Kuala Lampur, Aug. 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....