The depth charges set off on March 8 are still sending shock waves, reshaping the political landscape. The next day the electorate marveled at their feat - handing the opposition four west coast states and strengthening PAS’s hold in Kelantan.

Bangsa Malaysia had also sliced the Barisan Nasional parliamentary lead from two thirds to a simple majority.

However, the Pakatan Rakyat’s invitation for volunteers to serve on local councils has the potential to impact hugely on the country’s future.

And reportedly the invitation was greeted with overwhelming response, PR had tapped into a reservoir of goodwill.

That local administrations are the pits when it comes to service, and the squandering of public funds as well as brutal environmental rape is common knowledge.

The enthusiastic responses from a varied range of professionals highlights the built up frustrations, and social consciousness that lay latent among urbanites.

The move to invite citizens with various skills to offer their services is nothing less than a stroke of genius. It has already initiated the process of dismantling the patronage system - long a drain on the nation’s resources - thanks to special interest groups and their collaborators.

The advantages volunteers would enjoy over professional politicians are their intimate knowledge of local issues and not being beholden to political warlords.

kampung berembang demolition 301106 children inside So, they won’t be intimidated by technical jargon or be held to ransom by party politics.

And residents, too, would be comfortable with the ‘YBs’ from their neighborhoods, an ideal situation for two-way communications to tackle problems as they arise.

The happy mixture of professional politicians and the volunteers would provide an additional benefit of the latter supplying the checks and balances necessary to curb unhealthy practices.

The other important aspect would be the volunteer-councillors‘s pride in fulfilling their duties. This in turn would automatically engender patriotism at the subliminal level.

Not the patriotism that you pin on your shirt sleeve. Or that is emblazoned across your headband.

‘Made in Malaysia’

So why bother slugging it out in Parliament for the return of local government elections when this ‘Made in Malaysia’ route is simpler, more acceptable, requires less expense and could well promote a sense of belonging in urban neighbourhoods.

Who knows, it could be the start to a refreshingly new form of political culture to replace current one carrying the stench of decay.

It can be anticipated that in the course of time there could be volunteers developing the itch to plunge full time into their adopted work. Their path to Parliament should go through the State Assembly.

Later they could try for Parliament. Others who opt for retirement could provide a pool of expertise to draw upon as and when necessary.

In the meantime the presence of the opposition coalition has injected dynamism into the nation’s political life with the air fairly crackling with excitement.

Malaysia has finally come alive with heated debates on various issues after the years of being close relatives to the walking dead.

This is the age where politicians have to shed their thin skins in exchange for rhino hides for they offer a constant target for unrestrained criticism and ridicule.

Pressure is also mounting on the government to change its profligate ways, especially with purchasing power of the ringgit shrinking from the rise in fuel price.

MPs risen from the ranks of volunteers would’ve acquired a far deeper understanding of public service than those ensconced within the luxury of what Umno calls syiok sendiri (self-admiration) syndrome, blamed for the electoral drubbing.

That syndrome was a golden tempurung (coconut shell), the breeding ground for the kiss up and kick down culture.

Pants down

At this juncture a quote from reputed American futurologist Alvin Toffler would throw some light on the insidiousness of syiok sendiri .

Since the full quote would be too long, with apologies to Mr Toffler, I’ve taken the liberty to select just the part that highlights our situation.

The quote from his book ‘Powershift’ reads, “….it restricts diversity of political information flowing through the society, blocking feedback, thus blinding those in power to the full complexity of their problems.

polling day 080308 voting “With narrowly defined information flowing upwards through the approved channels, it becomes very difficult for the system to detect errors and correct them.”

And in March the voters kicked away the tempurung , catching the inhabitants with their pants down. Cruel reality rushed in.

Clearly information technology and a new generation with little respect for the old ways had found the muscle to help achieve that landmark feat.

As expected, special interest groups and their collaborators are hard at work undermining the administration of opposition-held states.

The wise heads would’ve perceived that as foolhardy because for all intents and purposes the campaign for the next general election is off and running.

And attempts at sabotage can be expected to rebound badly on the BN when that day arrives.

At this point it would do well to recollect the words of former deputy prime minister and ex-Umno deputy president Musa Hitam delivered before the party annual gathering: ‘Ubah sebelum diubahkan’, before bowing out of politics in the late 1980s.

Those prophetic words are now haunting the core party of the ruling coalition. Although they were meant for Umno, the words could well apply universally.

Somewhere along the way, the principle that democracy is all about winning hearts and minds has slipped the consciousness. This where the PR is collecting brownie points right now.

But the country still needs to have a choice. That’s why the urgent imperative for the BN to get its act together to counter balance the PR.

All said and done, at long last politicians have been taught a lesson in democracy. The whip is in the hand of the citizen.