AUGUST 4 — Governments are judged not only by the policies they formulate but also by the manner in which they communicate.

A government may have the best intentions, competent ministers and carefully designed reforms, yet still lose public confidence if it develops a reputation for being inaccessible.

This is a challenge that Pakatan Harapan (PH) ministers and their political teams should confront before it becomes a larger political liability.

The issue is deceptively simple. Ministers and their offices should check their WhatsApp messages regularly, acknowledge important communications and, equally importantly, return phone calls.

These are not matters of etiquette alone. They are matters of democratic accountability.

Malaysia has become one of the world’s most digitally connected societies. Citizens no longer expect to write formal letters and wait weeks for a reply.

They communicate through WhatsApp, text messages, emails and telephone calls. Journalists seek clarification before publication.

Academics provide policy suggestions. Business leaders alert ministries to emerging economic challenges. Civil society organisations highlight social concerns before they escalate. Ordinary Malaysians simply wish to know that someone in government is listening.

When messages go unanswered and calls are ignored, frustration accumulates.

Eventually, the perception takes hold that ministers have become detached from the very people they were elected or appointed to serve.

This is particularly important for Pakatan Harapan.

The coalition came into office promising institutional reform, transparency, accountability and a new political culture. Those principles cannot exist only in Parliament, Cabinet meetings or official policy documents. They must also be reflected in daily habits of governance.

Communication is governance.

Every unanswered WhatsApp message and every unreturned telephone call creates an unnecessary distance between government and society.

No one expects ministers to respond personally to every message they receive. That would be impossible.

Cabinet ministers manage complex portfolios involving national security, economic management, healthcare, education, transport and countless other responsibilities.

However, every ministry has political secretaries, press officers, special officers and administrative staff.

Their responsibility is not merely to organise events or prepare speeches. They are also the first line of communication between ministers and the Malaysian public.

If a minister cannot respond immediately, an acknowledgement should be sent.

If further investigation is required, the sender should be informed accordingly.

If the matter falls outside the ministry’s jurisdiction, the communication should be redirected to the appropriate agency.

Silence should never become the default response.

The same principle applies to telephone calls.

Returning phone calls demonstrates professionalism, courtesy and respect. Many issues requiring only five minutes of conversation often end up becoming weeks of misunderstanding because no one returns a call.

Policy coordination also benefits enormously when ministers communicate promptly with one another, with Members of Parliament, state governments, business associations, universities and civil society.

Good governance depends upon networks of trust.

Trust is built through communication.

Communication builds confidence.

Confidence strengthens legitimacy.

The private sector has long understood this reality. Companies lose customers when they fail to respond.

Universities lose prospective students when enquiries remain unanswered. Hospitals lose confidence when patients cannot obtain information.

Governments are no different.

In fact, they should perform better because they exist to serve the public interest rather than commercial objectives.

Pakatan Harapan also faces an increasingly sophisticated political environment.

Opposition parties communicate aggressively through social media, livestreams and messaging applications. Rumours spread within minutes. False information can circulate nationwide before official statements are prepared.

A responsive government is therefore not simply polite. It is strategically necessary.

Rapid communication enables misinformation to be corrected before it hardens into public belief.

Equally important, responsiveness allows ministers to identify emerging policy problems before they become national controversies.

Many crises begin as small complaints that go unheard.

Ignoring communication is therefore not merely inefficient; it is politically risky.

There is another reason responsiveness matters.

Respect is reciprocal.

Citizens who feel heard are generally more patient when governments confront difficult policy choices. They may disagree with decisions, but they appreciate being treated seriously.

Conversely, when ministers become inaccessible, every policy—however well designed—appears distant and imposed from above.

That perception can become politically damaging even when the government’s substantive policies are sound.

This is especially relevant as Malaysia navigates economic restructuring, subsidy rationalisation, technological transformation and geopolitical uncertainty.

These are inherently complex issues that require continuous dialogue between government and society.

Dialogue cannot occur if messages remain unread and phone calls go unanswered.

Ultimately, this is not about technology.

WhatsApp is merely today’s equivalent of yesterday’s letter, fax or official memorandum.

The principle is timeless.

Public office carries with it an obligation to remain accessible.

Pakatan Harapan still possesses the opportunity to demonstrate that it governs differently from previous administrations—not only through major institutional reforms but also through everyday administrative discipline.

Checking WhatsApp messages.

Acknowledging communications.

Returning phone calls.

Responding with professionalism.

These may appear to be small administrative habits. Yet collectively they define the character of a government.

Citizens rarely remember every policy announced by ministers. They remember whether their government listened.

A government that listens is far more likely to earn the trust necessary to lead. A government that remains silent risks allowing the silence itself to become its loudest political message.

* Phar Kim Beng is a professor of Asean Studies and a director at the Institute of International and Asean Studies, International Islamic University Malaysia.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.