Umno must embrace local polls to make comeback, says political scientist

 

Umno is sandwiched between arch-rival PAS and its senior partner Pakatan Harapan, says a political scientist.

PETALING JAYA: 

A political scientist says Umno’s struggle to regain its political strength of yesteryear may require it to embrace local elections.

Calling it a “radical paradigm shift”, Wong Chin Huat of Sunway University said this is the first step Malaysia must take to depart from its majoritarian political structure.

Wong said the winner-take-all majoritarian system had previously benefitted Umno up until 2018, but is now cruelly penalising the party, sandwiched between its arch-rival PAS and its senior partner Pakatan Harapan.

Wong Chin Huat.

“Previously, Umno and Barisan Nasional could monopolise local council seats in the absence of elections. That’s why it suspended local elections in 1965 and later abolished them entirely in 1976,” he told FMT.

“Whenever a coalition wins a state, it takes all local council seats. Before 2008, it was BN-Umno in most peninsular states.

“All local councillor posts became patronage posts for party leaders to dispense. However, this weakened BN’s competitiveness, because their councillors did not have to be popular to be appointed.”

Wong’s comments follow federal territories Barisan Nasional chief Johari Ghani’s statement that the Umno-led coalition must be cured of four “sicknesses” if it is to return to political dominance.

Among the ills listed by Johari was that of “inertia”, which he said had resulted in BN being comfortable with existing practices and unable to carry out reforms in the coalition.

Wong said that without local elections, all 31 local authorities in Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis have become “training grounds” for PN junior politicians.

He said this is one reason why PAS has become so entrenched in the four states.

“Even in Selangor (12 councils) and Penang (two councils) run by its ally PH, Umno has found itself in a downward spiral.

“PH won’t give Umno many councillor seats because of the party’s poor electoral support, but without such councillor seats, Umno can never regain its foothold in these two states.

“Can Umno expect to make a comeback if it gets wiped out in Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis, and is constantly marginalised in the two prosperous PH-run states?” he said.

Wong said Umno’s comeback against Perikatan Nasional’s “hegemony” among the Malays depends on it being able to challenge PAS in the north and compete with PH in “friendly matches” in the rest of the peninsula.

“Umno’s rejuvenation requires Malaysia to depart from majoritarianism. Umno needs to push the Madani government towards introducing local elections first in PH states, which PH supporters would wholeheartedly support.

“The other reforms Umno should push include decentralisation, senatorial elections and a mixed-member system with party-list proportional representation seats alongside existing first-past-the-post seats,” he said. - FMT