Receiving multiple pensions is anti-democratic

 

From Kua Kia Soong

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says politicians who receive multiple pensions should fulfill their moral responsibility by choosing just one pension scheme.

Apart from the drain on the national coffers into private pockets, this is not so much a moral issue as an anti-democratic practice by “seat-grabbing” politicians in their respective parties.

This issue is certainly not new. I criticised this practice in 2008 and the “seat-grabbers” tried to justify it by saying they could handle both federal and state constituencies.

“All you need to do is employ more secretaries to look after the seats for you,” was their pathetic reply.

These politicians failed to see the contradiction and fallacy in this undemocratic practice while criticising the Barisan Nasional for not carrying out democratic reform.

Then, in 2012, the late Karpal Singh, who was then DAP chairman, called for the (now defunct) Pakatan Rakyat to practise a “one candidate, one seat” policy.

At last, one leader in the then opposition coalition finally spoke up against this undemocratic practice by the party elite who had been monopolising federal and state seats. Karpal was a lion among the many lambs who dared not speak up in their party.

Democratic reforms begin at home

Any political party that champions democratic reforms should practise this basic democratic principle within their party before talking about reforming the country.

“Seat-grabbing” of both federal and state constituencies in the general election suggests that the politicians involved are such brilliant multi-taskers and that there are too few appropriate candidates within their parties to do otherwise.

Democracy is about people’s participation, and this means creating opportunities for more, not fewer, people to engage in the democratic process of government.

Are these politicians actively seeking and nurturing such potential candidates within their party?

Whatever their claimed intention, “seat-grabbing” looks like an attempt by the power holders in the party to have as many positions and privileges (including multiple pensions) as they can grab. It is a case of careerism and opportunism gone mad.

BN, as one may have noticed, does not practise such “seat-grabbing”, not because it is democratic but because it has too many parties, between which, to divide the spoils.

Furthermore, compared with the largely petty bourgeoisie in the then Pakatan Rakyat, they (BN) are the bourgeoisie who have the “discreet charm” to forego such cheap thrills of monopolising federal and state seats and, instead, go for the bigger economic stakes.

It’s democracy, stupid!

Why do you think this grabby practice of wanting seats in both federal and state parliaments is not practised in other democratic countries? Do you think it is because they cannot afford to employ political secretaries to look after their constituencies?

It’s democracy, stupid! To do so would risk being laughed at by the media and the public for being such petty bourgeois careerists.

Democracy is a process that emphasises broad and greater participation of the people and the nurturing of new leaders in the political system. It is about the inclusion of women and young leaders in the exercise of power and decision-making throughout society.

This principle of inclusivity is crucial. It is not about placing a few token or high-profile women who are more interested in air-brushing their public image either.

The role of women leaders is to push for deeper and more extensive models of democracy and participation for other women.

Thus, selection procedures within parties must be inclusive, transparent and democratic. Various structures, such as the women’s and youth wings, should be empowered to enable them to effectively participate in this selection process.

Intra-party democracy and inclusivity need to be sustained. This requires the party to have in place structures and systems that will ensure that all groups are catered to at all times and reforms cannot be simply undone.

Democracy cannot be cynically interpreted as “Dia mahu kerusi”. - FMT

Kua Kia Soong is a former MP for Petaling Jaya and an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.