One of the signs that our psyche is disturbed is that we will be in conflict with ourselves.
Our image may be at war with our experiences.
Externally, our image may display success and victory, but internally, we might be so depressed and psychologically broken that we cannot get through the day without the help of drugs or alcohol.
Our opinions may be at war with our reality.
In our minds, we may see ourselves as capable and consequential, but in reality, we find ourselves dismissed and ignored.
When I heard that Bersatu is preparing to contest in the coming elections—even against parties within the coalition it belongs to—the first thing that crossed my mind was that not only the opposition, but also the government, in the form of BN and PH, is fighting against itself in the coming election.
Bersatu appears prepared to fight against itself because PN's letters of appointment for candidates must be signed by the coalition's chairman, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, a PAS vice-president.
Because analyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad of Global Asia Consulting believes it would be illogical for the Islamic party to allow Bersatu candidates to stand on PN's ticket, he predicts that Bersatu will have no choice but to contest under its own logo.
I think that prediction will come true.
And in government, by now I believe all of us are aware that we are being governed by an absurd government that fights at the state level while cooperating at the federal level.
If it is not bad enough that Johor BN chief Onn Hafiz has declared that he will not sit at the same table as DAP—to the point that he was rebuked by various DAP leaders, including DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke—today, federal minister Nga Kor Ming has also found himself in the crossfire of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Nga Kor Ming had earlier criticised the Election Commission for not deciding to hold the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections simultaneously.
Zahid, however, slammed Nga by saying that no one should question the EC's authority to decide when to hold the two state elections, especially a government minister.
This comes just days after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, through his aide Kamil Munim, rebuked Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for behaving "high and mighty" after Zahid claimed that the unity government could not have been formed without Barisan Nasional's parliamentary seats.
If our government were a person, I imagine it would likely be institutionalised—and perhaps even serve as a case study for psychiatrists, psychologists, and possibly even exorcists.
Anyway, I thought I would leave this thought for reflection on this Saturday afternoon.
As a nation, have we lost our minds?
Is the absurdity we see in our politics simply a symptom of a collective psychological unraveling?
There is a saying often found in ancient epics: "Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad."
As a nation, we seem to be actively participating in our own madness.
Does this mean the gods intend to destroy us?
Why?
What have we done to displease Heaven?
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!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
