Holding Out For A Hero

“The whole system is rigged!” cried a tanned man with a comb-over. He has a tendency to speak with a pouty pair of lips. He often wears a red tie and a red cap. White male billionaire. Within seconds, school children in various parts of Malaysia know who this person is. He has become as familiar as Batman, Superman and Iron Man. He is none other than Donald Trump. I then ask them: How about Jacob Zuma, the fourth President of South Africa from 2009 to 2018? Not familiar. How about Park Chung Hee, the third President of South Korea from 1963 to his assassination in 1979? Not familiar. How about Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State? Didn’t know Vatican City had one? How about Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018? Who? How could they? These leaders are not meme-worthy. Of course, there’s also a general knowledge deficiency in the Malaysian education system itself but that’s a Pandora’s Box I’ll open another day. I believe Trump needs no further introduction. And that’s the problem. Since he first announced his candidacy to run for President in the United States (as far back as 2000), sentiments toward Trump have been carefully tracked and noted. After he won and became the 45th President of the United States in 2017, favorability and job approval rating revealed a polarizing president who elicited intense emotions and reactions from Americans across the political spectrum. Scratch the word “Americans” and replace it with “the world”.Name a day we don’t hear or read about Trump ever since. Here in Southeast Asia, he has followers and he has fans. The fact he isn’t the leader of any of the countries on this side of the pond makes him a celebrity like another Hollywood star. The public sees him through many lenses: his callousness pins him like a mafia boss; his appearance makes him a laughable caricature; radicalism among his ardent followers gives…

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