The Political Dilemma

UPDATED : This post may have been changed since your last visit. It now contains an additional philosophical spin :)

Over the past few days, I've been keenly observing the local political scene, namely that of the Ijok by-election. While I am largely unconcerned about the final outcome of the election, what bothers me the most is the way the entire election process was conducted. I will not go into the details, as I do not intend to nor have the capacity to act as a political analyst, but (speaking strictly within the capacity of a layperson) I am frankly quite disgusted by the immaturity and barbarism displayed by all sides involved.

For instance, resorting to childish insults, bottle throwing, pushing and shoving etc. ; you would be forgiven for assuming that such behavior should have long been consigned within a kid's nursery. It is at this point that I will introduce a dilemma that has been swirling in my head. Firstly, I'll unveil the bedrock of this dilemma by quoting Plato :

"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber."

Ok, so my perspective on all the happenings in that by-election is just a reflection of the larger picture. Personally, I consider all those acts as uncivilized and I have no desire to dabble in politics, much less touch it with a pole. Henceforth, that is the price that we must pay if we choose to eschew politics, be it simply out of conviction, or perhaps a dash of pride, that we are superior to that form of power wrangling. By now, I'm sure you people can see the dilemma, which logically leads to only two possibilities (save emigrating) :

1. Steer clear of any political involvement
2. Descend into the political pit and join in the mudslinging

The first choice is to choose the path of a passive and apolitical citizen. To choose that fate is to suffer the consequences of being ruled by idiots. You lose your rights to kick up a fuss that "you could have done a better job than that primate up there", simply because you failed to exercise your constitutional liberties, that is to engage in politics.

The second choice is hardly a better option. Yes, it may require guts to enter an arena and hope to tame the beasts. While that may seem to be an amicable solution, it is far more likely that you end up mauled to death. Unless, of course, you fight like a beast yourself with all its ferocity and tenacity, and be transformed into a beast in the process. Yes, politics in reality is only interested in the survival of the fittest. It bestows power on him that outwits his foes. Therefore, I am of the opinion that those who enter into politics with the noble intention of bringing genuine changes are naive. Sooner or later, they will be consumed by the system that they seek to change. It can be summed up easily in two words : Power corrupts.

So, this is the dilemma that I'm describing. I desire political change, a dream of it shifting to a higher place of maturity. On the other hand, standing by and observing the whole drama does nothing to improve the situation. Hence, any course of action taken to improve the system will eventually lead back to square one. Since both paths lead to a roughly similar outcome, which should I choose? Pardon me if I don't make any sense. It might just be that blogging at 3am tends to cloud one's senses.

Jin, Jeremy and I in the INTEC library

Well, the pic above says plenty about what I've been stuck with over the past few days. Had to sit for a math test, and ended up studying like crazy all the way 'til the last lap. Now that it is over, I still feel numb about it. I'm neither satisfied nor disappointed. Don't ask me why... I just feel that way.