LETTERS: Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye's biographical book, entitled Call Lee Lam Thye: Recalling a Lifetime of Service, was recently launched by the ruler of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
The book is a good read as it details the social service rendered by Malaysia's foremost social activist or rather a one-man non-governmental organisation!
The book has also revealed the answer to a puzzling question all these years as to why the much respected and lauded former MP of Bukit Bintang constituency suddenly resigned on the eve of the 1990 general election.
My hunch was that he called it quits after differences arose out of the imposition of the Cheras toll collection as he had worked hard with Kuala Lumpur City Hall to reduce the traffic quagmire confronting Cheras residents and road users.
However, now it is revealed that Lam Thye was against the move by the top DAP leadership to field him in some other parliamentary constituency.
Not once after resigning from the DAP did he criticise the party, unlike many politicians who condemn their erstwhile party comrades and leaders upon leaving.
Upon quitting he decided to continue what he knew best - social service.
For the last 40 to 50 years, Lam Thye has been a one-man NGO who has put forward suggestions, inputs, feedback as well as complaints about a wide variety of problems faced by Malaysians.
Many will remember the photo splashed across all major newspapers of an Indian man holding onto his legs pleading for help to prevent his house from being demolished by the local authorities.
During the 1980s and thereafter the demolition of homes of urban squatters was a major contentious and controversial issue.
Lam Thye was also much sought after for talks, speeches and discourses in conferences and meetings.
His comments were largely accepted by the public, government authorities and politicians and leaders as the sentiments expressed were logical and rational.
Lam Thye was an ideal leader and he drew nationwide support for his views. His involvement in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) did much to elevate the cause of industrial and occupational safety.
He was very much concerned about work place accidents and the situation has improved considerably due to his untiring efforts.
Lam Thye is also well known for his involvement in other organisations such as the Malaysian Institute for Road Safety (Miros), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation, Malaysian Unity Foundation and the Eco World Foundation.
His rational comments on various national issues make him popular at interviews, conferences, forums and debates on various media. Lam Thye is fluent in Bahasa Malaysia and English which helps him in dealing with people from all walks of life.
He mostly speaks "official" bahasa and not the dialectal, bazaar or "apa nama" varieties used by many politicians and leaders.
During the Pakatan Harapan administration, there was talk of upgrading the present Public Complaints Bureau (PCB ) into an Ombudsman system that originated in the Scandinavian countries.
The present government needs to carry on this major task to make it a reality. Malaysia needs this new system urgently to cope with increasing public expectations for an effective independent complaints resolving mechanism.
In Britain, the Ombudsman system is a force to be reckoned with as it has wide powers to address a broad spectrum of public complaints to help citizens.
Malaysia is keen to implement this Ombudsman system as the present PCB is deemed to be without the necessary independence, power and authority for all-encompassing probes and in-depth investigations of complaints as many government departments and officials are shielded by the Official Secrets Act and other restrictive laws.
With government laws and procedures becoming more complicated and
intrusive and with the quality of the civil service leaving a lot to be desired , many citizens end up at the receiving end.
Complaints of abuse of power, corruption, delays, inaction, administrative deficiency and others abound. Most of the affected complainants want to avoid legal action as it could turn out to be a long drawn affair and could prove costly.
An Ombudsman system will lead to the upgrading of the PCB with more financial allocations, greater authority to probe public complaints and have more qualified and knowledgeable staff.
The PCB is no more what it used to be and its efficiency and effectiveness is now being increasingly called into question.
Online complaints using the PCB format have become difficult for senior citizens and the semi-literate, and replies by post are no longer made.
The PCB must be people-friendly and should accept complaints by post, emails and telephone and acknowledgements must be prompt. Contacting government or private sector offices nowadays for complaints is a nightmare as it is an automated voice that answers phone calls.
Asking the complainant to press this or that number endlessly only increases one's blood pressure! Most government departments are over-staffed. Can't a department head appoint one person to deal with public phone calls?
At times, the phone rings for a long time without being answered. The government has to come up with a directive to put an end to this nuisance as it prevents people from contacting, complaining or providing suggestions and gives the administration a negative image. Department heads must be taken to task for this indifference.
It is hoped that the government will look into making the Ombudsman system a reality by amending or introducing laws to that effect as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had stated that the Ombudsman Act will be tabled soon in Parliament.
The nation has been waiting in anticipation for this since former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad introduced this initiative in 2018 as part of PH policies for a more people-friendly government.
A lot of complaints are made about the local authorities by rate-payers and this occurs mainly due to the lack of local government polls that could result in a system of checks and balances.
In this regard, if the Ombudsman system were to become a reality soon, there is none more pre-eminently qualified than Lam Thye.
With about half a century of social service mainly focusing on dealing with problems and complaints by the community concerning both government and the private sector, he could put his heart on the task and make the Ombudsman a friend of the people and community.
It will be a great honour and privilege for a truly "Yang Berkhidmat" as Sultan Sharafuddin said when launching Lam Thye's memoir.
Though he is 76, the government could employ him as the Ombudsman based on an employment contract to ensure that the Ombudsman system has a momentous start.
It would be better still if Lam Thye and a small team could be sent on a working visit to the Scandinavian countries or to Britain to observe how the Ombudsman system deals with complaints.
It will be a fitting tribute and reward for an icon who has spent a lifetime assisting others for the well being of the community and country.
His good old typewriter could be a venerable showpiece in the Ombudsman's office!
V. Thomas
Sg Buloh, Selangor
https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2022/06/808860/appoint-lee-lam-thye-malaysias-first-ombudsman
Created by savemalaysia | Mar 29, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Mar 29, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Mar 29, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Mar 29, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Mar 29, 2024
Created by savemalaysia | Mar 29, 2024