Voters' wish list

WINNING the nod to represent the rakyat is the easy part, aspiring MPs are reminded, FAUZIAH ISMAIL reports.

"ELECTION lagi, kan? (Elections again, yes?)" says taxi driver Mohd Yusof. "Ada apa-apa cerita?" "Cerita apa, bang?" (What stories, brother?), I respond.
“Awak orang suratkhabar. Selalunya orang surat-khabar yang tahu benda- benda. (You are with a newspaper, you people know things.)"
I move - as casually as I can manage - to take off my name tag.
"Pernah tulis fasal wakil rakyat, orang macam mana yang kita mahu? (Ever written about the rakyat's representatives, what we expect of them?)," he continues.
Yusof confides that he has often wondered if he had helped put the right person in office in the last general election, demurring on who or which party he voted for.
"Undi kita kan rahsia (our vote is secret, right?). Sometimes, we will only know whether he is right for the job after we have elected him," he says, as he heads down Jalan Mahameru from Jalan Tun Razak; the 40-year- old icon of nationhood that is the Bangunan Parlimen gleaming against the blue sky just ahead.
Urban voters generally have more access than the rural folk to background information on candidates contesting in an election, which can hopefully be used to make an informed choice. Still, people like him, Yusof says, rely mostly on what others say.
"We can read the newspapers... but then, we cannot believe everything we read, yes?"
To be eligible to stand for election and become a Member of Parliament (MP), a candidate basically has only to be a Malaysian citizen; not less than 21 years old; of sound mind; and who is not an undischarged bankrupt; and does not have a criminal record.
Sounds straight forward enough, but that's the easy part, Yusof notes. "The hard part is to fulfil the huge responsibility after winning a seat. Not anyone can take up the job as a Yang Berhormat."
Denni Fahmi Adam, firmly believes that what the country needs is not a new government but a better one.
"Put it this way. Do we chop down a tree when its fruits are not to our expectations? Do we plant a new tree and wait for years simply on the chance that its fruits will be better? Or do we nurture the tree we have to enable it to give us the best fruits possible?" says the 30-year-old, a volunteer aid worker who has been to a war zone, and seen for himself what political upheaval can do to a country and its people.
"We should make the best of what we have. Some of the people in the government may not meet our expectations but we can always help put better ones in office."
Fahmi says while he agrees with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's call for party members to "work with me, not for me", it must be stressed that the elected MP should work for the rakyat, not himself.
Fahmi had played part-time poster boy and helped out in past election campaigns, but definitely not for the pay.
"It was pittance... we got a free T-shirt and we were fed... I just enjoyed the camaraderie."
One aspect of election campaigning he enjoys is the ceramah sessions staged by rival candidates.
"I try to go for both those given the ruling party and the Opposition. Some are really good, quite entertaining... laced with jokes and biting wit, but at the same time many listeners may not differentiate what's true and what's false.
"It's best to listen to both sides and weigh for yourself the quality of the candidates."
As for the biggest turn-off, Fahmi says he can't stand candidates who indulge in character assassinations. "I want someone who is able to articulate policies and contribute not only to the well-being of my constituency, but also towards nation-building. I don't need a representative who unfairly attacks his rivals."
Suhaimy Kamarudin will be a first-time voter, and he is firm about considering the party first, then only the candidate. "The party represents the bigger picture or agenda and I would cast my vote depending on what they want to achieve, have achieved, their service level thus far. "But I would probably make an exception if the personality is particularly charismatic."
Suhaimy, with a background in human resource management, says he will "ask around", especially at the ground level, when sizing up a candidate.
"You'd be surprised by the stuff you can get at the mamak stall, where the so-called authorities on local politics gather to discuss affairs of the state over teh tarik. Their comments need to be taken with a pinch of salt, of course. And I would also try to read both the mainstream papers and the not-so-mainstream Internet publications, just to get a balanced view.
"Talking to my peers also give me a pretty good perspective. They are mainly in their late 20s and early 30s. They have a somewhat different view of things than the older generations, like on freedom of speech, dissent, objectivity and transparency."
Suhaimy says he is realistic and is not looking for the "perfect MP". "I'd settle for someone decent, with a strong sense of duty, integrity and fair play. Transparency is important, and charisma wouldn't hurt. I mean I would be very nervous voting for someone who is sloppy or cannot put a coherent sentence together."
Not quite as an afterthought, he adds: "Someone proactive will be useful, don't simply blame things that go wrong on `acts of God'."
Many politicians tend to shoot themselves in the foot by making inane statements too, he says.
"If they don't know, just say `I don't know', and then go find out. Instead I see some of them trying so hard to appear smart and only end up looking the opposite."
Suhaimy is not overly concerned if his MP doesn't have paper qualifications. "It's the quality of the thinking process that counts. He must be able to operate at least at the tactical, if not strategic or visionary, level."
And the rakyat must always be the top priority. "They must have that mindset. We (the rakyat) put them them after all."
Another first-time voter, Ziad Razak, also feels that the MP should put the rakyat first, especially when formulating laws in parliament.
"I think it's important for lawmakers to have a feel for the people. If not propose, at least support laws that can make a difference in people's lives for the better. It's big responsibility and I don't know if many MPs are up to it," says the trader with a major oil and gas firm.
Ziad also believes that the constituents themselves have a big role to play in making the system work.
People here, he laments, rarely write to their MPs - if ever. "It is very common in the UK. When I was studying there, I remember that whenever there was an issue of national, regional or even local importance, there would be "write to your MPs" campaigns." For example, when the Labour Government proposed hiking university fees, the student unions put up posters and urged people to write to their MPs to complain, he says.
"I miss that kind of culture - a mature political culture. I don't even know who my current MP is, and I've been back in the country for several years now," adds the 25-year-old.
Fadhillah Mustaffa agrees. "The concept of balik kawasan (visiting the constituency) or turun padang (going down to the field) does not seems to exist in the city. Even if there are events such as festive gatherings, it is politically driven."
She lists three main qualities she wants to see in an MP: accessibility, commitment and integrity.
"Accessibility and visibility for a wakil rakyat in an urban area is probably quite challenging as the voters' expectations are high."
And she has a suggestion: "Use the Internet."
"I won't want to impose on him at his office or `gate-crash' his home, so a website or e-mail address could work. But, of course, he must make an effort to read all e-mails and respond to them."
Another registered voter, who requests anonymity, says she has stopped casting her vote for three general elections now. None of the candidates fielded, be they from the ruling party or the Opposition, has been worthy of her vote, she claims.
"I am in a profession where I can find out things about candidates quite easily. So I am able to assess whether they are the kind who will service the constituency to the best of their ability and, at the same time, deliver what the party leadership wants."
She says she can't help but feel that at times the sole basis for naming a candidate - or retaining an MP to contest the same seat - is the perceived chances of chalking up a win. "It's a numbers game, it doesn't matter if another person could actually do the job better. That to me is reality, but still very sad."