COMMENT | Crash land young progressive politicians on us

COMMENT | Let me say at the outset that I - and I am sure many other Malaysians - am thoroughly cloyed with the same old fogies and the tainted politicians on both sides of the political divide. 

Now, before anyone labels me an ageist, let me say that I am reaching my 70th birthday this year. Thus, I am hardly an impatient young wannabe. It’s just that in my retirement years and as an aficionado of the creative arts, I would rather watch young, fresh and progressive characters on our political stage.

Same old fogies in Harapan 

We have endured the spectacle of a leader who ruled for more than 20 years come and go, and then coming back again as a nanogenarian only to “lose the script” by resigning after less than two years in his second term, sending the country into a political crisis amid the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This was hardly what the people expected of Pakatan Harapan’s “audacity of hope” for the nation. Some in Harapan have been in Parliament since the era of former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman - half a century ago! During that time, Umno (surely not the paragon of democracy) changed party leaders five times.

Tainted politicians in PN

Meanwhile, within the ruling Perikatan Nasional, politicians who have been charged with corruption still seem intent on leading their party. 

The recent turn of events has demonstrated the horrible truth in Malaysia that the trappings of power can be the surest "get out of jail free" card for politicians charged with corruption.

Still, it is amazing that these tainted politicians who have been in power for so long do not seem to realise the capacity of the voters for tolerance and who are, like me, cloyed with the same old shenanigans. 

The failure of the Harapan administration during the interregnum to lead reforms by calling on all political officials to step down after being charged with corruption has now provided the excuse these PN politicians badly need to maintain their political power in government.

Term limits on elected officials

The democratic justification of term limits on elected officials is simply that elected officials can over time obtain too much power or authority and thus make them less representative of all the citizens. 

The democratic principle behind a term limit is that no one person should have too much power nor for too long. Thus, the concept of term limits minimises the amount of power any one person can gain over a period of time. 

As we have seen only recently, even within the two-term service, corporate interests including those in property and finance can provide inducements to the incumbent chief minister or other ministers especially when they have developed familiar relations over time. 

There is clearly a correlation between the length of time a politician serves and the degree to which he or she has opportunities to engage in corruption.

Malaysians now have to wait for a regime change before the shenanigans of the previous regime are exposed. The latest is, of course, the case of a tycoon or his representatives discussing with the former finance minister about unfreezing assets in an ongoing corruption case. 

The former minister involved has tried to wriggle out of this indiscretion by arguing that it is a question of whose “jurisdiction” it was to deal with this matter. The fact that he even went to the extent of contacting the attorney-general about this case instead of asking the tycoon or the tycoon's representatives to go through the proper channels is mind-boggling.

The principle of term limits has always been applied to the civil service which is why civil servants and police personnel are transferred every so often to prevent the acquisition of power and inducements to corruption in any one post.

Young faces needed to represent the people

Democracy and organisational development are about providing opportunities to as many people as possible and especially empowering the young, women, indigenous people and the marginalised. 

In our society, there are so many individuals with untapped potential for leadership as if that is not clear for all to see. 

Let’s face it, the number of available seats in Parliament and state assemblies is strictly limited. To have served four terms in Parliament is a reasonable limit and allows new candidates to make themselves known to their constituents and have a go at representing the people. 

Term limits will create the opportunity for more younger people to get elected to public office. Modern society needs service-oriented young people in different elected positions, providing diversity and strength to the citizenry. 

A wider pool of candidates also gives voters a bigger choice of new people and new dynamic ideas.

Enough lah! Malaysians are thoroughly cloyed with the same old fogies and the tainted politicians in both coalitions trying tiresomely to get back to power. 

Let us hope that in GE15 we will see a crash landing of young, exciting and progressive leaders who can transform our gloomy and tired political stage and lead us into a just, democratic and regenerative future.

KUA KIA SOONG is Suaram adviser.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.