Of late, I have succumbed to mindlessly watching endless episodes of Chinese period dramas – where warriors vigorously engage in grisly sword fights.
My friend tells me that I am hopelessly sinking into escapism.
I disagree. “Escaping from what?” I ask her. But even as I ask, I know that I am indeed escaping.
We all do that at some point – when things don’t seem to sit ‘right’ in the world around us, as they used to, as they should.
Then I came across the word anomie. The concept, as developed by Émile Durkheim, refers to a state of “normlessness” or instability. Anomie, in sociological terms, refers to a breakdown of social and moral structures.
While social change and economic crises can contribute to anomie, it’s ultimately our perception of these conditions that shapes our experience of it. But these perceptions are not without basis. There are often clear and objective reasons behind them.
In the context of our rapidly evolving digital world, media giants pull the strings – using algorithms, SEO (search engine optimisation), and AI to decide what gets seen and what disappears. Even major news platforms must now play by these rules to be noticed. This draws us deeper into this sea of anomie and negativism.
In the end we become nothing but slave consumers to these powerful tools that harness our human brains – which, evolutionarily, are hot-wired to respond to rapidly shifting focus and attention. In a more primitive time, this was meant to protect us from lurking predators.
Whether it is nature, science or devious art, … as we scroll through our phones and read about issues that matter, both globally and locally, we tend to quickly forget them once they leave our focus. We are conditioned to always take the bait, to be hooked, like fish on a line – but only for as long as it remains in our line of sight.
Hence, today we seem to live in a world where the socio-political and economic landscapes are constantly shifting. Things change every day, but ironically, the more things change, the more they seem to remain the same.
And here’s the clincher: just like the way social media has continued to feed our growing sense of anomie, Malaysian politics also now expects us to move on swiftly, from one issue to the next.
Let’s explore this in the context of three recent examples.
Judicial appointments controversy
First, there was the furore over our recent ‘little’ judiciary problem and the fuss over the leaked minutes of a Judicial Appointments Commission meeting. The long-term implications were unsettling.
It took the Malaysian Bar, numerous civil society groups, and concerned individuals taking to the streets to protest. They called out this threat, this ‘breakdown’ of the structures that reinforce the integrity of some pivotal judiciary appointments.
I could not have been prouder. These were real life warriors! This, I thought, is how you ride anomie.
When things do not feel right, when there is a lack of transparency, and when the events and the documents (leaked or not) do not line up – you act!
Then, overnight, everything changed. An appointment was made, and the PM urged everyone to move on from the dispute. The dispute over judicial appointments was instantly ‘resolved’.
Was it resolved? Has interference and influence been ruled out? Is the judiciary any closer to being completely independent from the legislative arm of government?
When there are too many unanswered questions buzzing in our heads, that’s when anomie returns.
Teoh Beng Hock tragedy
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Then there is the sad case of Teoh Beng Hock, who died under suspicious circumstances within the vicinity of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s office, 16 years ago. Ironically, it is the MACC – the very agency meant to fight corruption – that stands at the heart of this particular tragedy.
Once again, this entire episode suggests a sinister breakdown of the social and moral structures within government.
Those of us taught to do basic maths squirm, because the numbers don’t add up. There has to be some apparent abuse of power somewhere along the chain.
As if that wasn’t enough, the case was closed with a dismissive NFA (no further action). This was then followed by an incomprehensible, utterly offensive compensation for the loss of Teoh’s life.
It felt like a long, painful stab to the heart – straight out of the sword-wielding dramas I watch – because those who questioned, those who felt the pain of loss and injustice, were expected to move on with their pockets full of – hush money?
It’s like asking a profusely bleeding man to get up and go about his day – as if nothing happened. All we know is ‘someone’ is getting away – literally with murder? The wheels of justice have failed.
That’s anomie for you.
How can anyone move on from that? And yet, we move on.
Kota Bharu arrests
Sometime last month, 20 men were arrested in Kota Bharu. The arrests, we were told, were made in the interest of ‘public safety’, because the men were allegedly attending a “gay party”.
Shortly after, Sisters in Islam (SIS) clarified that the event was actually an HIV awareness outreach programme, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, for high-risk individuals. This was also eventually confirmed by the MoH.
The Kelantan deputy chief minister acknowledged a “misunderstanding” but insisted that such events be reported to the authorities beforehand.
But would such outreach programmes benefiting the LGBT communities be allowed with official approval – especially in the state of Kelantan?
Now, the Kelantan Police insists that the event was indeed a ‘gay party’.
Here it was again, that familiar sinking feeling. Do they think that we, the people, are too stupid? This entire episode, in addition to the narratives that went hither-thither, wasn’t at all about public safety – it was about shaming. And it was coming from a state government and the police force.
It’s a shame when the police and the state get to decide who is acceptable and who isn’t, what is a crime and what isn’t. It is a shame when they are blind to the bigger picture of public health and the safety of all the people.
I sigh and I escape for a while to watch my sword-wielding warriors.
Why? Because, aside from the satisfaction of hearing the reverberating clanging of clashing swords, at some deep level, I know that conflict is necessary, for change, for resolution and for clarity.
That’s why we have parliaments – to debate the future of a people and that of the nation.
That’s why we need to protect press freedom and support people like Fahmi Reza who speak up.
That’s why civil society and organisations like SIS and the Malaysian Bar must keep pushing for fairness, for the unjustly treated and unfairly persecuted.
I finally realise why sword fights fascinate me. Because, when we truly clash, when we lock horns to confront things head-on, when we act, that’s when we can begin to resolve them, even as we think we are helplessly sinking into that sea of anomie.
I also realised that acting has a caveat; that we should not take to the streets to bring down an elected sitting government, because that would be anomie too. We need to seek to change the root of the issue, to correct the seeds. We should not act in blind fury to cut off just the branches.
So I turned off the TV, dressed myself in my metaphorical armour, armed myself with my metaphorical sword, and rode off to a small rural school to work with some people from an NGO that is committed to make a difference.
Together we teach 11 and 12-year-old children who have somehow not learnt to read and write. Have they failed the system, or has the system failed them?
When the system fails, the people shouldn’t.
Sukeshini Nair
Co-editor, Aliran newsletter
26 July 2025
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