No, this is not about the book on Tun Dr. Ismail.
This is about the kind of person we should be sending to Parliament.
The reluctant politician.
The one who has what it takes, who doesn’t want to get into Parliament, but gets in out of love for his country and his people, does the best he can, and can’t wait to have someone take his place.
Not 
or any of their coalition mates in Parliament.
These 3 and their colleagues are the ‘eager beaver, will stop at nothing to get in and stay in’ politicians who want to remain in Parliament in perpetuity.
And when you realise that a parliamentarian’s job, if properly done, is a thankless one, you might begin to wonder why anyone would want the job, let alone cling on to it.
Well, I suppose if you have had to kiss the number of a***s that some of these ‘eager beaver’ politicians have had to in order to get there, you might too.
And make no mistake, their eagerness to get into Parliament is not borne out of a great love for you, me or this country.
They bring new meaning to the adage ‘God helps those who help themselves’.
And God, have they been helping themselves.
So why do these ‘eager beaver, helping themselves’ politicians keep getting sent back to Parliament?
Gerrymandering, rigging, vote-buying, phantom voters and the likes aside, often it’s also because those better, integrity-conscious, honest, upstanding members of civil society will not come forward to offer themselves as alternative choices to those ‘eager beaver, helping themselves’ politicians.
These are the reluctant politicians.
They see the need to bring about change in the governance of the nation.
They want that change, and badly, and they will make that known.
Yet, they will not take that ultimate step to bring about that change.
These reluctant polticians are the ones who will not step into the political ring, take on the one in power, and make a real effort to replace these ‘eager beaver, helping themselves’ politicians.
Why?
The reasons are simply too numerous and varied to mention, ranging from ‘I don’t have the stomach for politics’, ‘I’m busy’, ‘I have young children’ to ‘my wife won’t let me’.
In truth, all these reasons lead to one end : I want change, but let someone else walk my talk.
Even if I am better than the other to walk that talk.
So who are these reluctant politicians?
Where are they?
Remember the 5,035 signatories to the petition? The 40,000++ that did the 10-Eleven?
You will find them there.
Amongst these are men and women who could turn this country around.
You know who they are.
Amongst your friends, your fathers and your mothers, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters.
Tell them that the old adage, ‘God helps them who help themselves’ means one thing to the ‘eager beaver, helping themselves’ politicians.
For you and I, though, it means what it has always meant.
If we don’t go beyond the talk, the change that we want won’t happen.
Paul Warren
November 21, 2007
Come to think of it, considering I don’t actually hold a job, I should consider getting into politics. But I would probably be laughed out of parliament when I do have to open my mouth to speak. And you gotta speak in Malay mind you. On 10/11 while on the bridge outside Masjid Jamek the FRU guy looked at me and said something in Malay to me. I asked the guy next to me what he was saying, and he said, “disperse”! Come to think of it, I wonder if that FRU guy would have had the patience to explain to me what he was saying!
So sorry la, Haris I must count myself out. Also, I got one foot out the door too!
Dan-yel
November 21, 2007
Come on Paul, belajar-lah, literally translated “learn-lah”… Just kidding, but I mean it
Sharing
November 22, 2007
The Amendment to extend existing Chief of EC
============================================
Can we have photos of those MP
who vote to make way for the incompetent EC’s chief to stay?
pm
November 22, 2007
I think we have to look at it a different manner. Not all capable ones can just get into politics. It involves resources and also acceptance by the political parties concerned. New comers to parties are normally being shun.
The 5035 comes from all parts of the country. Now that we have a large number and the only way is to set up cells in each and everyone’s area or net working you may call it.
Everyone of the 5035 recruits or influence 10 others and we have a total 50350. The 50350 inturns obtain 10 each and we have 503500, the 503,500 does the same we have 5,035,000 and it goes on and on and finally we have a large following. This following maybe silent in nature but silence kills.
I believe those who have given their signatures would have done and talking about it to their friends. Lets not forget the 40,000+. I am sure by now each and everyone of them would have related their experience to their comrades.
Each of us must play our part.
alliedmartster
November 22, 2007
pm….parties?
party members tow` party lines…we are talking about true parlimentarians with INTEGRITY.
Parlimentarians who can work for the people! One who makes sense, not non-sense!
