Politicians and their hogwash, enough already la

 

Malaysian voters are being fed all sorts of bait by politicians fishing to be elected next month.

Each coalition or party has its supporters and detractors. For some voters it is an absurd comparison between the over 60-year rule of one coalition juxtaposed against the stunted 22-month rule of another.

For others it is about defending the rights of their own community. Their belief is that only a party representing their race will do. For these voters, the archaic communal politics of old is still right.

The liberal “Bangsar Bubble” is anxious that the kleptocrats are coming back into power. “Angry PJ Uncles” want to fight for justice any way they see fit. Whereas there are some who say that the kleptocrat story is ancient news, and we don’t care about it anymore.

It has been a season of surprises, too.

Hardworking, respected, and well-loved incumbents like former Klang MP Charles Santiago were dropped on very dubious grounds. Even the seemingly popular minister Khairy Jamaluddin, has been ejected from a “safe” constituency.

Component parties in the coalitions are being stroppy when they don’t get what they want and threaten to pull out entirely from contesting. And, candidates who have been dropped by their parties are standing as independents or jumping ship to another coalition.

Some parties are still pleading to form alliances, even when no one seems to want to touch them with a barge pole. Former strongmen are coming back. And of course, there are candidates from all sides of the political divide, who have been selected once again, even though they have a litany of court cases still pending against them.

In between all this, there are independent candidates who are standing just to make a point.

It’s all muddled and chaotic at the moment. For ordinary Malaysians, the chicanery of our politics is tedious, confusing and so full of subterfuge.

At the end of the day what do we, as voters, actually need?

A friend of mine sent me a list of what some of her office colleagues said when asked what they want from their “wakil rakyat” or MP.

Ironically, they started by saying that they don’t want candidates who simply focus on “dissing” each other. The incessant name-calling, stoking racial sentiments by being parochial, yet actually not telling us what they bring to the table, is no longer acceptable.

I felt that their list really encapsulates the needs of ordinary Malaysians, like you and me. They want MPs who will look after the following:

1. Better and more efficient public transportation and traffic management systems that are thought through and people-centric;
2. A unified education system that is revamped from early childhood to tertiary levels that helps Malaysians be competitive on any stage;
3. Better and more efficient internet bandwidth, and free WiFi in public spaces;
4. A reduction of crime, especially in housing areas, and a comprehensive national safety plan that puts the safety of citizens first;
5. Better, elderly-friendly public common spaces;
6. An upgrade of our waterways, drainage and irrigation systems, as well as proper flood mitigation and disaster relief plans;
7. The preservation of green spaces, public parks, and reserve forests;
8. The eradication of political appointees to government-linked companies;
9. The active re-educating of the populace to be less racist by being more inclusive of all Malaysians and organising real national integration programmes and projects;
10. And, MPs must actively and regularly be present in their constituencies, and actually understand the needs of ordinary Malaysians.

They added that these criteria should be placed on a “scorecard”, and one year after their election as MPs, their voters should rate them, and the results be posted publicly.

If only our candidates can make us these promises and truly show us that they can work at achieving them, sans their usual melodrama, Malaysia will unquestionably be a better place.

But here is the catch. Erudite and smart candidates will take these points, or at least part of it, and use it to fish for votes.

However, can we voters trust any of our ineffectual politicians to deliver on their promises?

Apparently, the Dalai Lama once said that you cannot buy trust in a supermarket. But our politicians will sell themselves to us like they are produce at a “pasar malam”.

The reality is that Malaysians have a massive trust deficiency with all our politicians. When listening to any candidate, can you categorically say that you firmly believe in the reliability, truth, or ability of the person talking to you?

To be frank, choosing your MP is a real crapshoot. Candidates must show that our decision to select them isn’t just a stab in the dark.

I believe if they genuinely want us to trust them, they should start by apologising for their party’s misdemeanours and misdeeds in the past. This simple act of saying sorry that they betrayed our confidence, will go a long way towards us beginning to believe in them again. All of them need to stop with the nonsensical denials and claims of political persecution etc.

Candidates must be reliable and dependable

If they are true to their word and fulfil their election promises, we will surely start to trust them. This means, they have to think their plans through and get input from the real experts, instead of listening to their sycophants. They must be crystal clear to us, about how their plans will be executed, with exacting timelines.

Currently, the trust between the people and our politicians is utterly destroyed and at an epic low.

As voters, we must remind ourselves to sense disingenuity and insincerity. As eloquent as a candidate may be, if they are not authentic and don’t have congruency, we don’t have to believe anything they are saying.

So, when you go to cast your vote on Nov 19, ask yourself if you can trust the person you are choosing. We cannot fall for the same hogwash. Enough already, la. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.