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Friday, September 21, 2012

Multi-racial mix in govt the better choice


A two-party system in Malaysia will only succeed if all races are well represented, says a veteran politician.
GEORGE TOWN: A two-party system in Malaysia must not come at the expense of the various races in the country, said a veteran politician here.
The system is only workable if all races, including the minorities, have a stake in the management of the country, said Lim Boo Chang, a politician and a social activist who used to serve in Gerakan, MCA and PKR respectively.
While it is laudable to embrace a two-party system, which is a prevailing political practice in many developed nations, in Malaysia, the concept is relatively unheard-of due to the presence of many races, Lim said.
Such a system is rooted in strong principles of democracy, but it can only be effective in Malaysia if all the races are well represented, he said.
He cited Penang as a poor example of a two-party system where the Chinese-dominated DAP is the mainstay of the state government, while the Islamic theology-based PAS and PKR – a multi-racial party formed based on the principles of justice – just played secondary roles in determining the state’s future.
On the ground many residents here are uneasy with a state government whose style seems to be more Chinese-centric than in the past, while the plight of the poor and the unfortunate is not fully addressed.
“Look at the absence of affordable housing here,” said Lim.
The Malays, who mostly belong to the low-income group, are now openly complaining that their needs have gone unnoticed under the present government, he said.
Under the present arrangement, DAP has 19 seats, PKR has nine and PAS one. Umno, which represents the opposition in Penang through Barisan Nasional (BN), has 11 seats.
In the past four decades, Penang was governed under a BN formula where the chief minister was of Chinese origin. His deputy came from the Malay community. An Indian was appointed as a senior state executive councillor and the remaining executive council positions were evenly divided between Malays and Chinese.
Now, under Pakatan, there appears to be a balanced representation with a Chinese chief minister, with an Indian and a Malay as deputy chief ministers.
But Lim begs to differ.
‘Nothing to do with race’
He pointed out that there are only two Malay representatives in the state government, while the population numbers showed that the community was almost on par with the Chinese in Penang.
But the Malays through Umno are the only ones in the opposition bench here.
Instead of blindly taking to a two-party system, Lim suggested that the voters here opt for a multi-racial composition in both the government and the opposition.
This would ensure that all issues affecting the races including the minorities would be given equal attention, he said.
At present, the government is dominated by mostly Chinese-centric issues of development and the economy, while the opposition is riddled with Malay and Indian-centric ones of resettlement and poverty, he added.
For a balanced composition in both the government and opposition, Lim suggested that DAP make the ultimate sacrifice by appointing more Malays and Indians into the government here while the voters should give Gerakan, MCA and MIC a chance to fill up the opposition slots.
But Lim’s take on the two-party system was disputed by Kedah PKR legal bureau chairman Gooi Hsiao Leong, who said the concept has nothing to do with race; rather it was a check-and-balance system to prevent any abuse.
Gooi, a lawyer, said the system represents a way forward for Malaysians.
It also increases the number of stakeholders in deciding Malaysia’s future, he said.
Gooi, who is the son of former Penang DAP strongman Gooi Hock Seng, also welcomes the inclusion of a third force in the form of independents and civil societies, who have sprung up to challenge the BN or Pakatan.
A two-party system will compel politicians to govern with a greater sense of responsibility while corrupt practices and incompetency will be eradicated, Gooi said.

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