To 'turun padang' or not, the question for politicians

Helmet in hand, an MP smiles for the camera as he poses beside a tractor clearing away debris in the aftermath of a flood. 

Elsewhere on social media, photos are shared of another representative leaning over to inspect a drain at a faulty water treatment facility. 

Such scenes are commonplace and often seen as proof of politicians' dedication to their jobs as they "turun padang" or go down to the ground to find out more about the issues in their constituencies. 

Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi, for example, is known for conducting spot checks at the Sultan Iskandar Building CIQ in Johor Bahru and had urged the immigration staff there to sort out their human resources issues following the closure of counters in the run-up to Hari Raya in April.

Duyong assemblyman Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem, known for his anti-migrant worker stance, was meanwhile seen confronting a group of foreign workers and accusing them of blowing grass clippings into the drain.

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, former Petaling Jaya City Council member Mak Khuin Weng said that apart from vying for votes and their responsibility to help the people, state assemblymen and MPs are forced to go down to the ground because city council members or local authorities are unable to solve many of the systemic problems that crop up due to overdevelopment.

He said these had led to infrastructure issues with drains and roads, which require millions of ringgit for repairs.

"This is the basic idea behind why politicians need to intervene personally. They can get the budget needed to implement the projects.

"It is the system at fault, but there is also a lack of finances to fix the system. So we are stuck in this never-ending cycle," Mak told MalaysiaNow. 

He gave the example of former deputy minister Chew Mei Fun, who was nicknamed "MP Longkang" by former Damansara MP Tony Pua due to her mission to fix the drains in Petaling Jaya. 

The former MCA secretary-general also said that she had solved issues with traffic lights and road works even though they were not within the scope of her duty as an MP. 

Mak said politicians like Chew could lobby the relevant ministries to provide facilities for the people if their complaints are not taken seriously by the authorities.

He cited the case of Onn Hafiz, who successfully obtained a RM60 million allocation for road repair works in Johor after a ground visit with Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi.

Former Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong, however, said Malaysians should change their mindset that politicians need to go down to the ground to be considered good representatives of the people.

"'Turun padang' to point at a blocked drain, uncollected rubbish, and traffic jams for a photo shoot is a waste of time, and it shows that Malaysians are still living in the past.

"We have city councils and federal government agencies, and these organisations have thousands of officers and workers to deal with such problems," he said.

He added that politicians must elevate issues to their respective state legislative assemblies and Parliament so that the relevant authorities can resolve them.

Wee, who served between 2008 and 2013, said the people should also demand changes in policies and social services as well as accountability from public officials.

"Going undercover every other day means that the public officials are only interested in publicity stunts and not in doing their work efficiently.

"State assemblymen and MPs should realise that they are not social workers and that they are paid by the people to work for them by holding the government accountable and bringing about policy changes for a better Malaysia."