Stick A Needle Into My Veins.

Stick A Needle Into My Veins.

I'm not a big fan of politics. Sometimes I feel sickened by the circus that our friendly ministers and representatives bring about, though I do understand that it's all a part of a bigger game that's beyond my comprehension. I see nothing wrong with a politician as long as he or she does the people's bidding, but is that the case usually? With cases of corruption and whatnot thrown against the wall every year, more and more people are losing faith in the men and women whom they have appointed to look after their communal interests. Certain projects that should not have been initiated spring up, and the cries of unfair play and scrutiny go unheeded. Aid is not granted for those who require of it badly, while every now and then, the perfect photo op in the form of a gotong royong event gives your friendly representatives a perfect opportunity to show the world that they're hands-on practitioners, willing to sacrifice some sweat and submit to some toil for the people.

Bullocks.

But I'm not here criticizing our nation's politicians, as crooked and cunning as they are. The MCA Wanita Kepong branch is made up of old ladies...my aunt being their Deputy Head. I went to a blood/urine test today, courtesy of the organization, and sat down in the pantry of the Kolej Metro Prima after giving in my...uh...fluids. And there they were...old ladies, chattering away, the kind of old ladies with the frizzie perms and the cheongsam tops, that you'd probably find in your neighbourhood either power walking their way through a morning or practicing tai chi in the gardens. Except that this bunch of ladies made up part of the higher echelon of the Kepong branch. They've probably been doing it for years. Remember in the Matrix Reloaded, when Neo points something out about how the council has no young men to Councillor Hamann? It's the same thing, in spirit. I looked around the table and I was telling myself that these distinguished ladies were a part of something bigger. But why did I get the funny feeling that there wasn't anyone younger? Was it because it was a Sunday and they had better things to do? Who knows? I remember how my aunt was trying to recruit members for the MCA. My aunt is considered part of the youngbloods. But will I let the fate of my country be determined by a bunch of people who may have experienced the second coming of the diaper (a bit harsh, i know)?

Probably. Because it was willed so.

None of us like the idea of people staying in power for too long. In the world of Star Wars, Palpatine cronied and schemed his way through the Clone Wars, mindfucked everyone and became Emperor. In America, Bush cronied and schemed his way through the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, mindfucked everyone and became President for the second time. I suppose that it was wishful thinking, guessing that Kerry was ever going to get off the ground like he did. Mahatir was the only head of state most of us know. I suppose that changes can't be made to the system because the ultimate desire is stability. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But I go back to the table, with these old ladies dunking their biscuits into their coffee and Ovaltine, and I wonder: why? And how many more of these branches have the same situation? Wouldn't it be good to inject new life into everything?

An idealist becomes jaded and cynical eventually. We all do. Some of us live it in phases, while for others, it's a permanent thing. But for those people whom we put into power, they should be consistenty delivering because we put them there. Their willingness to help out should shine through. It's quite sad to see that the only way of being able to help the people sometimes would be to play the game of politking. There're people out there who need help, and they should be given it without hesitation. Sometimes the wakil rakyat is a big farce; sometimes it has its uses.