Andrew Sia
Published: Jul 3, 2024 12:00 PM
COMMENT | When spectacle triumphs over substance in politics, that is a sign of national decline.
Just ask the Romans, whose rulers kept the people distracted from serious issues by handing out free food while staging lavish, violent gladiator slaughter fests. This was described by the ancient satirical poet Juvenal as the opiate of “bread and circuses”.
The recent debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was a kind of modern gladiator match, with the run-up treated as pure theatre.
As journalist Piers Morgan stated, the bar was so low for Biden, that to “win” he only had to dispel the rumour that he’s a “walking zombie”. So, for the 90-minute debate, he just needed to be “vaguely coherent” while “rattling Trump’s cage”.
The clattering cages allude to both wild beasts in the arena and Trump, who Morgan quipped threatened to “savage Biden like a rottweiler”.
Published: Jul 3, 2024 12:00 PM
COMMENT | When spectacle triumphs over substance in politics, that is a sign of national decline.
Just ask the Romans, whose rulers kept the people distracted from serious issues by handing out free food while staging lavish, violent gladiator slaughter fests. This was described by the ancient satirical poet Juvenal as the opiate of “bread and circuses”.
The recent debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was a kind of modern gladiator match, with the run-up treated as pure theatre.
As journalist Piers Morgan stated, the bar was so low for Biden, that to “win” he only had to dispel the rumour that he’s a “walking zombie”. So, for the 90-minute debate, he just needed to be “vaguely coherent” while “rattling Trump’s cage”.
The clattering cages allude to both wild beasts in the arena and Trump, who Morgan quipped threatened to “savage Biden like a rottweiler”.
US President Joe Biden
The “Make America Great Again (Maga)” man is infamous for going off into rants and appearing “unhinged”, so his passing grade was also very low - merely to appear “normal”.
How did a country that created Google, Apple and Nvidia, end up with such low standards for its next president? Surely we expect something better from the “Leader of the Free World”?
I couldn’t help laughing when I read how the political theatre included media reports insinuating that Biden may be using performance-boosting pills to sharpen his mental state.
When did politics turn into the Olympics? The farce included Trump demanding that his opponent take a drug test.
Avoid American mistakes
Fortunately, our own major political debates have been more sober, such as the one between Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Abdul Razak in May 2022, and the two debates between Lim Guan Eng and Chua Soi Lek in 2012.
However, past fracas in Parliament have made the august Dewan Rakyat seem more like a comedy club.
For example, when former Umno Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman uttered the Malay curse word p*****k in 2022.
The same joker also made a juvenile attack on DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok that “The only woman with a ‘Kok’ is in Seputeh.”
Umno’s Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin also behaved like a carnival clown when he used the F-word in Parliament in 2018. He is also best remembered for his infamous sexist “bocor” remark about women’s periods when the topic was a leaking roof in the Dewan Rakyat.
The “Make America Great Again (Maga)” man is infamous for going off into rants and appearing “unhinged”, so his passing grade was also very low - merely to appear “normal”.
How did a country that created Google, Apple and Nvidia, end up with such low standards for its next president? Surely we expect something better from the “Leader of the Free World”?
I couldn’t help laughing when I read how the political theatre included media reports insinuating that Biden may be using performance-boosting pills to sharpen his mental state.
When did politics turn into the Olympics? The farce included Trump demanding that his opponent take a drug test.
Avoid American mistakes
Fortunately, our own major political debates have been more sober, such as the one between Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Abdul Razak in May 2022, and the two debates between Lim Guan Eng and Chua Soi Lek in 2012.
However, past fracas in Parliament have made the august Dewan Rakyat seem more like a comedy club.
For example, when former Umno Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman uttered the Malay curse word p*****k in 2022.
The same joker also made a juvenile attack on DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok that “The only woman with a ‘Kok’ is in Seputeh.”
Umno’s Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin also behaved like a carnival clown when he used the F-word in Parliament in 2018. He is also best remembered for his infamous sexist “bocor” remark about women’s periods when the topic was a leaking roof in the Dewan Rakyat.
Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin
Thus, it was most timely that Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar told MPs this year, “Mind your manners, be disciplined, be polite when speaking, and do not curse at others.”
