Monday May 13, 2013

Stop talking, start working

IT has been two weeks since my last column. The break wasn’t intentional, though. After last week’s polls, I flew to Miri on the weekend for the Borneo Jazz 2013, which closed its curtains yesterday.

I had a blast, but even the music could not drown the reverberations of the just-concluded parliamentary elections. Here and there at the festival people still talked about it.

I could not help keeping up with the many post-election news, from a man’s utter dissatisfaction over the outcome, and political parties calling for the sacking of some of their members for not doing enough or allegedly going against them, to the indelible ink that was not so indelible, it got me asking: “Where do the people stand while all these post-polling squabbles happen?”

Shouldn’t those involved in the general election stop being so tuija and start working for the benefit of the rakyat? Tuija in Sarawakian Malay means acting/doing beyond what is required or normal, or overdoing something, so much so that it makes other people disgusted.

I urge the newly elected MPs to prove their worth and deliver their promises made throughout the campaign. Of course it’s not wrong to hold a myriad of rallies and festivities such as doa selamat (thanksgiving), and makan-makan to celebrate their victories, but make them modest, quick and simple.

There’s no need for any more mudslinging or else they would sound like a broken record or a faulty CD — boring, tiring and redundant. Isn’t it enough that they have already won?

During a recent chat, a seasoned community leader said he disliked winners who gloated over their victories.

“I don’t see any point in it. Haven’t they said enough during their campaigns? The focus should now be on the rakyat, not their political rivals. It’s understandable that we have yet to decide on the Cabinet but these new MPs can start meeting their constituents, just like they did before and during the polls.

“Personally, I have a feeling that after this, we’ll rarely see or meet some of the MPs. I repeat: some, not all. Mark my word, and watch out for these types,” he said.

People want their wakil rakyat (MPs and assemblymen) to be exactly as their labels mean. Wakil means representative and rakyat means people. Wakil rakyat — people’s representatives. Nothing more, nothing less. Representatives are not bosses (though those who are full of themselves think they are), and they are not servants either.

My hope is that our Sarawakian MPs would really perform well and, most importantly, get to know their constituents especially the newcomers. Granted, there are MPs who have performed admirably. As such, they deserve the mandate given to them. Sadly, some have not done well, yet still go to Parliament because the people voted not for them personally but for their parties.

The onus is on the representatives to prove that they deserve their victories and stay relevant right into the next election and perhaps beyond.

They must not cop out by giving “we cannot please everybody” statements because nobody expects it of them. It’s a no-brainer. Just don’t please one or two persons out of a thousand and then say they can’t please everybody. That would be easily construed as favouritism or cronyism.

When the dust has settled down, many Sarawakians will again remember one of their pet grouses, that is, the state trunk road (which many mistakenly/wishfully refer to as the Pan-Borneo Highway).

They will also want public transportation in cities and towns in Sarawak to be addressed immediately. The transformation is a long time in coming, and everybody is waiting for it to materialise fully.

News

Monday May 13, 2013

Stop talking, start working