It was 11am in the tiny hamlet of Ijok and a stream of people are pouring into the office of their newly elected state representative, bringing with them a barrage of complaints and requests.

The setting was like that of a classroom, with K Parthiban seated in the front and his constituents waiting silently and patiently for their names to be called.

The scene was reflective of the enormous signboard hanging outside the office of the former schoolteacher-turned-politician, which reads 'Cikgu K Parthiban's community service centre.'