It is good to note that finally we are seeing at least one member of parliament - who can be said to be a seasoned parliamentarian - actually meaning and doing what he says. It is good to note that Shahrir Abdul Samad has resigned from the chairman's position of the Backbenchers Club. Parliament can perhaps be now considered more seriously instead of being known to be a rubber stamp for the executive.

His resignation will serve as a reminder to the current administration that the winds of change are slowly but surely beginning to blow in the direction of a more open and transparent system of governance.

The Barisan Nasional has to re-invent itself to be more relevant to the people or else it may face relegation in the years to come when the people get more bolder and demand change. Unless some change in the delivery system occurs, the current government risks the wrath of the rakyat come the next elections.

Our young are becoming bolder by the day and they want answers but we cannot give them piecemeal replies to what they ask. They want an MP that stands up for them in Parliament. They want a person to be worthy of their votes. This can only be realised when our politicians take the cue from Shahrir and learn what integrity means.

When an MP boldly says that it was he who told the Customs Department to 'close an eye' what else can we say about integrity and quality of our parliamentarians? A person in his position ought to resign and concentrate on his forwarding business instead of being an MP. What then are government servants be expected to do when we have MPs who are asking them to 'close an eye'?

Our politicians are slowly but surely learning not to take the voting public for granted, they cannot always expect to fool the rakyat. MPs have got to learn to respect the integrity of parliament and their position as the representatives of the people. Corruption and abuse of power has got to stop. Unless we see that happening, our standing in the eyes of the world will continue to slide.