What it takes to be the “Third Force”

by Kua Kia Soong@www.malaysiakini.com

The menagerie of Malaysian politics keeps getting bigger. We had toads, donkeys and moronic oxen. Now they have been joined by chameleons.

Zaid Ibrahim’s recent tantrum against the PKR leadership has started the speculations about a Third Force again. Some bloggers are also sounding out the formation of a Third Force. But what exactly are they offering that’s different from Pakatan Rakyat? That they are more ‘principled’ and more capable than Pakatan representatives? Is that enough?

If there is one thing all Malaysian democrats have in common, it is that we have a common aim of ridding the country of 53 years of Barisan Nasional’s misrule and oppression. But let us first examine the so-called ‘politicians of integrity’.

‘Born again’ Democrats

Since the political tsunami of 2008, we have witnessed the sudden ‘change of heart’ of former BN politicians – Zaid Ibrahim, Chua Jui Meng, even my old opponent in Petaling Jaya, Soh Chee Wen, to name but a few.

How do we know these are truly ‘born again’ democrats? I propose they should first demonstrate their sincerity to the rakyat by publicly giving their testimonies about that ‘Aha!’ moment when it finally dawned on them that their former association with the BN was ‘oh! such foolish immaturity and misguided thinking’.

They should then give us their class analysis of the Barisan Nasional and what their vision and ideals are for the rakyat. Yes, I suggest they go around the country to try to convince the people that they have truly seen the light and now want to serve the people, not to further their careers.

Up to now, I still haven’t heard what ‘vision’ these former BN politicians have in store for the people except that they had ‘joined Pakatan’. After the Zaid episode, I wonder what transpires during the walk-in interview with the Pakatan leadership when these former BN leaders join the opposition pact.

I have tried to search for the substance of the ‘visionary’ Zaid Ibrahim, but I can’t find it! I have only heard his hazy support of liberalism and democracy.

So how is this Third Force going to ensure that their leaders are not going to jump ship? If the answer is that the Third Force politicians have ‘higher’ political principles than those of Pakatan, how do you measure the level of ‘principled-ness’? What guarantees can they give the rakyat?

Policies not Personalities

Let’s face it, if the Third Force is the same as, or on the political right of Pakatan, then forget it – we’re doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Spare us.

The Third Force has to go beyond the populism and neo-liberalism of Pakatan and provide the substance of reform. At the last panel discussion on ‘neo-liberalism’ that I shared with Zaid, he said that he was not clear about what exactly ‘neo-liberalism’ is but that he was a liberal and a democrat!

The most fundamental reform has to go beyond Pakatan’s ‘The Peoples’ Declaration’:

• to protect our public services from privatisation and to nationalise the already privatised essential services;

• to defend the social right to employment, welfare provision, education;

• to initiate popular participation and control, especially unionisation;

• to initiate forms of democratic self-management in the nationalised industries to be run for the common good;

• to implement a progressive tax system.

Concrete reforms, not rhetoric

Apart from the concrete socio-economic reforms above, the Third Force must provide other specific tangible proposals for reform, for example:

• How many Chinese and Tamil schools do they plan to build?

• How much of the defence budget do they plan to cut?

• What is their alternative defence policy?

• How will they implement the demand management of water and energy?

• What is their concrete plan to bring the poor out of poverty and raise the living standards of the East Malaysian masses?

• What is their ‘New Deal’ for the indigenous peoples of Malaysia?

• What is their ‘transformation plan’ for the 500 over New Villages in the country in which our small and medium enterprises are located?

• When will they give land titles to all who have lived in/used their homes for a ‘settled’ length of time, such as those inhabiting New Villages for more than 50 years?

• An affordable and efficient public transport system to serve the majority of the people as a priority;

• An affordable sustainable peoples’ public housing programme for the majority.

This list is certainly not exhaustive but from the foregoing, it is clear that there is no place in the Third Force for careerists no matter how ‘principled’ they claim they are.

A Third Force of substance has to be the political left of Pakatan, and it is meant to take our country beyond the neo-liberalism of BN and Pakatan toward a ‘Peoples’ Federation of Malaysia’.