Yvonne Foong

Ok. Hafiz corrected me, and after consulting John Ling, this post is now an edited version. Must edit la. Don’t confuse our fellow Malaysians.

I am pleased to read that The Star newspaper has started educating readers about governance of the democratic state.

As you know, I’ve been studying U.S. Government this semester which began in January. Among the first questions I asked myself was whether Malaysia owns a unicameral or bicameral legislature.

Malaysia is in fact bicameral. With two government appointed senators from each state in the Dewan Negara as the upper house, and our Members of Parliament, such as Jeff Ooi, in the lower house called the Dewan Rakyat.

When I heard the lack of autonomy among our senators, my hopes for a better Malaysia plunged.

What initially confused me and many others is the fact that our elected representatives were either restricted or pure dysfunctional under the governance of Barisan Nasional.

Hence, we have Malaysians, uninformed about political systems, demanding state assemblymen to unclog drains and solve traffic woes, allowing the City Council to slack on their duties.

Assemblymen should focus on matters in the state legislature, by studying the law, efficiently address their constituents’ concernst\, and participate in forming public policies. While paying attention to the community, both MPS and Aduns must not allow matters that should be handled by the City Council, to interfere and disrupt their official legislative duties.

Because when our government takes the liberty to assume dictatorship, as Barisan Nasional had done in the past 50 years, the participation of elected representatives in law and legislative matters diminish, They become mere puppets that put on the occasional show, such as by distributing schoolbags to poor children, to win the people’s blind faith that keep them in office.

Many like to rest the burden of political reform in the hands of their representatives while assuming a passive role in society. And then blame politicians when things aren’t going well. But the people are partially to be blamed.

If you don’t want the blame, then start learning about politics and the law. Play an active part in society.

You do not need to join DAP, PKR, or any political party to make a difference. You may form interest groups, non-governmental organizations, charity organizations, or becoming members of the media, just to name a few. Play an active role in pressuring the government for change.

I cannot help but cringe when the Information Minister reportedly said he plans to meet up with bloggers to acknowledge their significance. It may be better for Datuk to leave us alone.

Why? Because we do not deserve special attention just because we call ourselves bloggers. It is the people speaking up who should be heard, while blogging is just a platform. If we claim center stage, we risk reducing the significance of other pressure groups. Acknowledge ALL members of society instead of focusing on bloggers alone. Otherwise it comes across as patronizing.

Imagine if the government mistake the importance of blogging with the significance of an individual. When the influential blogger suddenly stops blogging, does that reduces his significance? No, it shouldn’t. Hence, it is not “bloggers”, but the “people of Malaysia”.

In conclusion, there are a couple of things we must now do.

1. Become aware of the official duties of our elected representatives.

2. Join an interest group or political party.

3. Become vocal. Maintain a blog, join e-forums, or write to the newspaper.

Having said this, I hope you realize MCA had done all but putting on a monkey show. Their blind allegiance towards Barisan Nasional meant endorsing their act of denying Malaysians democracy.

Posted in Politics |