KOTA KINABALU – A political economy professor has warned of politicians using money to prevent young members from rising through the party ranks, saying monitoring is needed to stem the practice.
If left unchecked, there will be long-term negative implications for the country, Prof Edmund Terence Gomez, dean of Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Economics and Administration, told the YBs for Sale? Political Financing in Malaysia webinar organised by Undi Sarawak on Saturday.
“Politicians, whether in the government or opposition, don’t like the idea of money politics within parties being monitored.
“What is the point of curbing money politics at the federal and state levels if you don’t curb it within the party? The worst form of money politics was within Umno’s history itself.
“If you don’t curb it within the party, then the warlords and old politicians who control the system will not let young politicians come up.
“If there are no young politicians coming up, there is no new blood, no new thinking, and (the country) will be stuck in a time warp, which is exactly what we are having today.”
He pointed to politicians and parties that are controlled by “people of the 1980s and 1990s generations” who began their political careers many decades ago.
It is interesting that the trend is also seen in opposition parties, with PKR being the best example, he said.
He warned of the “soft money” phenomenon, as exposed in recent court cases involving politicians and the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.
This involves donations being given not just to parties, but also individuals.
“Money is being given to individual politicians, that political parties know nothing about. We also see this in opposition parties,” said Gomez.
“It’s the soft money that we are worried about, as exposed in the court cases.
“We are truly caught in a serious crisis, where we have no clue how much money is permeating throughout the system.”
However, he said, no matter how bad the situation, no politician is seen to want to change the system.
“If change is to happen, it has to come from outside, and it also has to come from a newer, younger generation of Malaysians and politicians.
“This is because the older politicians are deeply mired in the system of money politics, and they don’t want to let go of the system.”
Businessmen eyeing ‘state capture’
Gomez pointed to another new phenomenon: businessmen joining politics.
“If before, politicians had gone into business and used the funds from there to bring into the political system, now, we are seeing a new phenomenon – businessmen are becoming politicians.”
This is called a “state capture”, he said, where businessmen enter the political system to take control of the government so that they can create policies to further enrich themselves.
It is not unique to Malaysia, and can be seen in other countries, he said.
“We need to be careful of this new trend.” – The Vibes, November 30, 2020
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