since. Having a career in politics never crossed my mind.

‘Not popular among the youth’

It seems that becoming a politician has never been something very popular among the young. The fact that it still isn’t amuses me, considering how today’s youth are so much more politically active and aware.

You could say that politics just isn’t the sort of thing young people are expected to be attracted to. But I think the same holds true for many of the elder generation as well.

Again, this includes the politically aware and active. I suppose now they’re busy building on the careers that did attract them in their adolescence.

A few years ago, there was this little thing called the ‘Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement’ (MCLM). It handpicked potential candidates to endorse.

However, it did not limit itself to just party members but instead, looked at the whole pool of Malaysians that fit its requirements. Requirements, I should mention, that were not limited to ‘can this guy win for us?’

These were truly men of the people being chosen to lead and help the rakyat. Whether or not this movement was a pioneer of its kind, I thought it was a truly wonderful concept, with romance and realism in proper measure.

Sadly, MCLM faced internal problems and the candidates it chose to support did not put their names up for candidacy.

A shame, because I would have loved to see Malik Imtiaz take Pekan from Najib.

You must have read about a thousand articles and stories by now about how a certain minister is highly corrupt, or that Member of Parliament is childish during parliamentary sessions.

We may be outraged, but should we be surprised?

As it is, we have politicians in office who range from cartoonish to downright devilish. They don’t serve their intended purpose, and so we make a noise and march in protest for them to either buck up or step down for someone better.

‘Be warned’

And we warn the replacement that the same will happen to him if he doesn’t do his job properly.

But, for this system to work, I believe that as important as it is to pressure and force those who don’t do their job to resign, there must be an adequate number of suitable and willing people to occupy those positions once they are vacant.

My point is that we ought to keep in mind that even as we need the incompetent to step down, we need the competent to step up.

Otherwise, as the dog endlessly chases its tail, so will we too be endlessly protesting against our politicians.

I’m not saying there are no decent politicians out there. There are.

But make a list of them.

Now, make a list of the politicians you would like to see replaced.

I doubt they add up.

And considering how popular the choice of becoming a politician is among members of the public, where will those additional numbers come from?

Bangladesh, perhaps.