Accountability

I’ve just received a delightful surprise from Mercy Malaysia. During Blogathon 2007 this year, I sponsored Rainbow and Butterflies in support of Mercy Malaysia. The donation was made on 1 August 2007. I’d actually forgotten all about the donation till today, when a woman called me up from Mercy Malaysia.

I didn’t catch her name, but she wanted to confirm that I had made the donation on the day stated to Mercy Malaysia. When I confirmed it, she then asked me for my address as they wanted to send me a receipt. I was actually surprised that they still wanted to send me the receipt even though I (think) I mentioned that I didn’t want one on their website. She asked me twice just to make sure that she heard me correctly that I did NOT want a receipt for the donation. When she confirmed it, there was a note of relief in her voice.

Although I suspect that the note of relief was because of she did not have to file paperwork, it got me thinking. Just how many of our Government organisations would take the trouble to clarify with their customers and issue a receipt after double-checking with their customers? How many organisations would take the trouble to clarify with their donators when they receive an unexpected donation?

Perhaps I’m being a bit too awed by the fact that more than a month after my donation someone’s actually following up on it. That or they just wanted to cover themselves. Either way, they were actually taking the initiative to be accountable. They were actually leaving a paper trail, doing something I’m sure some of our upper echelons, does not know exists.

Misc: Right before I click Publish for this entry, [Nick] points me to this asshattery. I think Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Ashfar Ali, CVLB chairman Datuk Markiman Kobiran, and Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh ought to sit in an an express bus from Perlis to Singapore with a driver who’s not had enough sleep before they make those comments. To make it even more interesting, they should in fact schedule a unexpected, undercover, with the undercover press ride with a random bus trip in the one week before Hari Raya. Heck, any weekend right now would do. I’m sure they would be singing a different tune after that.

For those who don’t know (aka overseas visitors), expresses buses have come under fire lately in Malaysia because there was a series of horrific bus crashes in Malaysia. After years of talking about it but no action, the Government has finally decided to clamp down on these jokers. The cynic in me says that it’s because it’s very close to the elections and the Govt doesn’t want to take the risk of having this turned into an issue. As long as the enforcement doesn’t let up, I don’t really care about the reasons why they’re only doing this now, as long as it continues.

3 thoughts on “Accountability

  1. heh. it;d be interesting to put up a graph, of how much the govt spends on the public towards election time. wont even have to say anything more.

    Geminianeyes: I would if someone gave me the data. AKA Just copypasta! 😛

  2. You’ve just reminded me to post a note to inform all my sponsors that their donation receipts are now with me (I requested for separate receipts for each sponsor for accountability reasons as well).

    Geminianeyes: Glad I helped! 😛

    But that just proves the point: Ordinary people understand more about accountability than our so-called elected representatives. There’s something very wrong when the ordinary citizens know more than the politicians admit to knowing.

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