I refer to the Malaysiakini report PAS leaders pose questions over local polls .

I am simply amazed that everyone thinks our problems will be resolved when local government elections take place. Who are we kidding?

Presently, we elect our state assemblypersons and parliamentarians. Have they improved governance and accountability? On the contrary, they haven’t. Everyone clamored for the then ACA to be independent and made into a commission. So are we happy now?

Elections themselves are not the answer. If local government elections take place, a different set of people will be doing exactly the same thing. The abuses and mis-governance will continue. Even if someone decides to do the right thing, they will be crucified by vested interests whose pockets are not being lined.

We are so wrapped up in our own worlds that we do not care about the world at large. The roads and streets are very dirty these days. Parking is all over place. Parks and drains are filled with rubbish. Who is responsible for this? Definitely not the elected representative, but us lot. We create the rubbish without care and chuck it all over.

I am neither for nor against local government elections; I’m just saying that it will not resolve the taxpayer’s woes. What is needed is legislation that all decisions must be made after consultations or public hearings and no direct negotiated tender are to be allowed and everything must be transparent.

In the daily grind of partisan politics and political showmanship, I believe many in the government, especially the civil service, have forgotten what the original role of the government is and that is people coming together to self-govern in the interest of all, which means the public.

Law and rules over many years have diluted this noble intention; the government has become a guardian and a form of control over the people in not a necessary manner. Of course, law and order are paramount as they protect all but silly rules by mandarins who have no idea how the outside world copes with daily life are extremely inconvenient.

For example, why do many government departments not accept cheques? Aren’t they a legal tender in Malaysia? The stamp duty office won’t accept a combination of cash and a bank draft for payment just because it makes life difficult for them.

When we have to visit government agencies for transactions, there is no parking allocated for the public who have already paid for the building plus maintaining everyone there on a payroll via our taxes. No, parking is reserved for VIPs only. Just have a look-see in front of Kuala Lumpur City Hall in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur.

One has to go all the way to Putrajaya to get things done as the offices in KL will not process some applications.

Why is it so difficult and excruciating painful to even apply for a maid’s permit? As long as all the necessary information and forms are given, it should be processed without delay. There is no need to pay exorbitant amounts to agents to ‘smoothen out’ the process. All this points to a service which has forgotten that it needs to serve the ‘rakyat’.

The public should continue digging and pushing for the abolishment of all these silly and outdated rules otherwise these mandarins will really start to think that the rakyat are there to serve them and not vice-versa.