By John Chin

LEADERS whom the nation voted on the premise of the much needed reforms need to first reformed themselves first before expecting the nation to change.

As the saying goes "look at yourselves in the mirror first," before preaching to others, namely the ordinary folks, who are trying to put food on the table.

The working class does not have time to digest political brinkmanship or the art of the impossible - they just want their issues to be addressed, regardless of whether they are Malay, Chinese or Indians, as well as the diverse range of minorities.

They just want to earn a decent living and for the government who addresses pertinent issues of climate change, living costs and bringing back affordability in healthcare, as well as housing.

In the 1980s, there was a public declaration of "Kepimpinan Menerusi Teladan," (Leadership by example) - let us not just preach about the saying but practise it.

As Parliament transcends into its mid - term session now, there is a need to debate measures such as lowering the costs of governance, so the savings from it can be put into driving the domestic consumption rate in view of the wobbly global economy.

Among the suggestions, is reducing the number of personal officers needed, especially when the growth of online connectivity means that bureaucracy can be avoided or incorporated online to reduce the red tape process.

There is also a need to reform the civil service to one which is lean and concurrent - conscious of how the country needs to manage the challenges of the US imposition of import tariffs on the nation's export - driven economy.

Also, the civil servants should comprise of innovative personnel, who knows the longer the red tape, the bigger the costs to governance and the more room for corruption, the social scourge which has inhibited economic growth for decades.

I dare say that politicians from both sides of the fray should emulate Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in either not taking his basic salary or take a pay cut, so the savings can be plough back into boosting public expenditure.

They can do it by reducing the size of personnel needed to govern the country.

That can easily be the reform which will generate a desired impact on the ground.

It is also time to take cognizance that the world is rapidly changing; not just in the weather but in the economy and politics.

If the nation's public workforce stays idle and obvious to it, the country risks going further behind than its present position.

Malaysia already ranks below the likes of Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia, as well as Vietnam in this year's World Happiness Index (Report).

While the government brags about having among the highest inflows of foreign direct investments and a strong performance at the Kuala Lumpur Bursa Stock Exchange, the working class are generally displeased, especially if their favorite food and essential pharmaceutical products are costlier than last year.

There is now also a glaring need for more focus on geo - politics and the economy following a possible punitive aftermath from the US import tariffs.

Two recent reports concluded what was feared earlier for the most part of the year ever since US began to intimidate by imposing tariffs on the rest of the world.

The first report confirmed what we had been suspecting since US announced a reciprocal import tariffs at 25% for Malaysian's export goods with the exception of semiconductor items.

Our economy is expected to instead grow at a moderate pace of 4.3 per cent year-on-year in 2025, weighed down by mounting tariff pressures and a slowdown in industrial production, according to CIMB Investment Bank Bhd.

Then, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai revealed that they are now on a wait and see (holding) pattern due to the uncertainty surrounding global trade.

It is time for Malaysia to rebuild its domestic strengths amidst a wobbly external environment, bogged down by geo - politics, war attrition and global trade wars.

And in what may seem desperate times, there must be desperate measures - it starts with reforming the costs of governing the country.

What works for us in the past no longer works now because the world also undergoing reforms with some nations having already done so.

*John Chin is an observer of events in the dynamic region of Southeast Asia.*