Management Walkabout (MWA)

 

Years ago, my boss taught us an important concept, "Management Walkabout." 

        This is applicable in different aspects of life including that of a Member of Parliament. I choose to write this piece, especially because of the recent announcement by Damansara MP, Tony Pua why he would not be contesting in Damansara. 

        

        If he did not bow out, he knew that many of the constituents would go out to vote or even campaign against him. I am one who agreed to the use any platform open to me to speak out against his incumbency. 

        The smart alec has told everyone that it is not the job of an MP to look at public drains, garbage and potholes. 

Elected by the People, but Not with the People

  

        Let me remind Pua that, while it is true that the MPs should be looking at the national issues, it is the public drains, garbage and potholes that affect people's lives the most. 

Being with the people when they have an issue is the way an MP shows he cares

       Pua is not the one who came out with such an idea of MP Longkang when he campaigned against MCA's Chew Mei Fun who was very close to the people on the ground. 

        Years ago, it was Dr Tan Seng Giaw who said this that MPs' job is not supposed to be looking into drains. Nonetheless, whenever people complained about clogged drains, Dr Tan himself would come to the ground. 

        He would then follow up with a letter to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall. I used to help him out when, on top of my full time job, I was doing my part time job as a stringer with the Malay Mail, and later in Star Metro. 

Delegate Job, Not Responsibility

         Compared to Dr Tan, Pua has the luxury of appointing local councillors in Selangor, yet he was never on the ground in his constituency. This is a clear example of a failed MP who thinks that his job is only in doing research and speaking in parliament.

        Why Pua has totally failed as an MP -- a lesson to be learnt by all -- is that he neglected the constituency that he was elected as Member of Parliament. 

        It is hard to tell people you are elected by the people for the people, without being with the people when they struggle. If you cannot even take care of the problems your own constituency, why bother to go to other constituencies in East Malaysia? 

        Since when was Tony Pua on the ground with the people when they suffer from flash floods? Before I came into the scene as one of his critics, others had already complained about his absence on the ground.

        

        Or, when someone's car is hit by the fallen tree, did he advise the owner to claim against the local council? I am not sure, but I would certainly expect his councillor to do so.         

        I placed Pua in my community chat group for the past two years. He did not utter a word even though he would have seen all these pictures of calamity and garbage woes affecting the people.

         Same can be said about Elizabeth Wong, the local state assemblyman. 

Trounced in DAP Selangor

        I am not sure how long Tony Pua has been around in the working world, but if he had been long enough, he would have realised that, although he can delegate jobs to people, he cannot delegate his responsibility as a Member of Parliament. 

        The failure of his "politically appointed" local councillors -- two of them in my zone for the past three years, -- is his personal failure, especially when he does not even care whenever complaints were raised to his attention. 

        Therefore, whilst Pua's protege Yeo Bee Yin, whom I believe is better liked by the constituents praised Pua, I beg to differ when it comes to Pua's performance as a member of parliament. 

        It is not only I who am saying this but even DAP supremo, Lim Kit Siang said the same that Pua has lost touch with the grassroots. He is not fit to be a Member of Parliament. 

        

        So, while I tried to be gracious to Pua, by not viralling this earlier post, meant only to give him a piece of my mind, I have to share it out. Because of him, his successor, Gobind Singh and his team will now have a big task ahead, but many of us are willing to assist him since we are the stakeholders. 

        Here you go, Tony Pua, Goodbye. I dread to think that you will contribute to policy development as we already have enough of these policies that are crafted on ivory tower. 

 

      

Read: https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2021/11/malaysians-at-crossroad.html 

The press is free to run the blogpost on their platform. Let this be a lesson to be learnt by all.