The reality and illusion of Dubai Move

"THERE are many good candidates out there, but they're not chosen because they don't have good appearance," says Gabriel Lenz, a political science scholar from the University of California, Berkeley.

Perhaps that is what's happening in our country – many politicians were seen as having a good appearance, but in the end, they were just trouble for us all.

Recently, news about attempts to overthrow the government has surfaced again.

It seemed like the agenda to overthrow the government has become a part of the democracy celebration in our country.

Whether the move to bring down the government was a reality or just an illusion for mutual political gain, no one really knew.

What was certain was that now there were suggestions for a fixed-term Parliament Act. This law prohibits the winning party from being ousted outside the election season.

It seemed that the existing anti-party hopping law has not provided any benefits.

In reality, there was no law that can fully control people's lives.

What should regulate human conduct was the individuals themselves, with good ethics.

Unfortunately, we might have chosen those with style and physical appearance instead.

Although every country has its own criminal laws, people still committed murder and robbery.

On the roads, we are prohibited from driving beyond a certain speed limit, but people still break the rules.

Violating punishment or going against the law was a natural human trait as individuals sought ways to fulfill their own greedy desires. The same goes for politics.

So, if we have good candidates, we don't need anti-party hopping laws or any laws that restrict politicians from changing sides. Those with principles will remain.

However, in our country, it might be difficult to find such politicians. What we have were politically savvy politicians who played political games.

Whether the Dubai Move existed or not was not important. What we know is that many politicians preferred power.

Those who fall don't want to accept reality. Those who win want to stay in power.

Whether the Dubai Move rumours were an attempt to create a sense of unease, no one knew.

When everyone saw this happening, it was as if everyone agreed that the government should be changed and eventually, people will just follow what was said to be the majority voice.

But another question arose, where did the Dubai Move rumours actually came from?

Did it emerge because there were politicians trying to overthrow the power, especially from the opposition bloc?

Or did the rumours come from the ruling bloc because that way it was easier to devise strategies to weaken the opposition alliance?

No one knew because until now, no one has ever admitted to being involved.

Regardless of the politicians' moves, it was always troublesome. Whoever they are, those making noises about the government falling might benefit from it, but at the same time, they may not be doing what they should.

Now, the people are complaining about the high costs of goods or other living burdens, but it seemed what the politicians were striving for was to form a new government.

On the other hand, the other party was busy drafting new laws to stay in power. So, in the end, what do the people get?

Is that the best choice for all of us? We might not choose the best politicians, but we hope they are not the worst. And that's the best choice we have, isn't it?

Dr Mohd Awang Idris is a lecturer and researcher in Psychology at Universiti Malaya Faculty of Arts And Social Sciences and Associate Professor at PSC Global Observatory, University of South Australia.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sinar.