Ditch incumbency rule to rid BN of political patronage, says analyst

Umno must make some sacrifices and allow loyal coalition partners MCA and MIC to contests certain seats at GE16 to avoid alienating them, say analysts. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Barisan Nasional can rid itself of political patronage by ditching the incumbency principle when selecting candidates for the next general election (GE16), says a political analyst.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid said the move would affect candidates who depend on patronage—the practice of giving out goodies in exchange for loyalty and support—which is said to be prevalent in BN.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid.

“It’ll definitely upset those who’ve taken advantage of patronage politics for so long.

“As BN comes to terms with going from being the ruling coalition to merely one of the parties in the governing coalition, it is high time that patronage politics gives way to a more competitive political culture based on a parliamentarian’s competence and service.

“One can never think of their constituency as being their possession year in, year out. The rakyat will benefit from the increase in vigour that elected representatives put into serving their constituents,” he told FMT.

Fauzi said BN could allocate the total number of seats each component contests based on the proportion of votes they received in the 2022 general election. A coalition-wide committee can then discuss the specific seats to be allocated and identify suitable candidates, he added.

On Saturday, MIC deputy president M Saravanan urged BN to abandon the incumbency principle, which automatically allows incumbents to contest the same seats at elections.

He pointed out that MIC ditched the formula when it made way for Umno to contest in the 2019 Cameron Highlands by-election, though the parliamentary seat was traditionally MIC’s since 2004.

Fauzi said BN should view Saravanan’s call in the light of perceived unfairness against MIC and the Indian community, and as part of the “give-and-take” in politics.

“If MIC was suddenly denied the Cameron Highlands seat out of circumstantial needs at any given time, by right they should be compensated, but this hasn’t happened, has it?

“What comes about is a sense of alienation, which might be manifested in the form of a transfer of votes to Perikatan Nasional in GE16,” he warned.

Mazlan Ali.

Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia agreed, saying MIC would need the support of Umno to win in any election since there is no parliamentary or state constituency in Malaysia where Indian voters make up the majority.

He said MIC has shown itself to be loyal to BN through the decades, dating back to their collaboration under the Alliance Party, and, therefore deserved some consideration.

Mazlan also said MIC may be worried about a lack of seats to contest for in GE16, with BN likely to partner Pakatan Harapan for the nationwide polls.

“Since BN is now in a coalition government, the number of seats they can contest will be less than what it contested in 2022, because they will need to share with PH.”

At the end of the day, Umno will need to make some sacrifices for MCA and MIC, who have displayed discontent over their diminished role in the unity government, he said. - FMT