The Anatomy of Hypocrisy

The one thing that I find intensely abhorrent is the hypocrisy of UMNO leaders. They are masters of thick face, black heart.

Hypocrisy can be defined as the refusal to apply to ourselves the same standards we apply to others. it is one of the central evils of our society. Put it simply, we deceive people. Perhaps because we are born liars or as we say it in a more refined manner, congenital liars. We unashamedly promote all kind of injustices such as war and social inequalities.

For the consummate politician, hypocrisy is an integral part of his persona. What is even more alarming, is the notion that hypocrisy itself is a necessary or beneficial part of human behaviour and society.

Hypocrisy is a characteristic which attracts particular opprobrium in the modern age. Many belief systems condemn behaviours related to hypocrisy. In Hebrew the word chaneph usually means "godless" or "profane." In Christianity the prophet Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites in the passage known as the Woes Of The Pharisees. Gautama Buddha condemns a man who takes the appearance of an ascetic but is full of passions within. In Islam, we speak of the munafiq i.e. those who claim to be believers and peacemakers but are not.

It is interesting to note that the world of politics is full of these hypocrites. In the sumptuous and luxurious lobbies of high class hotels in Kuala Lumpur, our GRO Gendarmes sip champagne surrounded by mini skirted GROs with expensive Cuban Cigars in hand, while they talked about morality and perhaps dish out one or two verses of the Holy Book.

All over the world they have their network of hypocrites. In Australia and new Zealand they are known as Chardonnay socialists or the Latte set. In Belgium they are known as the loft socialists. In Canada- BMW Bolsheviks, silver spoon fed socialist, Rosedale socialists( The Canadian Bukit Tunku or Damansara Heights); in Chile he is the Whisky Socialist, in Denmark he is the Coastline Socialist, in Finland- The Red Wine Socialist, in France- he is the Gauche Caviar, in Germany he will belong to the Tuscany Faction, in Ireland he will be a member of the Smoked Salmon Socialists, in Japan he is an associate of the Labour Aristocrats, in Holland he is the Salon-socialist, in Poland and Portugal he is the Caviar Left, in Sweden he is the Red Wine Leftist, in USA he will be a Limousine Liberal, Lear jet Liberal, in Turkey he is the Tatli Su Sosyalisti and in England of course he is the Champagne Socialist.

Note that hypocrites all over the world identify with the ordinary masses, the downtrodden lumpenproletriat, the dispossessed. In private they are actually bloodsuckers feeding off the innocence and trust of people.

They will appear before the unsuspecting kampung folks with their holier than holy image. They will wear the songkoks, probably their hands fingering the spiritual abacus( worry or prayer beads). They would be tripping over each other’s legs to out-pious each other.

One need only to follow Dato Najib and his entourage as he tours the kampongs in Pekan. He will be dressed in his usual attire. Not too dressy lest he stands out like a sore thumb in the crowd of ordinary Joes. And yet he does stand out, not as a result of charisma. He is singled out because the material of his clothing is worth a year of kampung wages of the average kampung Joe. His wristwatch is worth a lifetime’s saving of the kampung folk.

He stands out because years of fine living fail to camouflage his hypocrisy. Fair and freshly scrubbed skin, a reflection of countless hours at skin salons, excellent food, tons of medication and sexual escapades. Ah you know, what orang minyak says- I must have 100 virgins to stay young forever and my face eternally glowing.

He stands out too, if he is accompanied by the dowager empress herself. In her coiffured Marie Antoinette hair that disproportionately crowns her enlarging botox laden physique . Hey, wasn’t her hair, purple the last time she came? Oh….boleh tukar warna yek…

Once in while he will wear the sarong and take part in communal prayers. Of course he will be at the front row as he is after all our leader. I am not going to begrudge him on that.

But the most evil of all, hypocrisy keeps the Malays forever in MENTAL BONDAGE. Where is our Du Bois? The Tun has since retired and became a blogger. But like Comrade Kassim Ahmad says in his poem;

… Ada besok maka pasti ada suria
aku akan pergi
dengan seribu jebat si anak tani
sekian lama kita mati dalam setia
kali ini kita hidup dalam durhaka

When tomorrow comes, the sun still shines

I will go

With a thousand rebel sons of peasants

For so long we die in loyalty!

This time we revolt and live!