COMMENT | We're doomed if we don't abandon political apathy

COMMENT | The 15th general election is drawing near, and some people are still completely oblivious to the ongoings of the country.

It's Merdeka Day today and with everything that's been going on in Malaysia - a global pandemic, mental health tragedies that the Malaysian government is handling abysmally, racial violence committed by the police, the rise in unemployment among youths, imprisonment of immigrant children and separating them from their families, the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer - well, it's tempting to be despondent.

But can we really afford to sit on the sidelines and just be bystanders as our country slowly sinks?

The decision is always ours, but with social media and other technological advancements bringing us all together, these issues are brought much closer to our faces than in previous generations.

While many individuals are aware and steadfast about seeking changes, some would rather not get involved in the political happenings of the country.

Every election cycle, when discourse inevitably increases around politics, there is a vocal chorus that reaffirms their silence.

‘Dog and pony show’

I remember being in situations with family and friends where after a question on politics was brought up, some responses commonly heard were, "I'm not political", or "politics don't really interest me". And the standard - "politics is just full of drama".

They’d use those lines to shut down the conversation, which often works. Their uncle at the dinner table or their colleagues at work would respect that response and switch instead to commiserating about the latest episode of Masterchef or the latest gossip at the office.

It's perfectly understandable all around. The person who changes the topic is acting on their native instinct to keep the peace. They have to see their uncle at every family gathering and collaborate with those colleagues daily.

The person who shuts the conversation down feels frustrated by the dog and pony show that is politics and by a history of feeling disconnected from and perhaps disenfranchised by the political elite.

Claims of not needing to pay attention to or participate in the political process have become a reflexive non-action that is widely accepted in our culture.

Many people don't even know who their representatives are or how the electorate process works.

Some of them will even wear this ignorance as a badge of honour.

They proclaim their expertise in sports or pop culture as if politics were a fluffy elective or extraneous hobby that can be plucked from a buffet of topics and discarded without consequence.

‘Apolitical people’

Many, if not most of us, are overwhelmed by our world, which is more than understandable. How do you get through school, focus on your job, or even just socialise with your friends when the entire world seems to be falling apart?

When the country is in crisis, life can seem impossibly hard to deal with.

Here's the thing: these so-called "apolitical people" need to know that political life does not exist in a vacuum. Not everyone has the luxury of just ignoring politics.

If you're of a certain race, you worry about not getting that one job offer because of the colour of your skin.

If you're undocumented, you worry about the authorities arresting or assaulting you.

If you're a woman, you worry about reporting your boss for sexual harassment or even an assault to human resources because no one believes sexual assault and harassment are that "common" of an issue.

If you live in poverty, you worry if you'll have anything to eat the next meal.

If you're marginalised in any way of your life, you worry about these issues and more each day.

If you're not in a position of power, you can't afford to not be political because politics affect every day of your life. Your right to life as a person is threatened every day.

‘Keep up’

You have to keep up with new laws and policies; you have to keep up with who's running for office and where their stance is regarding how they view you as a person.

You have to keep up with advocating for yourself and constantly proving that you're worth as much as anyone else every single day of your life.

It's exhausting but not optional because it's your livelihood.

People who choose to be completely unaware of politics are in positions of privilege. You may not be privileged in every aspect of your life, but you are privileged enough to write off social issues as "political" differences.

You can easily ignore how people have no rights or are losing the rights you take advantage of every day because politics don't affect you personally.

But here's the thing: politics does affect you and living in denial won't make that go away.

In truth, you can't separate yourself from politics any more than you can separate your organs from your body. You can choose to ignore caring for your body, but that doesn't make it go away, and it will lead to severe health problems.

I think, on our 65th Merdeka, it's abundantly clear that Malaysians can no longer afford to be “not that political”.

Sharyl Priyanka Selvaraj has just completed her internship with Malaysiakini.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

MP SPEAKS | This Merdeka, let's remind Umno that rakyat are kingmakers

LETTER | Merdeka - a new narrative

LETTER | Merdeka should bring out our humanity

MP SPEAKS | My Merdeka wishlist for 2022