• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

The Messiah, the Crowd, and the State

by onlinecitizen
12/11/2013
in Commentaries
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0

By Aloysius Chia

toc_hacker_messiah

How are we to make sense of The Messiah?

On the one hand this figure of Anonymous seems bent on threatening the government, providing for the first time since the crackdown on ‘communists’ in the 1980s, a true radical force against what it views as injustice and unreasonable control of the polity (the internet of which is an extension).

On the other hand its motives and intentions are unknown. For it may claim to want to do good for the larger public, fighting what it perceives to be a hegemonic force, when in fact it has no such desire to do so. There is simply no way in which any reasonable person can objectively evaluate The Messiah, who claims to be a force for good but could equally be bad.

Anyone who makes a stand must simply be bent by the force of his or her emotions, and any stand made decided on the basis of perception. Most of the time, it will be affected by the opinion one has towards the current government. Some will find what this hactivist has done admirable, others will find it extreme. Whatever the reason, the reason cannot be a good reason, simply because there is not enough information about this person.

The only real contention here is to whether the use of radical force is suitable for change. For those who feel that democratic processes are or have been futile and conversation useless, a radical movement such as The Messiah’s would do well as a start to enact change as a real, concrete threat to the entrenched power of the government. The symbol of The Messiah offers a catalyst for grievances that feel that there has been too much restrictions and change long overdue.

But how long can such a movement persist is questionable. Can the Messiah, with all its self-vaunted technical prowess, truly pry into a gargantuan bureaucracy such as the government’s? What can it truly do, stopping short of a computer system breakdown, other than deface websites or steal information? An unrecognizable figure can only do so much as symbolic moves; it cannot change what it perceives worse for something better, precisely because it is illegitimate.

In order to understand The Messiah, and all the galvanizing support behind it, one has to realize that there is great disenchantment among certain groups of people, who feel such means justified. There are many reasons why people support The Messiah. Some are personal, some are political, many are presumably, financial. But the fact that the appearance of a single completely unknown ‘martyr’ has garnered so much enthusiasm can only be a reflection that there is the feeling that there is too much control of the current political system. In other words, the public sphere has not been amenable to the voices of a diverse group of people so that real contention is shown to be debated.

Here, we are not talking about which party has done this or done that, or which politicians have messed up. The issue is about how people feel things have been going, and how much the political system reflects this sentiment. Usually, a democratic system will reflect, more or less, the sentiments of the general population. In so far as there is a large polity of resentment, the system will reflect that, through the election of politicians and consequently, office holders. This incident of The Messiah, forces us to reflect back on this system.

In the past, the system has done very well to absorb these resentments and respond to it, by addressing the common grievances of those who find themselves left out or alienated by a government that prides itself in its prudence and forward looking policies. How this will eventually turn out with The Messiah will be another test for the government.

It has been reported on Tuesday that the probable ‘Messiah’ has been caught.

James Raj Arokiasamy is being accused of hacking a website belonging to Ang Mo Kio Town Council from a unit in Dorchester Apartment at Jalan Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 28 at about 1.35pm.

Today the newspaper has been quick to point out and emphasize that he has been “remanded in the Institute of Mental Health for a psychiatric evaluation” This may be a quick apologetic gesture to find an excuse and explain what no one yet understands.

But let’s be clear, whether or not this man suffers from any mental illness, it does not detract the support and waves of individuals who have stood behind him. The sentiments of those who were affected or influenced by him has taken place, and are anything but arbitrary; they are borne out by a tension that has simmered for years.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Minister Tan See Leng only reveals 500 intra-corporate transferees from India for last year – a Covid year
Opinion

Increasing number of working Permanent Residents in Singapore but with a stable PR population

03/02/2023
Opinion

A multi-party parliament is the only way to make sure that Singapore continues to not condone or tolerate corruption

03/02/2023
Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor
Malaysia

Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

03/02/2023
Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI
Indonesia

Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

02/02/2023
Commentaries

The Keppel bribery scandal tests Singapore’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption

02/02/2023
Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives
Singapore

Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

02/02/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Minister Tan See Leng only reveals 500 intra-corporate transferees from India for last year – a Covid year

Increasing number of working Permanent Residents in Singapore but with a stable PR population

03/02/2023

A multi-party parliament is the only way to make sure that Singapore continues to not condone or tolerate corruption

03/02/2023
Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

03/02/2023
Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

02/02/2023

The Keppel bribery scandal tests Singapore’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption

02/02/2023
Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

02/02/2023
US businesses ‘fear internet curbs in Hong Kong’

Hong Kong offers free flights after COVID isolation

02/02/2023
Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

02/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
25

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
24

...

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

by Augustine Low
01/02/2023
36

...

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
41

...

Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023

Less than 1 in 10 jobs created in first three quarters of 2022 went to Singaporeans?

by Leong Szehian
28/01/2023
69

...

Excessively charging for an essential need, and calling it affordable because people still can pay for it?

by Terry Xu
31/01/2023
39

...

November 2013
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Oct   Dec »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz