Are our elected reps worthy of being called YB?

There was this cruel Whatsapp forwarded about politicians recently that I am sure many of you would have read. 

It said: “Guys, please put the word out. I’m helping a friend who runs an Outdoor Activity Centre. We are offering free bungee jumping to MPs with no strings attached!”

The pun was obviously intended and no one could have missed the absolute insult the creator of this message intended for elected representatives. This was one among many insulting messages that were derogatory to our MPs which had been circulating for some time. 

But honestly, the number of such insults has seen a drastic increase of late, especially after many party-hopping elected representatives brought down the elected Pakatan Harapan governments at the federal and state levels.

The most telling ones were video clips of almost all our leaders juxtaposed with what they had said about their rivals before the last election and what they had proclaimed after the infamous Sheraton Move that saw key Bersatu and PKR leaders crawling back to those they had insulted during the campaign in GE14.

This makes many wonder if these politicians are taking the rakyat for fools.

Also circulating wildly now are some of the antics of our parliamentarians, one of which shows a senior politician screaming the “F” word at his rival. This has resurfaced now because of the Sabah state election as he is leading the BN team there.

While we treat these as jokes, the fact is that this is the reality. We, the people, have voted these representatives into the August House and some of us are now left wondering what has happened to our judgment. 

It is indeed sad that all of our MPs are lumped together in this category although there are some real gems in our midst from both sides of the divide. 

I must admit it is not too large a number but they are guilty by association with their respective parties by virtue of having to abide by their whips and top leaders when voting in Parliament or commenting on controversies.

I may have had a good laugh like the rest but I could not help reflecting on the state of affairs and the weirdest things politicians have been doing or saying since GE14. 

Under our parliamentary practice adapted from the British Westminster system, we have been referring to them as “The Honourable” members or "Yang Berhormat" (YB) in Bahasa Malaysia.

As we all know, this is a term that is used to show respect to the position of MP, not the person who holds it. However, it’s expected that the person holding this elected post shows absolute respect and behaves in a manner that is worthy of being referred to as such.

We have in our midst YBs who have been convicted for crimes while some others are facing criminal charges. A few are being investigated for criminal offences including ministers who seem to enjoy privileges that the ordinary folks do not.

In Parliament, we have a bunch of screaming YBs who fling words which are not expected of these honourable representatives.

It is common to see them calling each other names like babi (pig), lembu (cow), bodoh (stupid), gelap (dark), komunis (communist), and pendatang (immigrant) among others.

There were a couple of them who actually used the four-letter word when the hysteria reached a crescendo and when they could not reason anymore. 

I think some schools and colleges are making a big mistake of taking their students for a study tour of our Parliament. They are the worst examples to emulate if you want to be a useful citizen.

And then you have another group of YBs who do not have any qualms about insulting each other’s religion with little regard to sensitivities. 

Don’t forget others who lie blatantly in Parliament or the Senate, like the case of Sabah student Veveonah Mosibin who had to build a treehouse to get better Internet coverage to help her prepare for exams.

Yes, the two YBs, who happened to be deputy ministers, have apologised but not before insisting wrongly that the student had lied. The Cabinet assigned Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin to go meet the student personally to apologise on behalf of the Malaysian government.

Honestly, they did choose a decent minister, who I would gladly call YB because of the way he carries himself even when under attack. 

But I do wonder if this would have been the response if Sabah was not under the national spotlight because of the snap polls there.

Don’t forget the huge number of frogging YBs who in the voters’ opinion have betrayed the constituents by switching from the party ticket they were elected on.

Their hopping and leaping had caused the fall of some governments and resulted in instability, especially during the difficult time we face because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The outrage and disgust that the voters have been feeling are beyond description.

Do these elected representatives still deserve to be called YBs? Or would it be better if we stop this courteous practice altogether to save the honour of our August House? I am not sure because to be addressed with that term, one has to be of near-impeccable character and integrity because he or she represents an office that is supposed to be exemplary.

In some countries, the elected members choose to quit with honour after admitting they had blemished the name of the office.

In this respect, let me point out that we only had one YB in Malaysian politics who quit after admitting that he was the person featured in a sensational sex DVD that was widely circulated in the country in 2008.

He is Dr Chua Soi Lek. 

Unlike some other political leaders, he admitted that he was the one in the video and formally announced his resignation from all posts including MP for Labis, vice president of MCA, and Minister of Health.

He was the first and last despite many others who faced similar circumstances who just chose to deny or remain silent and continue holding positions in the government and parties.

And these are the YBs who are actually ruling the roost.

You and I, who are the voters, have to share the blame for not only sending such representatives to Parliament or the state assemblies but also repeatedly voting them in despite their dubious records. 

We should have the courage to vote out those who did not behave honourably.

So if we don’t start changing now, nothing will. We will either remain where we are or worse still, slide down the ranks in global standings. 

It’s our choice, really.

---

K PARKARAN is a veteran editor who served with The Star and Al Jazeera.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.