Guess the Pakatan State Representative

By Hakim Joe 

“We might not be able to help everybody but we can start with one at a time.” – Hakim Joe

Imagine that you are the people’s elected representative for the state assembly for a certain constituency in Selangor and this is the first time you have attained such lofty and dizzying heights. 

From the top of the small mountain within this constituency, you look at the majority of the people that has voted you in. “Who are these people?” you ask yourself. Most of us would think that these are the people to whom we owe our gratitude to permit us the opportunity to serve them. After all, “isn’t there supposed to be a distinct disparity between an Umno rep and a Pakatan rep?” 

So far so good. 

Now tell me, what if this elected state rep couldn’t care less for the people of this constituency and that (hint) she has bigger plans for herself? The next step up from being a candidate for a state seat is of course a candidate for a parliamentary seat. And just how does one promote oneself to reach this target? The answer is rather simplistic … get national coverage. 

Frankly speaking, any elected representative is capable of doing that – ask Tian Chua, the loose cannon. This action however does not guarantee success because you require the party leaders to nominate and appoint you to be a candidate, regardless whether it is for a state seat or for a parliamentary seat. Nonetheless, it is better than just sitting down to serve the constituency that has voted you in. National coverage is so enticing and to be able to see one’s photograph on the mainstream newspapers is so deliriously alluring, not that it really matters that (hint) 99% of the people around this state rep has to look down before being able to talk to her.  

Okay, we now have a power hungry state rep that looks at the bigger picture and sees herself standing next to the likes of potential party top leaders like (hint) rocketeers Lim Guan Eng, Gobind Singh Deo and Teresa Kok in the future. Now, this is not altogether a terrible ambition unless it is done for the sake of personal advancement and pride. 

So what does this person do when someone comes to her to highlight the plight of a seventy year old woman without any blood relations that is living in a tin shed without electricity (and toilet facilities) that is about to collapse? Why, absolutely nothing because it cannot help her in her quest for the “holy” parliamentary seat. Does it really matter if the roof collapses? Does it really matter that the single seventy year old occupant is in the shed when the roof collapses? Does it really matter that the single seventy year old occupant dies in the shed when the roof collapses? 

Now, all you readers might say that this Selangor state rep has better things to do (hint) like getting arrested in a candlelight vigil but the pertinent question is “isn’t she supposed to be dedicated to the plight of her constituency” rather than “getting national coverage on tv”? Is this the type of state representative that we want? Is this what Lim Kit Siang means that Pakatan reps must be different from the Umno reps? 

Even if she does not have the time or the inclination to personally assist a poor old woman, she could have assigned it to someone from her team to look into the matter, but no … she just couldn’t care less (Zero National Coverage Potential). 

So, what do the others who know about it does? Well, for starters, we are going to rebuild this house for her. We had a quiet donation drive going on (for RM10,000 only) and have gotten a few local contractors to contribute cement, bricks, planks, tiles, nails, screws, tools, etc and expertise. This is no grand mansion but a simple 20’ X 20’ brick home with toilet facilities. 

We are also contributing a bed, a mattress, cooking utensils, a wardrobe, a table and two chairs, some pails, cutlery and crockery, and a lot of other things that we take for granted. 

Some of you might want to know just how this state representative has decided to contribute to this concerted effort once she knew what we were attempting to do. The answer is zero. Zero time, zero effort and zero Ringgit. All I can say is that the 15,563 voters that had voted her in had better think twice before doing it again (if ever she is forced to defend her seat instead of being promoted to challenge for a parliamentary seat). 

As for myself, I’d rather vote for a half-dead potted plant instead. What’s the bloody difference anyway?