KUALA LUMPUR: In his 12 months as the Prime Minister, the rakyat has been closely watching Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and he has left a big smile on their faces.
GOING TO THE GROUND: Najib (third right) during his visit to ‘Jalan Masjid India’. — Bernama photo
His affable approach has not gone unnoticed by the man on the street, surprised and yet pleased that they have had the chance to come face to face with the prime minister dressed only in casuals and speak to him freely.
“I hope the prime minister will continue to listen to the people nation-wide and see to their concerns so that solutions could be worked out amicably,” said Lingam Kanniyah, a 50-year-old civil servant from Kuala Kubu Baru.
The prime minister began his walkabouts a day after he was sworn into office, spending the Saturday visiting the Chinatown enclave of Petaling Street, the Indian pocket of Brickfields and Pantai Dalam, a dense Malay majority area which voted for the opposition in the 2008 general election.
Najib proved that the trips were not like the Malay proverb ‘hangat hangat tahi ayam’.
At every chance, the prime minister squeezed time out from Putrajaya to make the walkabouts a regular habit even while visiting the states and even revisited places like Petaling Jaya.
“We must understand our stakeholders in order to be able to deliver what they require,” said Najib during his first month in office.
“If we really want to serve the people, we have to know the difficulties of the masses. We have to understand every problem, obstacle and difficulty faced by the people. Only then can we take the appropriate measures to overcome these problems,” he added.
And he prefers it simple.
“We need not follow the old style where we have to issue notices of a leader’s coming, a ‘bunga manggar’ reception must be arranged, lay out the red carpet and provide for special sitting places.
“Walkabouts don’t need all these,” he explained after visiting Kampung Baru in February this year.
Lingam, who attended the afternoon tea party hosted by the Prime Minister for his Facebook friends in Sri Perdana Putrajaya on March 13, said the walkabouts gave Najib the perfect opportunity to get closer especially to the ordinary people who had problems and concerns that needed fast attention.
“I am sure the Prime Minister really wants to meet us, the people and citizens of Malaysia, to get first hand information.”
Yeoh Chen Chow and Sharmila Sinnasamy too were at the tea party.
Yeoh, an IT trader who resides in Section 14 of Petaling Jaya, also gave his thumbs up.
“I find it very hard to believe that our prime minister is so willing to walk around places where people concentrate, like the busy Petaling Street and the hustle and bustle of Puduraya.
“This is a good step forward for the prime minister to reach out and be reached out too,” said Yeoh.
Kajang-based student Sharmila Sinnasamy shares her faith in Najib’s people-friendly style.
“It is the right approach for the PM to get closer to the people. With the 1Malaysia concept, no one is left out.” — Bernama