Why people still yearn for BN era?

I am often asked: "Why do people still yearn for the Barisan Nasional (BN) era?"

My answer is based on personal analysis and conversations with the grassroots. 

While most people acknowledge that BN’s policies left the country with heavy debts, everyday citizens tend to remember the "good old days"—a time when key UMNO leaders knew how to win people's hearts through direct action.

Intervention vs. Indifference

Consider a story shared by a friend regarding a stateless child adopted by an Indian couple. When Rosmah Mansor was informed, she brought the matter directly to Prime Minister Najib Razak. In short order, the issue was resolved.

Ironically, current Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution has resolved the stateless status of thousands of individuals—far more than any previous minister, including Najib. Yet, why is Najib remembered as a savior while Saifuddin gets little credit? Because to the average citizen, a personal, quick resolution feels far more impactful than a quiet systemic process.

Take another case: Rooney, a Sarawakian from the Bidayuh tribe who was raised Christian by his grandmother. Because his parents converted to Islam while working in Peninsular Malaysia, Rooney was automatically registered as a Muslim on his Identity Card against his will. The Sarawak High Court ruled that the National Registration Department (JPN) must rectify his religious status. 

After all, faith is a personal matter between an individual and God; it cannot be forced.

When JPN appealed the ruling, local Sarawakians were understandably upset. During the state election campaign, a reporter asked then-Chief Minister Adenan Satem about the case. Adenan turned to Najib and asked, "What can you do?" Najib immediately pledged to look into it upon returning to Putrajaya. Soon after, Rooney’s problem was resolved.

Was this a long-term institutional fix? No. But to ordinary citizens, it was a swift end to a agonizing legal battle that could have dragged on for years.

This is precisely why many still view the BN era favorably. As a friend from Segamat told me: "When we ran into a problem, UMNO leaders just picked up the phone and speak to the officer. Problem solved.” 

To many Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders, the notion of an elected representative stepping in to resolve a public grievance is reflexively dismissed as "political interference." However, many among their ranks fail to grasp the vital difference between inappropriate interference and necessary executive intervention.

Many PH leaders operate under the naive assumption that the civil service is functioning smoothly and selflessly. They seem unaware of the dual-faced nature of certain bureaucrats. On the ground, some act like "Little Napoleons" toward ordinary citizens. 

This bureaucratic sluggishness explains why an issue involving Budi MADANI diesel subsidies for a charitable organization has dragged on for nearly a year—with those affected still waiting on approval from a Ministry of Finance that boasts two full ministers. It is a classic oversight by a policy and implementation team that focused almost entirely on commercial fleets, completely blind to the non-profit vehicles transporting senior citizens and orphans to hospitals. A simple administrative fix has been allowed to fester for months.

Yet, when reporting upward to a minister or state EXCO, they present polished reports showing full adherence to procedures and claiming that everything within their power was done.

The Bureaucratic Shell Game: Ground Reality vs. EXCO Reports

Consider a common scenario that illustrates this disconnect. I once alerted the chief engineer of a local council to severe potholes along two specific roads. His team patched a few holes nicely—yet just a meter or two further down the exact same stretch, other glaring potholes were left untouched. It was a half-done job.

Had I escalated this to the EXCO member in charge of local government, the official report back from the ground would inevitably have read:

1. Potholes were patched (supported by photographic proof).

2. Remaining patches could not be completed on the same day due to a temporary shortage of premix/tar, but will be addressed shortly. Complainant is advised to be patient.

To an inexperienced PH leader, the takeaway would be: "My officers did a fine job; the complainant is just being overly demanding." Case closed.

It was only after I continuously pressed the engineer that the remaining potholes were finally patched. The issue wasn't that the council couldn't do the work—it was that the work only got done when someone held their feet to the fire.

In another instance, I reported a tilted streetlight to the same engineer. His immediate response was that repairs would take up to four weeks. When I asked why the Mayor (Datuk Bandar) of Petaling Jaya had publicly stated that such minor issues can be resolved immediately in his jurisdiction, the engineer quickly backtracked: "What I meant was that four weeks is the maximum timeframe, but if we can do it sooner, we will." 

