Where Are Our Politicians?
Prioritize Your Own Voters Over Your Personal, Political Agendas
It is absolutely crucial that our politicians in the government go to the ground and meet with the common people much more regularly and consistently every month.
This applies to both parliamentarians and members of the state assembly throughout Malaysia.
A Great Opportunity For People To Voice Their Grievances
The main purpose is for politicians to get feedback and complaints directly from the people about the daily problems they face and to solve them effectively.
This will naturally strengthen the relationship between the common people and the politicians in the government, thus increasing the level of support that is much needed at this time for the government.
This is because when people see that their politicians are consistently taking the time and effort to go and meet them, it makes the politicians appear more relatable and the people will naturally feel more connected to them.
Effective Ways Of Meeting The People
Such meetings and interactions with the people can be conducted in the form of:
- The politicians go directly to the villages and residential areas of their respective constituents and meet with them.
- Organizing and attending certain events or programs in their respective constituencies which apart from providing opportunities for the people to meet the politicians, can also be held for various purposes, such as cultural, raising awareness, educational, sports, or social work.
- Conducting weekly official meet-and-greet sessions in their respective constituencies consistently, whereby the people are able to go and meet with their respective elected representatives at their respective offices or service centers.
Of course, it’s also equally important for the politicians, after meeting with and receiving complaints from the people, to then actually, genuinely strive to solve those complaints.
They should not just conduct such sessions of meeting the people half-heartedly and purely for the sake of good optics, in order to raise their image as politicians in the eyes of their constituents as well as to gain more voter support.
Giving Proper Feedback To The People Is A Must
Besides that, they also must provide regular feedback to the people on the progress of their complaints as well as any delays or difficulties encountered that may prolong the process of solving those complaints.
One major systemic issue in our administration is that government officials and politicians almost never provide adequate feedback to the people on the status and progress of their respective complaints and feedback.
Such type of governance can really sour people’s opinion towards as well as their relationship with the government and the politicians.
This tactic of working at the ground level has long been used by certain parties very effectively and it has been proven in their very strong support base.
Such A Practice Can Be Considered The Bare Minimum In Terms Of The Politicians’ Responsibilities
Frankly, the practice of going to the ground to meet and receive feedback from the people regularly and consistently is something that our politicians should indeed be doing in the first place!
Unfortunately, though, due to the long-standing corrupt, pro-capitalist nature of Malaysia’s political system, most of our politicians view their political careers as huge opportunities to become wealthy.
Thus, their priorities are centered around enriching themselves and their close contacts instead of genuinely taking the time and effort to cater to the needs of the people, particularly their own voters.
The old political practice where politicians and elected representatives rarely meet the people, and even then, only to distribute aid hampers, officiate events, or during election campaigns, is completely ineffective as well as irresponsible in the context of actually serving the people.
Politicians Need To Have Greater Respect For The Voters
Such old behavior and practices can be considered as being disrespectful to the voters, considering the fact that they were the ones who elected those representatives into the positions of power they’re currently in.
Many of those voters chose to elect those politicians with the expectations and hopes that if they managed to win the elections and become elected, they would then take the time and effort to regularly go and meet them to find out as well as solve their problems, as is their job.
In closing, there needs to be a serious shift in mindset in the country’s political system. Politicians need to ultimately prioritize the needs and well-being of their own voters over their personal, political agendas.
The time has long come for our politicians to go to the ground and meet with the people more regularly and consistently.
Originally published at http://reformthesystem0.wordpress.com on October 17, 2023.
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