Recently we heard a statement from Dr Hasan Ali, PAS Selangor's commissioner as well as executive council member of the Selangor state government, concerning Selangor's Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat).

Selcat is a noble venture and Teng Chang Khim should be commended on his efforts and management of the committee. Furthermore, the committee members should be applauded for exposing and publishing the facts and findings since March 8, 2008.

However, this success does not imply that the system should not be improved. And we certainly should not adhere to the phrase "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" mentality. If the Singaporean held that mentality of non-improvement or "I'm happy with the way things are", then they would not be where they are today.

"While most countries adopted the business oriented governance reforms due to the alleged inefficiency and mismanagement of the public sector, the Singapore government has introduced such reforms despite its efficient and well managed public sector." [Haque, 2004]

Hasan Ali suggested that a higher authority is established in the case that Selcat finds the gravity of the issue enormous and requires immediate intervention and in-depth investigation. He suggested a royal commission to investigate high importance and high value cases.

This proposal was never meant to decrease the power of Selcat nor reduce it to irrelevancy. This proposal was meant to strengthen and augment the position of Selcat and increase its significance in promoting competence, accountability and transparency. Furthermore, the existence of a body that is independent, apolitical and comprised of highly capable professionals and individuals will guarantee a transparent and independent investigation.

The independent nature of the body will ensure that Pakatan Rakyat maintains its stances that differentiate professionalism, governance and politics. Specifically, the Pakatan ensures that significant freedom to the investigating body is granted in terms of resources, time and detailed thoroughness.

Moreover, it ensures critical thinking and view that is not shackled by political expediency or political mileage gains. It provides an outlet to ensure that accused feels that he is provided a fair chance of representing and defending himself.

Moreover, since the investigation of the commission will relate to high profile cases, a commission where political leaders sit on the deciding chair creates an impression of biasness and a possible preconceived judgement.

It is the nature of human to be biased based on their exposure and experiences. Pakatan politicians have experienced much hardship in the hands of the previous government. It will be difficult to be unbiased and to remove the human from the Pakatan political leaders.

This is the crux of the matter. Hasan Ali did not mention the dissolution of Selcat or reducing its powers. Instead, to augment it, he proposed a panel of professionals in the commission. This is to ensure that each detailed point of the case is analysed and concluded by minds that are trained to do so.

A panel that consists of ex-judges, lawyers, engineers or any other relevant professionals is necessary to ensure that every stone is turned and every statement is investigated. Most importantly, Pakatan guarantees that the decisions are not politically motivated or preserves the elite. Pakatan must strive to avoid this and take all the necessary actions to ensure that this does not happen.

The proposal was made public so that everyone is involved in the decision-making process. The governance and competency of the Selangor government concerns the man on the street as much as it concerns the policy makers. He initiated and open dialogue so that everyone can participate and argue, for the sake of governance and the future of Selangor.

Therefore, it is becomes imperative that we should hold ourselves accountable, transparent (by being informed and keeping others informed) and vigilant in judging the performance of our representatives. We should consistently focus on the issues being raised and the future direction our state and nation.

I came across Peter Fenn's quote some time ago, which holds true, and we, the people, should consider: "A basic tenet of a healthy democracy is open dialogue and transparency."

The writer is the secretary of PAS Selangor publicity and media relations.