IN the context of Madani Malaysia where a number of the ministers are new and inexperienced, this is a subject that some find it hard to grapple with.
When people begin with a clean slate, the learning curve is steeper based on trial and error.
During the first 22 months of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2018-2019, for example, we noticed a number of flaws, one of which we have already dealt with – the need for intervention and the call for non-interference – which many fail to differentiate.
The other is focusing too much on policy matters to the point of losing touch with the grassroots. No one can operate on the ivory tower without going to the ground to touch base with the individuals that matter.
When Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a few of his ceramah said, “Anak India, anak saya; anak Melayu, anak saya; anak Iban, anak saya; anak Kadazan, anak saya; anak Cina, anak saya,” he did not use the plural term for ‘anak’ (children). He emphasised the importance of an entire community as well as the individuals.
Impacting individuals will affect an entire community as people are bound to talk to each other about how they have been assisted since the unity government took over Putrajaya.
For example, Teresa Kok (Seputeh), Lim Lip Eng (Kepong), Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Bandar Tun Razak) and Hannah Yeoh (Segambut) are known for their willingness to respond to individual issues.
They are well-liked by their constituents because they know how to touch base with the community and address the individual’s problems compared to one colleague of theirs who is no longer a member of parliament.
A case in point we heard from a fellow editor within our community is that Yeoh, for example, provides financial support to her five “adopted” stateless children, one of who has committed suicide when she turned 21 after realising that her plight as a stateless child would become more complicated.
The paradox of the masses and the individual lies in one’s ability to manage the individual trees as well as the entire forest. It is not easy for inexperienced ministers to know how to strike a balance.
It is easy to ignore individual trees in the forest while trying to douse off the fire in an entire forest. In fighting bushfires, a good fire chief would use ground team to douse the fire on every tree as well as carrying out aerial water bombing.
This is because a tree on fire will spread to the next – and the next and the next – which can be controlled more effectively on the ground. Just like communicable diseases, failure to treat one individual would eventually lead to more cases, and in the worst case scenario, a pandemic.
It is easier said than done but this is what a paradox is. We have found that some of the busiest people in the world take time to meet individuals. The ability to look at the macro picture and at the same time to micro-manage does not come easy.
This is why a good minister needs a good team of people to assist her. We have often heard it being said, “You can delegate a task but you cannot delegate a responsibility.”
We like to use Dr Wan Azizah who is better known as Kak Wan as an example. When she was deputy prime minister, the Bandar Tun Razak MP and wife of PM Anwar would receive complaints from individuals.
Based on feedback we received, her team would often do the ground work and problems were solved once she issued the directives.
Currently, even as Bandar Tun Razak MP, she knows how to strike a balance. For this reason, people have confidence in her in solving their problems. Shouldn’t her example be emulated by the current cabinet ministers?
Only then can we say that we have a Madami government that solves individual problems which is integral to putting together policies that matter to everyone.
But what if a floodgate is suddenly opened where every individual comes to the cabinet minister for help? Well, that’s because people trust the present cabinet and they are more likely to win the people’s mandate hands-down for another term. – May 14, 2023