Civilised debate may not be exciting but it’s important if Malaysia wants to be taken as a serious country.
A BBC overview of media reaction in various countries to the Trump-Biden debate was mostly negative. China’s Global Times perhaps hit the bullseye when it said the debate was more like a TV “reality show” than a serious discussion of America’s future.
Both sides disliked
Another lesson to learn is to avoid making voters feel that “both sides are just as bad”.
The US debate was seen as a depressing contest between The Old Man and The Con Man. It’s not surprising that American voters are dismayed at having such an uninspiring choice, with a recent Gallup poll showing low approval ratings for both candidates.
In Malaysia, will it come to the point that many will simply not show up to vote because they are disillusioned? For Pakatan Harapan, which depends on high voter turnout to win, this will be a disaster.
Thus, it’s crucial that the Madani government buck up, because many supporters are disappointed with languid reforms.
For example, in yet another fatal bus crash at Genting Highlands, we can't accept that in the “glittering” Madani era, the driver did not have a driving licence and had 27 previous traffic summonses. The bus itself had an expired permit.
Has the performance of enforcement officers improved despite Anwar giving them the “highest in history” pay rise?
Thus, it was most timely that Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar told MPs this year, “Mind your manners, be disciplined, be polite when speaking, and do not curse at others.”
Civilised debate may not be exciting but it’s important if Malaysia wants to be taken as a serious country.
A BBC overview of media reaction in various countries to the Trump-Biden debate was mostly negative. China’s Global Times perhaps hit the bullseye when it said the debate was more like a TV “reality show” than a serious discussion of America’s future.
Both sides disliked
Another lesson to learn is to avoid making voters feel that “both sides are just as bad”.
The US debate was seen as a depressing contest between The Old Man and The Con Man. It’s not surprising that American voters are dismayed at having such an uninspiring choice, with a recent Gallup poll showing low approval ratings for both candidates.
In Malaysia, will it come to the point that many will simply not show up to vote because they are disillusioned? For Pakatan Harapan, which depends on high voter turnout to win, this will be a disaster.
Thus, it’s crucial that the Madani government buck up, because many supporters are disappointed with languid reforms.
For example, in yet another fatal bus crash at Genting Highlands, we can't accept that in the “glittering” Madani era, the driver did not have a driving licence and had 27 previous traffic summonses. The bus itself had an expired permit.
Has the performance of enforcement officers improved despite Anwar giving them the “highest in history” pay rise?
It’s also disappointing to see land at a flood control pond being dubiously handed over to a developer despite protests from residents and even DAP leaders. This is the kind of thing that Umno used to do.
Yet, Anwar has criticised those asking for serious reforms as “elitist” and too “radical”.
How his tune has changed from his fiery Reformasi rhetoric 25 years ago. No wonder his government is being slammed left, right and centre.
Hate speech
The final lesson from the Trump-Biden debate is how easily democracy can be hijacked.
Truth was not a sterling feature of the circus. Fact-checking by debate organiser CNN showed that Trump told over 30 lies while Biden’s fib count was at nine.
But it was Biden’s bumbling performance that grabbed the headlines. This is the major problem with democracy - people seldom analyse the nitty gritty of national issues. It’s more about showmanship and soundbites.
This is where it gets dangerous when politicians turn to racial and religious fear as easy ways to stir up voters.
For example, during the debate, Trump raised xenophobia by falsely accusing Biden’s lax border policies of letting in “millions” of foreigners “from prisons… insane asylums, terrorists”.
The obsession with punchlines over policy can become downright dangerous when it leads to the stoking of racial or religious fears.
Such blatant fear-mongering was also seen before the election in India. This is the world’s largest democracy with 969 million eligible voters, and concluded its election in early June.
But during campaign rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned women that the opposition would confiscate their gold and redistribute it to Muslims. He even added that they would select the Indian cricket team “on the basis of religion”.
I don’t need to go into the racial and religious rhetoric of Malaysian politics as we know it all too well.
Democracy is all about swaying emotions in a numbers game. It can become a vaudeville or a horror movie.
The best way for Anwar to counter that is to make sure the rakyat see and feel how reforms have really improved their lives.
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com
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