opinion Only into my second week of dabbling with the unknown (in this case, the enigma that is journalism) as a malaysiakini intern, I was assigned to cover the goings-on of lawmakers in Parliament.

Upon stepping into the main lobby, my clueless self was struck by the sheer luxury of the surroundings.

Elaborate architecture made up most of the building, with aesthetically placed wooden carvings in the polished marble hallway. Fair enough, considering that a staggering RM90 million was spent on sprucing up the building.

Permeating an almost '1984'-like aura, flat screen TVs lined the lobby area to beam the talking heads of politicians in the lower House.

So this was where the laws affecting everyone from the top business executive to his Indonesian immigrant employees were formulated.

Stealing a few minutes to explore the country's political domain, I was overcome by a feeling of deja vu due to the fact that I kept chancing upon food-laden tables along corridors and outside banquet rooms. Yes, a colourful variety of kuih-muih , pots of coffee and a bowls of steaming curries, enough to feed the whole of Kampung Miskin-kerana-NEP ; you name it, the blessed Parliament catering service had it.

Legislators are certainly well fed, I found myself thinking. Perhaps politically-charged debates and tense closed-door sessions demand regular injections of glucose into the system.

On the way up to the Media Room, however, my nasal senses (honed to perfection by growing up in Penang) went into overdrive. Lo and behold, there loomed the not-so spruced-up lavatory.

Once again, I was struck by that uncanny feeling of illusion, this time fuelled by the few times I roamed the interior of the Public Service Department situated in the barren landscape that is Putrajaya.

Unclean toilets have never impressed me, especially when coupled with a luxurious exterior.

Sleeping sickness?

Never mind that. I was curious to see the elected executors of democracy in action. Making up the body of the legislature, members of Parliament (MPs) have in recent decades become the favourite targets of the media and patrons of mamak stalls.

According to veteran journalists, the House is seldom full. Granted, many MPs are off fulfilling the lengthy list of promises to their constituents (or so we would like to think), but what puzzled me most was the atmosphere of drowsiness within the comfortable confines of the House. Extended post-World Cup withdrawal symptoms perhaps or just plain apathy?

I suddenly began to question the very ideals of our potentially superior form of governance - democracy.

Democracy, is literally, rule of the people. The kind of democracy practised in most parts of the world is representative democracy, which is so named because the people do not vote on government decisions directly but via select representatives to a governing body or assembly.

So, say a group of people who live in a certain area demand change. They proceed to cast their votes to elect a representative who they feel will be capable of voicing their needs and concerns to the powers-that-be. In doing that, they trust that their 'reps' do not succumb to the soporific effect of parliamentary proceedings.

In a developing country like Malaysia, the customary expectation of the average person is the efficiency in provision of basic necessities; the prompt collection of garbage, clean drains, paved walkways, reliable water supply- so on, so forth.

Now, the problem arises when the needs and wants of the rakyat do not tally with that of their political representatives. For instance, the majority of people might think that ensuring that every school has a proper field will encourage student participation in sports, but many MPs may instead feel (for obvious reasons) that a RM490 million London-based sports complex will do the trick.

My belief is that this is due to the hidden folly of economic progress in recent centuries namely, the clichd notion that only money can guarantee happiness. In other words, representative democracy has evolved into capitalist democracy. No longer does the question of 'what is best for our people, at all costs' arise. Instead, the process of decision-making at the executive and legislative levels is fast being prejudiced by the rat race to secure huge sums of money.

Lack of passion

Returning then to my original query on sleepy MPs, it is clear that the desire to see to the betterment of the Malaysian populace has ceased to exist amongst the majority of parliamentarians.

In his 'Introduction to the Philosophy of History', the German populist philosopher GWF Hegel, examines evolution in society spurred by the role of the passionate individual.

"Nothing great in the world can be accomplished without passion," he writes.

Excitement amongst MPs (albeit for the wrong reasons) is only evident when it comes to the issue of not legalising marital rape. Apathy and disinterest reign supreme for issues that do not directly affect them.

Of course, it would be completely unfair to apply this point of view to every single member of the Malaysian Parliament. Throughout my three-day stint at Parliament, I saw a few who exhibited genuine zeal, armed with the relevant facts and an obvious desire to bring about change where needed.

They stood out and at times created a refreshing atmosphere of discussion and debate.

These are the few who, literally, make for an intellectually stimulating newspaper report. In fact, these are the few whose drive should be emulated by the rest, regardless of any difference in opinion.

VANMALA SUBRAMANIAM, who is studying economics and political science in Canada, has completed her stint as a malaysiakini intern.