Only polls reform that respects “one-man,one-vote, onve-value” principle can save malaysian democracy, integrity, freedom of choice, equal opportunity, social welfare and justice for all. The 13th general elections is historic in that this is the first time that BN lost the popular vote and that an opposition coalition of PR won a clear majority of popular vote of 50.9% over BN’s 47.4%(the rest spoilt votes and independent).
BN had received 51.4% of the popular vote in the 2008 general elections, dropeed 4% to only 47.4% in 2013 general elections. In contrast, PR recorded 47.6% in 2008 general elections and recorded an increase of 3.2% in popular voe to 50.9% in 2013. However the gerrymandering of constituencies that made a mockery of the essential representative democractic principle of “one-man, one-vote, one-value” by BN during the past 56 years, allowed BN to win power despite losing the popular vote.
How can PR that won 50.9% of the popular vote received only 40% of the seats? PR won an additional 7 seats from 82 to 89, not even coming lose to 110 out of the 222 seat Parliament.
This travesty of justice and fairplay is most prevalent in states like Perak where PR increased its popular votes by 1.4% to 54.7% and yet lost power to BN. In 2008 general elections, PR won power in Perak despite winning only 53.3 % of the popular vote.
In desperation to avoid answering why BN has a minority Prime Minister and address how BN won power despite decisively losing the popular vote, BN, especially UMNO and the discredited MCA President Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek, has instead chosen to racialise the results by describing the results as a Chinese tsunami and asking “Apa Cina lagi mau?”.
This is most irresponsible because this was not a Chinese tsunami but a Malaysian tsunami. If there was any divide, it was not a racial divide but an urban-rural divide because PR won most of the urban seats in Malaysia. PR jsut can not win 51% of the popular vote by relying only on Chinese votes, who form only 25% of the population.
By asking the provocative question, “Apa Cina lagi mau?”, UMNO and MCA ignores that the Chinese wants what all other Malaysians want. No corruption, no cronyism, no nepotism and an end to abuse of power. A people-centric government government that listens to the people, does the people’s work and gives hope to the people. A government that prepares the future for the young and not steal the future from the young. The young will not allow BN to steal their future the same way that BN has stolen the future from their parents.
BN can not ignore the voice and votes of 51% of Malaysians. DAP wishes to pay tribute to all who came back to vote from overseas, spent long hours lining up to vote and were determined to spare no expense to realize their aspirations for change. DAP highlights 3 groups deserve special mention.
One the first time voters, some in their 60s who had never bothered to vote in their lives. Two the young who registered the highest voting turnout in Malaysian history witnessed by long lines in the last polling stream. Thirdly the women, who turned out in record numbers not just in polling stations but in ceramah donating generously, shouting out their support and shedding their tears to support the cry of “Ubah!”
DAP recorded its best performance in history by not just winning 38 parliamentary and 107 state seats, but also had elected representatives from all races – Malays, Chinese, Indians and our first Kadazan wakil rakyat. We are also proud to have our first female Indian MP and Assemblyperson. Whilst we celebrate, let us get down to the work we need to do for the people.
The people needs polls reforms now that reflect the sentiments and will of the voters. This is our immediate task but not the only one. Other issues of national importance requires attention.
Alternative government
As Pakatan Rakyat obtains more popular vote nationally than Barisan Nasional, DAP and Pakatan Rakyat need to move beyond our role as opposition at the federal level and in states which we have yet to win power. The public places huge hope on us and we must not disappoint them.
Our posture is that of an alternative government-in-waiting and not merely an opposition party.
Pakatan Rakyat – We are committed to make Pakatan Rakyat a viable choice as the government-in-waiting at the federal level and in states which we have yet to win power while ensuring that the states which we are governing perform well. We are prepared to step up the effort to register Pakatan Rakyat as a single entity and act as one.
Cooperation among Pakatan component parties is very well established at national level and most state with common manifesto, joint alternative budgets and regular national and state leadership council meetings, operated by various joint secretariats. We must now take the Pakatan model to the local level so that we move as Pakatan at local level.
Middle Malaysia – We must step up our effort to build trust across ethnic boundaries and to move beyond existing support base to reach out to the Middle Malaysia in a deeper and more meaningful way. A lot more efforts need to go into making DAP the choice party for all Malaysians including the Malays and Bumiputra of Sabah and Sarawak.
