GEORGE TOWN – A senior political analyst has called on party leaders to place more importance on nation building rather than personal political power or mileage when selecting candidates for the coming state elections.
With a frenzy building up, particularly in Penang over candidate selection, Prof Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said that the main criteria of reference should be whether the candidates can ensure a better Malaysia through their service in the constituencies or in government if they are appointed to the executive.
With intense politicking going on over who are the best candidates, he said when interviewed that there is a perceived practice of selecting those who are considered followers rather than fighters.
Instead, the Universiti Sains Malaysia academic wants political leaders to pursue justice for the people by selecting candidates based on their abilities rather than political patronage.
They can no longer rely on the outdated practises of selecting mere followers, who are unable to assist in the much-needed effort of nation building, said Fauzi.
“The selection of candidates should not just be for personal gain or outright obedience but rather talents who can help develop the states and eventually the country.”
There is no guide in candidate selection, the onus is totally on the respective political parties to select who they deem best to serve the constituents, state, and national interests.
“We must however remember that politics is ideally a platform to serve and to lead, not just to constantly politicise issues,” said Fauzi.
He said that some countries have a recall-election system when a winning candidate fails midway to exercise their responsibility as an effective elected representative, but to adopt such requirements requires money.
“It can be a costly affair here; voters have to tolerate a poor-performing candidate.”
And if there is a dispute between a candidate and the party, there is no recourse – with the anti-party hopping legislation in place, the person cannot simply defect and has to resolve the dispute internally or vacate the seat for a by-election, said Fauzi.
He added that the candidates selected must be duty bound when they win and not disappear on their voters, who are nowadays better informed and discerning.
Speculation continues to mount into the coming week over who is retained or dropped – as well as any possible new faces making their debut.
DAP is expected to officially announce its candidates for the six states by next week.
The states facing polls on August 12 are Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan, and Terengganu.
The latest reports state that at least five out of the seven previous DAP executive councillors may be dropped to make way for younger leaders.
The five names touted are P. Ramasamy, Phee Boon Poh, Chong Eng, Soon Lip Chee, and Yeoh Soon Hin, but the situation is complicated as the party’s succession plan is at best murky with no clear leaders emerging from its second-echelon batch.
As for Penang’s political situation, Fauzi said that despite allegations of disputes within the domineering DAP, he expects it to lead Pakatan Harapan to victory.
This is because there is no alternative for the urban voters here, as the opposition led by Perikatan Nasional does not portray a welcoming outlook; rather they have deliberately chosen to be more Malay/Muslim-centric in their campaigning, he noted. – The Vibes, July 16, 2023
