Do away with race statistics, EC urged

PKR says candidates should be chosen based on their track record, qualifications and capabilities.

BALIK PULAU: PKR has urged the Election Commission (EC) to omit race statistics from all the electoral seats.

This would show Malaysia’s strength as a unified and progressive nation instead of categorising each other by race or religion, PKR supreme council member Yusmadi Yusoff said.

Yusmadi, who is the Balik Pulau MP, said the omission of race in the demographic statistics of each seat, either state or parliament, would also effectively eradicate the politics of using race or religion in this country.

He said he would lobby for Pakatan Rakyat – of which PKR is a partner – to take up the campaign to remove race figures in the electoral seats.

Currently, the EC inserts race demographics in each seat.

Although they are not openly distributed, such figures are readily available to all political parties, which naturally planned their strategies and field their candidates along ethnic lines.

Yusmadi said once the definition of race and religion is removed, voters can witness the birth of more competent candidates, whose abilities are defined by their track record, qualifications and capabilities.

“One day, we want to see a Chinese leader elected in a predominantly Malay constituency or vice-versa. That leader is elected based on his or her capabilities and not, on his or her race.”

Perhaps one day DAP leaders Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng can contest in Malay seats unlike now where in their entire careers as politicians, they had only contested in Chinese seats, he said.

Shoring up support

Yusmadi said it would be too late for the EC to initiate any changes now but his proposal can be adopted as a Pakatan centrepiece in future elections.

“If the United States took centuries to elect a black man (Barack Obama) as its president, I can see that one day, Malaysia would be a nation governed on socio-economic needs of the people and not on the needs of races or religions.”

Yusmadi said this when responding to a call by a NGO – Penang Malay Congress – for DAP to field at least five Malay candidates in the next election because it fears that the Malay political voice would be diluted if both PKR and Umno leaders are defeated in the next polls in Penang.

Yusmadi said Penang – a highly diversified state in terms of race, culture and historical significance – should do away with race politics and focus on the capabilities of its leaders.

Meanwhile, the state would witness a hectic weekend with PKR, DAP and PAS holding major events to shore up support ahead of a perceived snap election.

PKR is hosting a development seminar for the Malay community in Balik Pulau, where its supremo Anwar Ibrahim would attend.

DAP is holding a fundraising dinner at the Straits Quay where Anwar’s daughter Nurul Izzah, Karpal’s son Gobind Singh and many others will speak.

All of PAS top leaders would gather at Kepala Batas to mark the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Islamist party.

Issues such as hudud and Guan Eng’s apology to the Sultan of Johor are expected to take centre stage.