Life seems to have taken a deep breath and exhaled after the feverish pace of elections. Now that we know who will be sitting in the seats of our country's administrative power for the next five years, let us not relax into the oblivious confidence. Remember the promises made during the run-up to elections? Don't let us waste them into empty canvassing words that doesn't transform into real commitment and action.

This is a relational matter. Our YBs and MPs cannot telepathically read our minds. The direction of our votes was perhaps an indicator of where our priorities lie, but there needs to be more than just marking that 'X'. The discussions and decisions to be made about the rules which structure our formal societal relations need to consciously still have a space for us to have a voice. Everyday, decisions on policies, laws and the allocation of resources is debated and worked through by these elected officials. We need to let them know what we think - loudly and clearly.

Check who is the local MP of the area where you live. Find out what they've said before the elections and hold them to it. If there are any concerns you particularly have about living in your area - safety in the streets, traffic, state funded child-care facilities, health care, sanitation and so forth - let your MP know. Write her/him a letter, make an appointment to see him/her, express your thoughts through a more public forum like a residential newsletter or bulletin board if you have one, or through the letters section in newspapers. Request a timely and considered response. If none is forthcoming for beyond a reasonable time length, ask for a reason why. Basically, maintain a relationship of accountability and responsibility between your MP as an elected representative, and you as a concerned citizen in a democratic State.

It is actually quite easy to maintain contact. There is a new and easy to use web portal that enables you to get in touch with every government department, body and machinery through just a few clicks. If you have Internet access, this would be a relatively quick way to keep yourself informed and updated. The web portal also has the email addresses of all the Cabinet Ministers that you can get in touch with if they have made any public statements that you have thoughts about. Although it's currently slightly out-dated (the newly appointed Ministers have not yet been posted), keep alert for updates or notify the webmaster about this delay. If not, you can always call the Telekoms Directory to find out the phone number of your local council and take it from there.

Should any of the Internet links not work, or if Telekoms fail you, then you can sit down and write an open, questioning letter to any (or all) national newspapers. Your MP, should s/he be a conscientious public officer, should theoretically be scanning them to know what their constituency's thoughts are.

We are quite fortunate to be in a time and place where communication technology is flourishing to bring us ease of use and speed. Let's make full use of that to mobilise our civil and political rights. Even if you were not able to vote due to certain eligibility reasons (e.g. age, forgot to register etc.), you can still get in touch with members of the Malaysian government and convey your concerns.

If you have any thoughts or opinions about the number of women in the new Cabinet line-up - good effort, promising but still hurdles to go (3 women MPs out of 28 posts is still clearly gender-unequal), what would this mean etc. - let that be known. Read something in the newspapers recently that provoked your concern (for example, the recent efforts at providing special services at police stations for survivors of sexual abuse) think about what it would mean to you personally and subsequent (re)commendations. Then let your local MP, Cabinet members and the State Government know.

This is a relationship that can only grow constructively if everyone realises their civic role and responsibility. Elections is only part of the daily machinery that ensures our rights, accountability and notions of justice is protected and implemented. In order to create a Malaysian society that reaches our collective imagination, then we would have to engage in mutual conversation. Politics is not something that is abstract and impenetrable except to the elite few who can speak the language and hold the seats. It is something that is woven into minute aspects of our civil life. Our ability to work, have clean water, fall in love, receive medication, travel to our favourite restaurant, maintain a family, buy affordable stuff, listen to music, watch films, read books, exchange our thoughts, hang out with people of similar interests - these are all political issues because our elected Government has been entrusted with the power to serve our needs as citizens. We don't want to be silent on such important matters about our life do we? Instead of blind faith, we could begin by finding out those contact details!

Jaclyn Kee
4th April 2004

Fortnightly Column by WAO on Sunday Mail