PJ Selatan, let’s get an MP

You can view the 2004 general election results for the PJ Selatan parliamentary seat HERE.

Total number of votes polled was 49,700.

Donald Lim got 35,054 or 70.53% of the votes polled.

I was one of those 35,054 voters who put Donald into Parliament.

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On 21st April this year, in reply to an inquiry from KS Tan with regard to the ‘Get to know your MP’ initiative, I posted an explanatory post entitled ‘Get to know your MP : What and how’.

Below is a little excerpt of what I had said then :

We put into Parliament people we do not know and who in turn do not know what we want.

This is the first thing that I want to achieve. In the time that we have betwen now and the next elections, I want to try to put in place an initiative by which we get to know something of our MP and in the process get across to him or her what our concerns are and what our expectations are of him or her. If we emerge from this exercise with a sense that the present MP does not stand with us on these numerous issues, we must make it known to Barisan and the usual opposition parties that they must not assume that we are condemned in our choice of representatives to the usual fare. And if Barisan and the opposition will not pay heed to our cries, then we must have the courage and the will to find that candidate of choice from amongst our own ranks.

This is what I would like to achieve. How to do this?

I then alluded to 3 problems that we would encounter in this effort :

First, we do not speak with one voice. Therefore, we appear to be dispersed, rather than being collective. In that sense, not only are we perceived by the ‘other’ as powerless, we too see ourselves, individually, as impotent to bring about change.

Second, we are reactive rather than proactive. Letters are written to Malaysiakini when there is a Moorthy case or Rayappan case. And then there is nothing.

Third, when we do react, we are content to merely ‘lepas geram’ through letters to editors of the electronic media, at the pub or in the coffee shops. We have failed to direct our energies in the right and most effective direction.

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Farida, Badri and I were part of the ‘PJ Selatan Get to know your MP’ initiative. 

After 2 meetings with Donald and the recent vote on the Rashid bill, the 3 of us have concluded that we have no MP in Parliament.

We have rejected Donald.

I imagine that many of you who had previously contributed to Donald’s thumping victory in 2004 have also decided that he is not serving you as an effective MP.

All of us who have decided we have had it with Donald and BN need to start speaking with one voice.

We need to collectively ask the opposition to declare to us who their choice of candidate is.

We need to evaluate the opposition candidate now and decide if he or she fits the bill.

If the opposition candidate is not up to the mark, we need to source our own.

We need to proactively work to get someone who meets our expectations into Parliament.

Much needs to be done if we wish to reclaim our voice in Parliament.

And it needs to start now.

Send an e-mail to thepeoplesparliament@gmail.com if you’re registered to vote in PJ Selatan, have had it with Donald and BN, want to have a direct say in who we send to Parliament next round, and are not one of those who just talks and does little else.

Posted in: People Power