Where leaders become Gods

If the stories are to be believed, leaders of ancient civilisations were obsessed in becoming immortal. Our forefathers sought out mythical means of making themselves Gods – from the Golden Fleece to the Fountain of Youth to The Holy Grail.

I suppose if you had no 9-to-5 jobs or house loans to worry about, it was easier to go on quests to extend your natural lifespan, which was, to be fair to the people of that time, much shorter.

Tales of extraordinary bravery, superhuman feats and epic achievements inspired generations to do great things of their own. Future leaders, probably out of frustration of failing to locate Atlantis, or maybe as a result of a better education system, redirected their efforts at securing immortality in a less literal sense.

These leaders started building large empires and building a name for themselves as great kings and conquerors. Many of these leaders had to fight long and hard to get their names inscribed in the annals of history.

Fast forward many years and several major religious upheavals later, we now arrive at the 21st century. Instead of kings, we have their spiritual successors – politicians.

Different leaders, different time, but same ego.

And like their more regal predecessors, each wants to make his or her mark in history. It could be a building, a project, a monument or landmark.

It could be a slogan.

It could be a shining new government policy.

It could be a less than thoroughly thought out tax implementation.

Whatever "it" is, every leader wants one.

We see this in the context of our own country. Our first prime minister didn’t have to really have much to prove, gaining Independence for a new country is in itself, a pretty epic achievement. His two next successors wouldn’t have to worry much about that either – it was a time of research and setting up the country.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who enjoyed relatively widespread popular support and both political power and goodwill that came with it, was able to leave multiple legacies behind, both positive and negative, quite literally scattered across a generation.

His supporters see him as the near-singular architect of modern Malaysia, who paved the way for future leaders, whom they would, argue, in this sense- didn’t do too spectacularly well.

His detractors see him as the near-singular reason we have repressive laws in Malaysia, who paved the way for future leaders to use the same, whom they would argue, in this sense, are doing spectacularly well.

Love him or hate him, I believe many Malaysians miss the Malaysia that Dr Mahathir governed. People had more, and so quite naturally complained less. There was clearer leadership and a sense of direction of where the country was going. He never tried to be all things to all men nor pretend to be nice to everyone.

He didn’t have to ask to be a god, but they more or less made him one nonetheless.

Two days ago, it was widely reported in online portals and social media that a certain minister had remarked that failure to believe in the prime minister, is like failure to believe in God.

Today, much like almost everything ministers say these days; this statement has been reported to be misquoted. But what is perhaps more disturbing than the frequent misquotes, is the willingness of the people to absorb this as believable. As something perfectly conceivable for a Malaysian minister to say.

It’s not hard to see why. 

Dissent seems to be far less tolerated today, even compared to the days where the Internal Security Act was used more openly. The strengthening of the Sedition Act and the introduction of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, together with the increasing number of people being investigated over tweets and Facebook posts are quite alarming.

It would seem that in Malaysia too, leaders, by virtue of their actions or the actions of their supporters, leaders are somewhat deified. Taking a leaf after gods, then, perhaps they don’t like to be questioned or criticised in doing their work. But gods are also known for their compassion and mercy.

And to me at least, that’s what makes gods worthy of worship. – April 14, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.