Five Malacca DAP lawmakers have opposed a planned motion allowing appointed state assembly members, which will be tabled in the state's upcoming legislative assembly sitting.
In a joint Facebook statement yesterday, the group said that under the proposed amendment, the Malacca government intends to appoint up to seven assemblypersons to purportedly empower state administration.
However, they warned that the proposal expands state government powers without sufficient checks and balances.
"We believe that this proposal not only contradicts democratic principles, but also fails to respect the mandate and choices made by the people of Malacca through elections.
"Although appointed individuals may possess certain experience or expertise, they are still not chosen by the people. Therefore, they do not have a people’s mandate and are not directly accountable to voters.
"As such, their democratic legitimacy cannot be equated with that of representatives elected through elections," the group said.
The lawmakers are Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, Kesidang assemblyperson Allex Seah, Kerk Chee Yee (Ayer Keroh), Low Chee Leong (Kota Laksamana) and Leng Chau Yen (Bandar Hilir).
They cautioned that granting the state government power to appoint up to seven members would expand not only legislative powers but also executive power, while potentially creating room for abuse of authority.
"More concerningly, such appointments could alter the political balance in the state legislative assembly without obtaining a mandate from the people, thereby weakening the checks and balances function that forms the foundation of the legislative institution.
"The state government already has various mechanisms to obtain views from experts, civil society organisations, professional bodies and industry representatives without the need to appoint them as state assembly members," they opined.
The lawmakers said that the establishment of special committees, engagement sessions with stakeholders, as well as appointments to various government councils or advisory bodies, were practices that had long been implemented and proven effective, making the appointment of state assembly members unnecessary.
Solution: Redelineation, more state seats
They said that if the state government is truly committed to strengthening democracy, priority should instead be given to reviewing electoral boundaries and increasing the number of state seats, rather than adding unelected representatives.
"At present, Malacca has 28 state legislative assembly seats. However, there is a significant disparity in the number of voters between state constituencies.
"For example, the Kesidang constituency has more than 54,000 voters, while the Taboh Naning constituency has fewer than 12,000 voters, a difference of more than four times.
"This situation means that the value of each vote does not have the same level of representation, which contradicts the democratic principle of one person, one vote," they explained.
They added that since the state legislative assembly sits for only about 12 days a year, if the government is truly committed to strengthening its checks and balances function and accountability, priority should instead be given to extending the sitting period.
This, they said, would enhance the assembly’s role in scrutinising bills, reviewing government policies and monitoring the administration.
"The four Malacca DAP state assembly members will vote to reject this motion at the legislative assembly sitting and will continue defending the people’s right to choose their representatives through a free and democratic electoral process," they added.
The 'Johor precedent'
The proposed amendment is similar to the move by the BN-led Johor government.
On May 7, the Johor state legislative assembly passed a bill to amend its state enactment to allow the appointment of up to five non-elected state assembly members, aimed at strengthening the composition and functions of the legislative institution.
The bill to amend Part Two, Clause 15 of the Johor Constitution 1985 was passed after securing more than two-thirds support, with 40 assemblypersons in favour and 16 opposing it, Bernama reported.
Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who was menteri besar at the time, said when tabling the bill that the proposed appointments were intended to widen participation in the state legislative assembly, with the inclusion of individuals possessing expertise and experience expected to enhance legislative debates and the policymaking process.
Sinar Harian reported at the time that the state assembly greenlit the bill after one representative from the government and opposition benches debated the matter.
The Johor government's move received criticism from several quarters, including its political allies, PKR and DAP. - Mkini
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