Malaysian politicians never learn. The last thing that guests want to hear at a dinner is their speeches; particularly when they have nothing to say. So in the 10 minutes when Dr Pamela Yong spoke, the 300 aged dinner guests chattered away disdainfully – oblivious to her presence at their party. They were there in Kota Kinabalu on December 5 to celebrate the 28th year of their Sabah Association of Senior Citizens.
Dr Yong, a dentist, was their guest of honour. She heads the women’s wing of the Kota Kinabalu division of the Malaysian Chinese Association. So it was incumbent on her to speak to them. Wrong. What they wanted on this feverish Saturday evening was to eat, drink and dance to their heart’s content.
Although she didn’t give a political speech, her attempt to create political capital by buttering them up was not lost on them. They were in no mood to be told that they were as precious as gold (playing on the Malay warga emas description of them) and listen to her grandfather’s stories. Neither were they humoured by the fact that they were not over the hills despite being in their twilight years and, like her grandfather, had much to teach young people like her through their experiences which no university education could grant them.
If the 40-year-old Dr Yong is trying to follow her mother’s footsteps, she has taken the wrong road. Agnes Shim Tshin Nyuk, 61, the Sabah MCA women leader, was trounced in her maiden outing at the last election. Hiew King Cheu, who stood on the opposition Democratic Action Party’s ticket, beat her hands down for the Luyang state seat. That’s probably why the dinner organisers didn’t seat him and Dr Yong at the same table even though Mr Hiew is now an MCA member.
Dr Yong should take some of her advice to senior citizens and learn from her mother’s experience; that rubbing shoulders with associations, clubs, societies and other non-goverment organisations is no assurance of electoral victory.
Sabah Insights 
Dr Pamella has done a lot of social work much appreciated by the community. And she has done so without any political string attached. But being active now will give her the feel of a more active political role she may assume in the future.She may have a political ambition but that’s not a sin.At least she is active in contributing her time and energies serving society, unlike her armchair distractors.Her mother has similarly distinhuished herself in social activities. She lost Luyang in the last election because of the strong anti BN sentiment among the electorate (rightly or wrongly). Many observers have said that under other circumstances the outcome could have been very different. It will be interesting to watch the outcome if the two candidates stood against each other again in the next election.Few are likely to bet their money on a repeat of 2013.