COMMENT | Are we witnessing a Barnum circus in Malaysia?

Editor's note: Malaysiakini has obtained permission to republish this article, which first appeared here.

COMMENT | Phineas T Barnum was the owner of a very popular circus. He once said, “Any publicity, whether good or bad, is good publicity”.

Barnum’s point was simple: “Nothing is worse than not being talked about”.

You might wonder why I quote the owner of a circus. Do you not think that what is happening in Malaysia is nothing more than a huge circus - one that even Barnum himself would have envied?

Feeding the beast

What you focus on, grows: you nourish it with your attention.

This is the reason why the ancient proverb, “See no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil” is so great a truism. It is grounded upon five millennia of public relations research.

If you apply the Barnum maxim to the tragic national situation, you realise that what you have suspected all along, is true.

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad assiduously practises the Barnum principle. Constantly making controversial jibes, he invites you to pay attention to him.

Now, another former prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak, seems to be following this grand tradition, albeit on a different stage.

On this issue, social media has been strategically managed.

The ruse is to always keep Najib’s name at the forefront, and to cast him as a victim “tricked” by a cherub-faced Penangite, who has now gone into hiding.

Whether that strategy - which intends major political upheaval - will pay off depends on whether you will take the bait.

Is it your wish that the Najib “issue” goes away, so that Najib need not?

The nett effect is that ever since his arrest, Najib has ensured that you have taken ownership of the “Najib issue”.

His concerns and his battles are everywhere and invade your very home. Like the furniture in your sitting room, he is ever before your eyes.

He wants you to focus on him so that gradually, you will – as you now have – get used to his concerns, his ambitions, and his demands.

You will accept his issues as part of your life.

It is a conditioning.

At some point, you will get so fed up with it, that you will wish that the Najib issue will go away, so that Najib need not.

And thereby hangs a tale.

A word of caution

In this circus, the ringmasters are counting on your weariness.

After all, isn’t that the greatest trick of all? To make you complicit in wishing away accountability, just so you can escape the noise?

Be careful what you wish for.

GK GANESAN is a lawyer and an international commercial arbitrator.

The author thanks UK Menon for his valuable suggestions; and KN Geetha, TP Vaani, JN Lheela and Lydia Jaynthi for their research and assistance.

The content is the intellectual property of the author protected by local and international copyright laws. Contact gk@gkganesan.com for permission.

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

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