Vijay
November 22, 2007
I doubt anyone could tag the word ‘politician’ with me, though ‘reluctant’ is a good description of me, I must say.
Its sad that those faces have come to this. I believe that most politicians do go into office with the best of intentions.
It is just that somewhere along the way they sort of get confused between what is important for the people, and what is important for them.
Sadly, I guess the adage ‘power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely’ is true.
To ‘pm’, FYI my significant and I are trying to play our part.
We’ve started something like a mini campaign of sorts to tell – not coerce – people around about about things around us.
I don’t think even one of them believes in us till this day, but even if one person does, it is worth the effort.
pm
November 22, 2007
allied
I have qualified myself by saying not all capable ones can get into polictics.
Yes I agree we should get good and true parlimentarians,can we do it and put one up there. Do we have the coverage and the ability to do so.I do not think so.
We need masses support and peoples power.
animah
November 22, 2007
Remember Vani?
Well she has agreed to read the piece that she posted on your blog about 2 weeks ago at “Readings”. Details as follows:
“Readings”
Catch our next monthly writers event:
Date: 24th November, 2007
Time: 3.30pm
Place: Seksan’s, 67, Jalan Tempinis Satu, Lucky Garden, Bangsar (map available at
This month features:
Amir Hafizi
Daphne Lee
Catalina Rebuyan
Janet Tay
Sharil Nizam
Shamala S. Palaniappan
Admission free and everyone very welcome. Please pass on the invitation to anyone else you think might be interested.
“Readings” is the birth-child of Bernice Chauly, lovingly fostered by Sharon Bakar.
A big thank you to Sharon Bakar for agreeing to let Vani read to all of us.
Can you post this up as I had promised to keep you and your readers updated. I will be there of course – cool in yellow.
shar101
November 23, 2007
From Haris’s description, it is pretty clear on who are the reluctant politicians.
They are independent candidates willing to ‘walk the talk’ and explicitly chosen by their constituents. They are beholden only to their constituency (and not party patronage) simply because there is none.
As Haris said, it’s in fact a thankless job to be an MP and if one is to be found within your community who has the same mindset and prerequisites, do not let that person fade away unappreciated.
To assist such a person in the next GE, we, in TPP, need to build consensus on how best to garner support from his/her constituent i.e. bring in more signatures onto the present database of 5035, look at localised issues affecting that constituent, etc. No doubt, there’s a mountain to climb but some of us have already begun.
To those who doubt the viability of this effort, please consider another reality. There’s already a growing dissatisfaction with BN. The opposition parties are supposed to gain from this though there’s a predicament within ourselves on who to choose i.e. DAP, PAS or PKR?
Independent candidates will appeal to apolitical voters whose primary concern is to reduce BN’s mandate and provide the checks and balances in parliament. The opposition parties should consider this as a common aim. Will there be a sufficiently large number of ‘apolitical’ voters? The answer is unequivocally YES. They are from the younger generation who are probably voting for the first time and contrary to popular belief, this group are well-informed on the political landscape and surprisingly, have registered themselves. Furthermore, having a civil society approach, instead of partisan politics, will create the necessary impetus for these young voters to join our effort and expand the database we need.
Worst case scenario – do you honestly think the opposition parties (DAP/PAS/PKR) are NOT willing to wait for your eleventh hour vote? Let them wait while we move towards empowering civil society.
Tropa de Elite
November 23, 2007
I’m From Brazil!
Very Good you Blog!!!!
chowkowsai
November 23, 2007
I’m a lousy politician. While not fearing to call a spade a spade, it is not enough to be a great politician. It takes more than not fearing to tell the truth. You’ve got party politics to contend with as well.
frmad
November 23, 2007
Congratulation! Your weblog’s high ranked in “The professional WordPress weblog ranking” at http://weblogrank.edu.ms
A true Malaysian
November 23, 2007
Come to think of these ministers, their qualifications, if compare to those of Singapore, are of very ‘wide gap’. But to me, high qualifications does not mean one is suitable to be a minister. INTEGRITY & HONESTY are the main criteria.
Don’t you agree with me?
pm
November 23, 2007
shar101
Well spoken , certainly we need to expand the database and have a wider coverage of constituency. Each and everyone of us need to play our part.
How about you, I would give my vote.