Some people question why I am so interested in Tamil Nadu politics.
First of all, I am interested in it because I am interested in it. Period.
I don't owe an explanation to anybody as to why I am me. If I think of something, feel something, am interested in something or view something in a particular way, I don't intend to apologise to anybody for it, as if I am given to believe that there is something inherently wrong with me.
If I am interested in Tamil Nadu politics, I am just going to follow my interest, not prove my innocence to anyone, just because they suspect that my interest in Tamil Nadu politics is proof that I am not loyal, concerned or grateful to my country and people.
Second of all, I am just interested in this particular Tamil Nadu election, because Vijay is a frontrunner in it.
How in the world can I not be interested in an election where the Tamil movie hero that I have seen on screen for the last 20 years, who is so popular that even the Malays and Chinese are familiar with him, has entered into politics with such a bang.
Not only that, even the story of his entry is an exciting affair. Tamil Nadu has been continuously ruled by two parties - the AIADMK and the DMK - for almost as long as it has been in existence. Vijay came into the picture from nowhere barely two years ago, and yet he has singlehandedly swept away both these juggernauts of Tamil politics in just his first try.
In the recently concluded Tamil Nadu elections, Vijay has obtained a massive 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK were left trailing far behind with just 59 and 47 seats respectively. His opponents threw everything and the kitchen sink at Vijay - including accusing him of being responsible for the death of his supporters, leaking his last movie online and even revealing his marital problems and private affairs - but when the dust settled, Vijay still emerged on top with and planted his flag with swag.
It was as if you were seeing reel life play out in real life.
Other than because of the famous personality and the engaging story line, another reason why I am so invested in Tamil Nadu's politics today, is because a former student of mine has been calling and texting me regularly, to update me about what is going on.
When I taught him, this student of mine cared so little about politics, that he didn't even know much about Malaysian politics, what more Tamil Nadu politics.
But then Vijay came into the picture , and since then his friends and him have been so excited about politics, that he is regularly asking me about how elections work, what is the role of the governor, why Vijay can't be sworn in yet, so on and so forth.
Yesterday when he called me and I told him that Vijay might have won the election, but that doesn't mean that he will necessarily become the Chief Minister, I could feel his agitation at the end of the line. Today however, he is still texting and updating me about the unfolding events in Tamil Nadu politics, as he awaits with bated breath to see whether Vijay will finally make it as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. And after Vijay becomes the CM , I also have a feeling that my student and his friends might not only keep abreast with the political development of Tamil Nadu, but they might also become more interested and aware in the political developments of our country as well.
Anyway, my point here is that we tend to decry the Gen-Z of being apathetic and ignorant of the political developments that affect them, but this might be mostly because they are not represented in our political field by a winner that they can identify with.
Life is a process, and a process requires conditions to be fulfilled to progress. If we want our youths to be more concerned about their country and people, than we should create the condition for them to take more interest, isn't it.
When all the politicians who stand a chance to win in our political landscape are 70 or 80 years old, can you really blame our youths for finding it hard to arouse any or much interest in our nations politics?
But I will bet you 1 ringgit and 35 cents, that as soon as they have a champion they can identify with, our youths will suddenly show a great interest in politics, and when they do, just like how Vijay's entry swept away the two juggernauts of Tamil Nadu politics at first try, I am quite convinced that PH and PN will bite the dust, as a youth revolution takes over the country.
When the youths in our country rise, I am quite confident that they will not just be third force, but the most powerful force in the political arena of our country on the first try itself.
Not only Tamil Nadu, but our country and perhaps even the entire world, is tired of the corrupt, clueless and ruinous politics that the older generation of politicians of politicians have conditioned us to believe is normal politics.
Like Vijay, all our youths need is just one champion they can identify with, and I am sure that that alone will be enough for them to rise up and change everything.
May Fate and Fortune bless us with a champion at the earliest possible convinience.🤞
TheRealNehruism (nehru.sathiamoorthy@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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