Malaysia’s Donald Trumps

The US Democratic party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is brilliant.

And I really believe we could use someone like the Senator from Vermont around here.

One who can provide us with the hope we severely need, one who can rise above petty politics, someone who can say, "Yes, times are bad, the economy is worse, but together, we will weather the storm."

Unfortunately, we have more people who suffer from bouts of "foot in mouth" disease, much like US Republican party presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

The rise of this band is down to the fact that many of them want to hog the limelight, never mind the reason behind it.

Trump says all the wrong things – be it racist, extremist and at times illogical in nature - but ends up getting away with it.

The only thing he has not done is shoot someone.

And that disease of his has spread across the Pacific Ocean and jetted onto our shores.

Just yesterday, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor defied logic when he suggested that street racing should be legalised to curb the problem.

The Republican candidate's idea to prevent shootings at schools is to equip all teachers with guns.

Meanwhile, a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) claimed last week that the entry of more workers from Bangladesh will cause local women to be raped, adding that people from Dhaka will bring more diseases into Malaysia.

Similarly, Trump launched his bid for candidacy to be president of the US by releasing a tirade against Mexicans, singing a similar tune.

"They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists", he asserted in July last year.

Two years ago, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi too chimed in with a similar jingle when he came out publicly vilifying other ethnicities and clamoured for Malays to band together and uphold their rights.

He later denied that it was racist statement, adding that it was in accordance with the constitution.

Trump too, has come out with shocking comments against Muslims, immigrants, Hispanics and the like to appeal to a select, extremist audience.

But the comparisons do not end there.

Our prime minister may be a billionaire too, like the self-made American tycoon, although a more generous one as he says that most of a large donation he received was returned.

The question remains though, why do we have more individuals who resemble the destructive Republican party candidate?

It seems that in times of disillusionment, the people who take centre stage are divisive in nature and come up with the most absurd of ideas.

In the same way that Gotham yearned for Batman when facing terrible circumstances, I am hoping for a statesperson in the Bernie Sanders mould to rise to the occasion. – February 24, 2016.

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