Barisan Nasional candidates are trying to defend themselves in the election campaign by claiming that they have been delivering services to the people. Whether they are former Assembly members or Parliamentarians, they are singing the same tune about constructing roads, repairing drains, cleaning-up rubbish dumps, fencing up schools, repainting temples, etc.

Some are also very proud of their 100% attendance record at Assembly/Parliament sittings, as though they were attending school. On these grounds they wonder why they are being challenged and dare the people to tell them what they have done wrong. They even present us with their "Report Card" of services delivered and projects completed.

Some of these Assembly members and Parliamentarians do have good service records. This is not disputed. But isn’t providing such services the work of the Municipal Council and local authorities. This is so in most places all over the world. After all, haven’t we paid taxes and rates for these services?

The fact that Assembly members and Parliamentarians are merely involved in delivering these services simply suggests that the Municipal Councils and local governments have not done their job. Why is this so? Is it because none of these Municipal and local councillors are elected? They are all from the BN and are all appointed. As such they are not accountable to the people whatsoever. Are the services provided by the Municipal Councils so bad because of privatisation of essential services to companies owned by BN cronies?

It is for this reason that the BA proposes that local government elections be restored. Maybe, then, these authorities will conduct themselves more responsibly.

Hence the job of assemblymen and parliamentarians should not be delivering services, or at least limited to this. It has only been made so by the BN politicians. The essence of politics is really the issues of JUSTICE, FREEDOM, RESPONSIBLE and TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT, PEOPLE’S PARTICIPATION and RULE OF LAW.

In view of this, the BN assembly members and parliamentarians have not done their work yet.

They have not asked the difficult questions and questioned their own BN leaders about:

• the abuse of power by the top executives and, officials (e.g. Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye).
• the selective application of the law (e.g. Lim Guan Eng’s case).
• the awarding of privatisation projects to BN cronies.
• the bail out of BN crony companies.
• hikes in road tolls, electricity and telephone rates as well as sewage rates.

Did these BN Assembly members and Parliamentarians speak up about these issues to protect the rights of the people? Will they do so if we re-elect them?

If Assembly members and Parliamentarians all simply clean drains and repair roads, who will stand up for our rights? This general election must be about the larger and more important issues, and not simply about roads and drains.