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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright April 2023
Malays have a proverb that is so very appropriate for our troubled times: "Gajah di hadapan mata tak nampak, kuman di seberang lautan nampak", which translates to "The germ across the ocean is visible but not the elephant in your face."
If you say there is an elephant in the room, you mean that there is an obvious problem or difficult situation that people involved do not want to talk about or choose to ignore. Most often it is by choice, a conscious decision to not look at an issue directly facing a group because it is downright embarrassing for everyone involved.
This is also known in psychology as selective perception. "Selective perception is a process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages while ignoring opposing viewpoints. ...It is a form of bias because we interpret information in a way that is congruent with our existing values and beliefs."
Nowhere is this more apparent than the case of UMNO's President that many refer to as the "elephant in the room" in PMX's cabinet, that the current government has selectively chosen not to see.
Another way of defining perception is "you see what you want to see" thus, the subtle Malay proverb where the germ across the ocean is visible to the naked eye!
In the days before GE15, the strongest critics against the same person came from Harapan's component parties namely PKR, DAP and Amanah, calling for an investigation into the corruption over the award of tender for the building of the littoral combat ships (LCS).
There is a video clip that has gone viral that draw our attention to this selective perception amongst PH leaders. It shows how harsh the criticisms were levelled against Zahid Hamidi over the LCS. They include fiery speeches from notable party stalwarts like Fahmi, Mat Sabu and Rafizi Ramli.
The clip also features Anwar Ibrahim himself who said that if his party preferred a leader who is into corruption then it would be better for them to find another president (instead of himself). However, those criticisms are now silenced because the targeted individual is in their own midst. In fact in their own cabinet!
So, selective perception is a biased view point which may lead to criticisms against another and inversely may also lead to a withdrawal of the same if and when the group decides to change its views against a particular individual.
It is no different from selective persecution. You tend to take action against those whom you choose to hate. Also, you choose to believe what you want to as much as you see what you want to see in an individual by glossing over his flaws and idolising him instead to suit your own preferences, goals and objectives.
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