This election promise is not only an act of petty populism but also a case of economic folly. As a scarce commodity, water is an economic product which is bought and sold. When someone does not pay, someone else will have to pick up the tab. With the water bill expected to be about RM11 less, whatever savings to be made is going to be small change to the average household in a state which is more affluent than the rest of the country.

Moreover, with the people of Selangor in particular, and those in the country in general, already using too much water, it makes little sense to introduce a pricing system which can only make them more rather than less wasteful. The public can’t be expected to be enthusiastic about conserving water when the government is bent on making water even cheaper than it was before.

If this populist sop was at least combined with sensible measures to address the core issue of the unsustainable use of water in the state, there would have been some measure of justification. But this does not appear to have been the case.

There is nothing wrong with putting people first, but there is everything wrong with feel-good measures which provide short-term gains but do not serve the interest of the people in the long run. The best tradition of populism is driven by and for the people.

But as the waiver on summonses and the free admission to football matches attest, the populist politics in this country have not been driven by the best traditions of populism. It may be popular to let hawkers and motorists off the hook, but it sets a bad precedent which undermines the rule of law. It may be popular to pledge to lower the price of petrol, but it is financially irresponsible to do so.

Now that their populist rhetoric has put them in power, the leaders of the new state governments should start learning that governing is not all about making decisions that will make them popular.

As Diderot put it, “the good of the people must be the great purpose of government”. If their hearts bleed for the people, they should work for the common good rather than strive to stay popular.