'Watch out, Harapan, we're tracking your pledges’

Today marks the first month of Pakatan Harapan's rule in Putrajaya since their stunning victory at the May 9 polls.

But unlike in the past, citizens – including supporters of Harapan – are guarding their new-found freedom closely, and have become keen observers of the policies of the new government.

With the tagline "Making democracy work," several youths have come up with an initiative dubbed the Harapan Tracker.

The creators say they are nonpartisan, and not affiliated to any party.

According to its Facebook page, the nonpartisan initiative tracks, monitors and scrutinises the Pakatan Harapan government’s performance.

To date, the Harapan Tracker has recorded three promises achieved, two broken and 35 out of 288 in progress.

These promises include the 10 made in their manifesto to be fulfilled in their first 100 days in office, six pillars of promises to be fulfilled in five years, as well as official campaign speeches and press releases or conferences.

"The group's primary goal for this platform or tool is to allow everyone to see what has or has not been achieved by our government, and to keep them accountable to their promises.

"Our secondary goal, (but equally important in the long run) is to make democracy work by inspiring people to participate in policy-driven conversations and debate – shifting focus away from gutter politics," said Harapan Tracker founder Dennis Kam, who was born in Penang but now works in Singapore.

'Hopeful of Harapan'

Asked his views on Harapan's performance, the 28-year-old said the group, which comprises four teammates, is "hopeful".

Kam said it is also promising to see an increase in transparency, especially in the way proposals are made public.

"Every day we have new news on how things are progressing. So I'd give their interim report card a 6/10," he told Malaysiakini.

Kam wants to see Harapan's performance hit a 10/10 mark, and offers some pointers on how this can be achieved.

"Start being a parliamentary democracy and gradually move away from a prime minister's democracy.

"Many of the policies currently are being carried out without the consent of Parliament.

"We have to be aware that Harapan received only 47.92 percent of the popular vote in GE14, so more than half the people aren't represented here," he pointed out.

"Harapan should have a more coherent public relations strategy and control the narrative.

"It can be difficult to navigate a coalition government, so it's important to present a unified voice," he added.

Kam also urged Harapan to foster the politics of cooperation and inspire the people on the ground to do the same.

"This means reaching out to and changing the way politics has always been (confrontational and incendiary) to be more collaborative.

"Always be open to checks and balances from various institutions – people and civil society, among others – and take criticism and feedback in stride," he said.

Malaysiakini has also launched its own tracker of Harapan’s 100-day election promises. -Mkini