Unsurprisingly, the streetlight was straightened immediately afterward.

These delays and deflections persist under PH’s watch simply because state EXCO members rarely go down to the ground to verify what is actually happening.

The Cost of Inexperience in High Office

The core problem is that many PH leaders holding ministerial or EXCO positions lack substantial real-world management experience.

Take Anthony Loke as an example. He entered politics probably young and rose steadily through party ranks. Now, crudely speaking, he has become the bungkus Nasi Lemak bearing the Chennah brand.

But prior to holding public office, how much hands-on experience did he have managing large-scale public organisations, overseeing staff, or troubleshooting operational bottlenecks? 

Without that background, it is hard to appreciate how a straightforward matter—such as granting an eligible senior citizen the mandatory 50% KTMB fare discount—can spiral into a drawn-out public relations mess.

This should have been an effortless administrative procedure. A competent KTMB manager ought to have the authority to verify eligibility and approve the discount on the spot. What is so difficult  about that? 

Instead, the issue dragged on, causing unnecessary frustration and exposing structural flaws in KTMB’s customer service which, unless fixed, could cause a lot of frustrations to other senior citizens.

More importantly, did the minister investigate the root cause? A leader with strong managerial acumen does not just resolve an isolated complaint; they use it to diagnose systemic weaknesses, streamline processes, enforce accountability, and prevent recurring failures. That is what real leadership looks like.

We saw similar mismatches between background and portfolio with former Education Minister Maszlee Malik. Lacking substantial experience leading a university faculty—let alone managing a massive national ministry—his tenure alienated parents and showed what happens when a critical portfolio is handed to an unproven administrator.

It is no wonder that voters in Johor ultimately preferred figures like Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who demonstrated a more hands-on approach as Menteri Besar.

Frontline Responsiveness Matters

Administrative indifference extends across portfolios. I once brought a complaint to Amanah EXCO Izham Hashim regarding a small restaurant operator struggling with exorbitant water bills. 

Unlike more seasoned Amanah figures like Khalid Samad or Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad, the response was abruptly dismissive: “High water bill? Just pay.” The operator was left thoroughly disillusioned.

Compare that to retired minister Dr. Fong Chan Onn, who, despite no longer holding office, promptly responded to an issue I emailed him about and enlisted the help of Richard Riot to look into it. The contrast in basic courtesy and administrative responsibility could not be starker.

By the time top leadership steps in—such as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim intervening in recent municipal or state grievances in Selangor—it is often too late. These issues should have been resolved at the lowest administrative tier long before escalating into political liabilities.

Wake-Up Call: Stop Assuming Invincibility

It is easy for politicians to dismiss ground feedback with the click of a button or a swipe of a screen. But when elections roll around, these same leaders will express shock and dismay over low voter turnout.

What do they expect?

PH must stop operating as if it is invincible. The leadership needs to step out of their air-conditioned offices, go down to the grassroots, and fix everyday problems. Stop relying solely on political slogans like Reformasi, or expecting voters to remain enamored with a manifesto drafted years ago under entirely different circumstances.

Some manifesto promises—such as reintroducing local council elections in Kuala Lumpur (DBKL)—were clearly not thought through, opening up risks where organized crime and moneyed interests could easily manipulate local council races.

Voters do not want grand rhetoric or bureaucratic excuses. They want an administration that listens, intervenes when the system fails, and gets things done.

 

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SNIPPETS TO SHARE 

Learn to Reuse Old Junk

This article is being written from a workstation that I built myself using recycled materials: a sawn-off piece of chipboard, an old speaker box, and parts salvaged from a discarded office chair. Rather than throwing these items away, I gave them a new lease of life and transformed them into a functional workstation. The height turned out to be just right, proving that with a little creativity and effort, old junk can often be repurposed into something both practical and useful. Unfortunately, I could only fasten the speaker box slightly off-centre to the chair base because of the placement of the existing holes. Even so, the workstation remains sturdy and well-balanced.