Do politicians hide their inner Bruce Wayne?

In light of the problems both UMNO and PKR are having with racism and religious intolerance in their midst, it is pertinent to ask about the extent to which politicians conceal their true feelings, their inner Bruce Wayne, so to speak.

The unmasked politician

Many politicians who rose through the Youth ranks of their respective parties are invariably dogged by their radical past. That's an open record for all to see. But, what about the darker side to their values and, their prejudices?

Of late, in Malaysia, we have Zulkifli Nordin, the Bar Forum stormtrooper of religiosity and Ahmad Ismail, the xenophobe. Racist and prejudiced politicians deserve to be villified for throwing stones in the glass house that multiracial Malaysia is.

More sinister are the closet xenophobes and racists. Who are they? How can they be unmasked?

Duality

Getting back to the issue of duality, like most great superheroes, Batman lives a dual life. Unlike others, whose powers are born of some quirk in the physical world (the alien Superman, the accidental Spiderman), Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) makes a deliberate—and painful—choice to cultivate his extraordinary skills for fighting evil-doers, and to sacrifice much in his life by doing so.

Some politicians believe that they are required to play different roles in their lives, and it's the rarest of politicians who can be the same person no matter what role he or she is in; to be fully authentic, all the time. Winston Churchill may have been one of these rare politicians. But, most politicians feel the pressure to put on a certain face, depending on the situation. Even Barrack Obama is candid enough to admit that he is a blank canvas for voting Americans to draw on. Is there a price to be paid for this approach?

What is the mask concealing?

Is the wearing of masks by politicians inherently wrong? Of course, not. We do that all the time in our daily lives, often unthinkingly. It is a device that helps us to get through social situations and, helps avoid uncomfortable situations.

But, if the mask conceals racial or religious intolerance then danger lurks. For, if such persons are placed in public positions, they can wreak serious damage to the gentle fabric of multiracialism.

Masking boundaries

In social settings, we use the mask as a boundary to demarcate the different parts of our lives. Yet underneath all that we are one and, the same person. We intuitively wear and discard our masks at will.

The intriguing question is, was someone like Zulkifli wearing a mask of reform that permitted him to be approved by the PKR when they chose him to contest the Kulim seat? Wouldn't that be a dangerous deception when his inner Bruce Wayne is a religious intolerant?

Worse still, in Ahmad Ismail's case, UMNO Bukit Bendera Division probably did not need him to wear a mask at all. His declamation about pendatang was something that he was probably saying all along, except that this time, for the first time, there were non-partisan people in the crowd who not only heard his inflammatory and unkind remarks, they also saw a Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy President of UMNO being non-plussed about such remarks being made. This was the disturbing picture.

To his credit, the Deputy Prime Minister has made a qualified apology.

How many more xenophobic and intolerant politicians are still out there, undiscovered, masking their true intent and true prejudices? More importantly, what is the risk that they will unmask themselves at the worst possible time and, by so doing, damage Malaysian social harmony?