MPs: Much ado about nothing

The current prime minister, in his first week of office before the general election and after his espousal of the \’work with me not for me\’ philosophy, and after kissing his mother\’s hand as a mark of respect, with thanks and gratitude for raising him to become the political leader of the biggest party in Malaysia went to the Parliament and addressed the august House. He called for the House to raise the honour, respect and dignity of the Parliament in Malaysia.

After the elections, he called on all elected parliamentarians and state representatives to be fully responsible to the people who elected them. He wanted them to work with him and not for him. In Parliament especially, where the seat of the federal government sits, one would assume that the call to be more responsible and accountable would be heard more seriously. The BBC (Backbenchers Club) seems to have heard the call of the PM, but one wonders whether the rest of the MPs have heeded the PM\’s call seriously.

For one, although there was a call for periodic monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the elected members (the so-called Report Card), it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. After one year, there appears to be little or no progress on this subject. Therefore, in fully supporting and endorsing Zainul Arifin\’s editorial in the New Straits Times , with Kalimullah Hassan and all the other supporting newspapers, I propose that the media, including non-mainstream ones, take it upon themselves to mediate the performance and non-performance of the MPs.

I full agree and endorse NST\’s position as articulated by the author that the Parliament needs greater transparency and accountability, and the media can build itself into the role of moderating for this. To date, the MPs (in general) have been frivolous and not too serious in the discourse of issues. Malaysians enjoy \’coffee-shop or tepi jalan\’ talk. No critical analysis, simply repeat what the man on the street says. Even MPs are guilty of this. Let me quote two examples to make my point.

Trivial issues

First, the comment from the MP for Gerik Wan Hashim Wan Teh. He argued that the movie Sepet which won international recognition, was a poor one because it encouraged Bahasa Rojak. My question and argument: Are we not generally a rojak people who do not appreciate true excellence and real competitiveness? Do we not want to get by with the mediocre, as the search for excellence is too great a task for most of us, except for the individuals who really excel as part of their own response to the Malaysia Boleh cry! The cry should now be relabeled \’Some Malaysians Boleh!\’

Why else would scientists and professors be willing to accept that STPM and matriculation can be accepted on the same set of standards, for entrance into public universities? One is a nationally set, marked and qualified standard (based on the British elitist model, and Oxbridge-accredited system of national exams at the A-level), while the other is based on the American model and philosophy of education based on the democratisation of education to make it possible for more as many as possible to enter undergraduate examinations.

These are not only decentralised but are instead conducted and marked in very decentralised modes with varying standards of testing, marking and grading. Even the Americans recognise this and have created the SAT as a standardised format quality controlled by Educational Testing Service of Princeton. Should not this fundamental issue of core values and strategic intent be a greater concern for the learned MP from Gerik.

The MP is a very distinguished professor and son of the former menteri besar of Perak. Rather than focusing on the movie, of artistic form and interest, why not address the bread and butter issue of Malaysian graduates\’ non-competitiveness and non-employability of Malaysian local graduates? The movie which (I am told) captures the essence of much of real Malaysia is really only meant for entertainment, not to keep MPs happy! The learned MP should not join the entertainment fraternity but should focus discourse on real issues of academic excellence, having being a professor of one of the foremost universities in Malaysia. At east then, it would be edu-taining!

Second, even the MP for Ipoh Timor, the very able, learned and shrewd come-back politician and leader of the opposition, may only be \’playing politics\’ with his comments and response in Parliament on the subject of Zainul\’s editorial. To his credit though, the BN MPs fell for the trap and accepted the premise of his political statement and intent.

So, using Zainul\’s model for new democracy, the BBC and serious and real Opposition are now agreed that NST is \”humiliating them.\” It is now the responsibility of the people, who read NST and listen to what goes on in Parliament, or those who buy and research the Hansard, to be the judge and jury on this subject. I write for that reason.

Should not the honorable opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang, rather take up the case of the statement made by Minister in the Prime Minister\’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz that Malay Bibles are banned and not to be distributed freely, as a potential real issue for editorial comments and a statement of the real freedom of the press in Malaysia?

That ministerial reply, however ill-advised the minister was, is tantamount to denying the fundamental human rights of Christian bumiputeras (for whom Malay is their natural first language) just when the governments of Sarawak and Sabah are ready to recognise the equal status of the East and West of Malaysia on the issue of basic citizenship and immigration via identity cards. Instead, the so-called humiliation of the MPs is \’politicised\’.

When some MPs fall into such cakap kosong (empty talk), as I once wrote in my column in the NST , this is also K-talk, but not of the knowledge vintage. It is empty of substance and is only \’a noisy clanging cymbal\’ that attracts attention but says nothing.

Sour grapes

For the benefit of our every esteemed MP, my professor and teacher, SH Nasr the University Professor of Religion, Science and Philosophy at the George Washington University, used to caution that \’knowledge or the lack of it\’ is always a two-edged sword. Gnosis the Greek root for knowledge is also the root for the English word, \’ignorance\’ (Greek is ignosis). Therefore, whether the MPs speak \’knowledge or cakap kosong\’ is really left for the people to decide, not for the MPs to fight for their own recognition through the media. At the next election, I for one will organise a movement of citizen\’s who will give ratings for MPs based on the performance, between their espoused theory and their theory-in-use.

This integrity model should test MPs against what they promised the people in order to get elected and what they \’delivered\’ against their promises to the people. This movement of the people, by the people and for the people, we as ordinary citizens of Malaysia have called, a Community-level Action Movement or Clam. It is a movement for greater responsibility, accountability and transparency by the representatives of the people.

So now, back to the NST -bashing by the MPs. They are simply becoming sour grapes or have a dog-in-the manger attitude by blaming others for their own lack of seriousness in issues that face the nation. There are many serious promises that the PM has made to the people of Malaysia, and those who trusted his promises, voted him and his representatives into Parliament.

As his elected representatives, and those of the other people who disagreed with him, please work hard and with decorum to bring back respect and honour into our August House. Otherwise, you will betray the trust given to the PM\’s action agenda which he has labeled towards excellence, brilliance and diligence.