MPs, end the stupidity and do your real jobs

An open letter to Members of Parliament

COMMENT

By Hafidz Baharom

To the honourable Members of Parliament,

As a humble Malaysian citizen, I would like to define just what exactly you were elected to do.

As members of the legislative branch of government, all 222 of you were elected to discuss and create or repeal the country’s laws.

Your second duty is to represent the concerns of the electorate on a national scale. You do not represent just those who voted for you, nor should you give priority to your own kin or friends.

This is what, in my opinion, you were elected to do.

If there is an unjust law or a law that is considered no longer relevant by your electorate, it is your duty to ensure it is repealed. Logic dictates that as long as it exists it will be abused. It is stupid to think it wise to contest the enforcement of the law, selective or otherwise, when the law itself is flawed.

The fact that you take to the streets instead of raising such motions in parliament and the state assemblies with a call to censure is also stupid.

The fact that you want the people to cry over the lack of a bed and a table for your leader and his being kept awake by mosquitoes, while asking for permission to have tea with the King is, well, far beyond stupid.

Similarly, when there is a call for a public declaration of assets, we are not talking about a declaration to the president of your party. Such a thing is not considered public, and such a statement is at a level of idiocy beyond comprehension.

Parliament is currently in session, and the question of replacing a 16-year-old jet is far from being a major concern of the people.

One real concern is the rise in violent crimes to the point that someone making a withdrawal at an ATM can find himself hacked and robbed.

Another is the lack of funding to combat corruption and the apathy over the overspending highlighted constantly by the Auditor-General.

Another is the apparently shocking drop in our rankings in education.

You should be concerned about the need for water security and the need to lower pollution levels, increase the availability of low-cost housing and bolster the incomes of people who cannot even afford a meal, let alone be expected to cope with the GST.

You should concern yourselves with the need to combat the dengue epidemic, which has now killed hundreds and affected tens of thousands, leaving hospitals unable to cope.

You should concern yourselves with trying to decrease household debts and regulating taxes and the spending and investments of government linked companies and agencies.

You should concern yourselves with increasing budgets for environmental protection agencies and monitoring authorities as well as publicly backing them to combat illegal logging and farming.

These are all matters that must be brought to light in this sitting of Parliament and the concurrent state assembly sessions.

Parliament is not a grandstand for you to turn diva. It is not for you to raise your personal issues or to promote measures that have no bearing on the needs and wants of the people.

It is your job until 2018 to make sure that the issues raised above are attended to and settled as soon as possible through the introduction of bills for debate.

So please, stop with the sandiwaras and do your jobs, honourable Members of Parliament. Earn your salaries and do what you’ve been elected to do.

Hafidz Baharom is an FMT reader.