Earlier in May, I wrote an article on ‘Accreditation for politicians’.

I proposed for a system of accreditation for Malaysian politicians that will provide them with credentials and to conform with some standards. I had hoped for Mr Speaker to give the proposal due consideration. Maybe you did not come across the article.

Mr Speaker,

We need politicians of strong principles and courage whose interest in being elected as ‘wakil rakyat’ is to serve the rakyat and the country and make sure they leave a better future to our future generation. We need politicians who are God-fearing, with integrity, commitment, pragmatic and a whole lot of common sense who view political office as working for the rakyat and not for personal gains.

We need them to be passionate in their work and have sense of responsibility.

Back then I wrote, we have heard ministers/politicians making absurd, silly and immature statements and some have no qualms about spewing loud racist speeches and getting away with it. We have heard that you warned ministers against usurping the speaker’s authority. Even the Dewan Negara president had told off some ministers and deputy ministers for inadequate answers.

It is very depressing that six months later, the situation has not improved.

The unanticipated walkout on Budget speech day was a big surprise. This is arguably the most important day in Parliament. We expect all ‘wakil rakyat’ to be there to hear the speech and not walking out and showing placards. This action is quite unbecoming and seen as childish.

The finance minister may not have been serious or putting up a ‘show’ in tabling ‘an election budget in disguise’ but there will be opportunities to ‘grill’ him later. A show of dissatisfaction would have sufficed.

Mr Speaker,

You gave them the option to leave in the middle of an important session and this has set a precedence.

The finance minister-cum prime minister, in the first place, should not have continuously provoked the opposition since this is a very important speech for the whole country. He is standing there as the finance minister/prime minister for Malaysia. His actions can be seen as unbecoming and childish, too.

This is not the time to hit at the opposition but a time to inform all Malaysians of what the government planned to do for them in 2017 amid challenging times. This is serious business.

Hardly two weeks later...

Talking about the 2017 Budget, in the plan the finance minister had allocated to increase Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) to ease the cost of living for next year. But hardly two weeks later, the price of petrol increased and also the phased removal of subsidy for cooking oil.

He may have his reasons for not mentioning 1Malaysia Development Bhd., but he should have at least showed us what the inflation figures are now and expected for next year. This is very important since living costs have spiralled uncontrollably.

Some says there are many sweets offered in the 2017 Budget. This is very dangerous because ‘sweets’ will again create high diabetic rate among Malaysians. If left untreated, ‘patients’ will face various complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and amputation. It will do more harm than good to all Malaysians.

In addition, due to the standard (or lack of) of English and Bahasa Malaysia proficiency among members, I would suggest one of the criteria to be a member of Parliament is to be proficient in both the languages. The finance minister/prime minister, too, should avoid using words like ‘subsidy rationalisation’ and ‘transformation’. Some members may not understand it. It would be easier to use simple words like ‘cutting subsidy’ and ‘changeover’ or ‘redoing’.

This ‘disease’ is prevalent at the state level, too. A few days ago, a wakil rakyat at the Selangor state assembly said Malaysia is faring well in international business and economic rankings including the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness report which ranked Malaysia in 25th position. If only he could read last year’s report, we have slid down from 18th place.

Mr Speaker,

Recently, you referred to a former PM as your former boss. If I am not wrong, you were elected by the members of the House and by extension, I guess your allegiance is towards the House.

Lastly, I trust you would give serious consideration to my proposal on accreditation for politicians. It will make your job much easier in Parliament.

What say you...