“What frequently begins as a conspiracy frequently develops into conditioned response, with only occasional explicit coordination required.”

- American political activist Ralph Nader

COMMENT | In the past couple of months, we have seen how fanatical low-level custodians have attempted to enforce dress codes in various government agencies.

The top cop of the country Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani even invoked the fifth principle of the Rukun Negara to demand compliance, conveniently forgetting the preamble which encourages a liberal approach to the country’s rich and varied cultural traditions.

Indeed, no one in the political apparatus seems to pay much attention to the Rukun Negara. Everyone seems to be paying attention to what PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang advocates.

This includes political operatives – Muslim and non-Muslim – in Madani-ville which is slowly laying the foundation for a theocratic state that Perikatan Nasional may inherit. These are the hypocrites that are supposed to hold the line against a theocratic state?

Take the Michelle Yeoh Oscar win for instance, for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”. This is a queer-friendly film.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, a supposed reformer, has publicly stated that LGBTQ, secularism and communism will never be recognised in this country - but yet he congratulated Yeoh on her Oscar win for an LGBTQ-friendly film...