In our engagements with Malaysians, we must never adopt the BN model of delegating engagement along racial line. There must not be “racial outsourcing” of engagement work. All DAP elected reps are required to engage with Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans and all other fellow Malaysians.
The DAP reiterates that it is a party for all and not anti-Malay, anti-Bumiputra or anti-Islam. Indeed, the DAP is the most multi-ethnic of all parties in Malaysia with elected reps from among Malays, Indians, Kadazan and Chinese, and candidates from among Dayaks.
The DAP also has the averagely youngest delegation of elected reps among all parties, and the highest proportion of women among candidates. These are our strengths that we must continue to build upon in order to be the choice party of all Malaysians.
Building community
Make no mistake, the performance of our elected reps are key to re-election in the next term. We need all our reps to be at the forefront engaging the community and assisting them whenever help is needed.
But I want to introduce a new concept. While MCA, Gerakan and MIC provides “services”, we build community. The so-called “services” provided by the BN component parties are usually ad hoc work concealing the systemic failure of governments at all levels especially that of local government.
While we continue to help the people whenever they are faced with bureaucratic red tapes, we must move beyond just providing reactive solutions.
Beyond being reactive is to be proactive in building community. This election unleashes huge energy from the general public in things politics. We must now build on the massive participation of the people in the election processes and channel the great people’s movement into improving the public wellbeing, especially in states which we are not government.
We shall call our new centres “community centres” instead of merely “service centres”. It is where we want to engage with as many Malaysians as possible and provide them a platform to collaborate with other people to improve the conditions of their neighborhood and community.
GE13 sparks a political movement among the people. Huge number of Malaysians came to our rescue in becoming polling and counting agents, donating, and turning up at ceramahs during election. If properly communicated, we believe that they would be willing to take part in planting trees, gotong-royong, helping the poor and other community efforts.
The roles of our elected reps is not merely to provide “reactive services” as defined by BN component parties. We are here to build a community. We are nation builders.
Post-GE13, we build a civic volunteer movement to make our community a better place. With enhanced civic consciousness and community building effort, we move into GE14 with the community and not just as political parties.
In states where we form governments, we must continue to listen to the people and to perform, to lead and to be bold in repairing and reforming failed institutions.
Political education and think tank
We must now prepare ourselves intellectually to govern better than Barisan Nasional with fresh ideas or provide better ideas even from the opposition’s benches.
Barisan Nasional is bankrupt of new ideas. We must build a movement of new ideas. We must go beyond old paradigms and be prepared to explore and adopt new ones.
As alternative governments, we must start engaging all levels and all sections of the nation. Listen and learn from them what would be the best way forward for Malaysia in all policy areas.
This is particularly important for states which we aspire to win power in the next election. We must inspire confidence among the people that we are ready to govern, that we are not a clone of Barisan Nasional but represents a compellingly fresh break from the dark past.
All these require long term effort to build a team of leaders who are knowledgeable about governance issues and able to articulate them in a convincing manners. The party at all levels must strengthen political education and think tank work to prepare for that.
Communication
However good an elected rep is, without communicating effectively his or her ideas and showcasing his or her performance, it is unlikely that the people would know.
It is important that we communicate effectively as reps and as a party, and hopefully as a coalition. The reasons why Penang, Selangor and Kelantan survive the onslaught of Barisan Nasional’s ferocious attacks in GE13 is in no small way thanks to the communication channels in these states. The Kelantan government has a strong peer-to-peer communication mechanism while Penang and Selangor built strong state communication channels to counter lies from Barisan Nasional’s media.
I don’t expect the media environment to improve under Najib’s second term. But while we protest against unfair media treatment, we must not stop short at that. We must build our channels to reach out to the wider audience through our online media, printed materials and face-to-face engagements. For instance, I expect the free Bahasa Rocket papers to be distributed on a regular basis to all voters in the seats we have elected reps.
Defending The Rakyat
Whilst UMNO retaliates for their loss in the general elections, especially the failure to gain a 2/3 parliamentary majority, by blaming the Chinese, MCA and Gerakan throws childish tantrums by closing down their service centers. The people will no longer be subjected to such threats. MCA and Gerakan might as well close shop and not just their service centers.
DAP leaders and members must step up by replacing BN whether it is MCA or Gerakan, in serving the rakyat where MCA or Gerakan have abandoned the rakyat.
MCA and Gerakan grossly underestimated the people’s yearning for change if they think closing down service centers or their offices in retaliation for losing the general elections can frighten the voters. DAP did not close down our offices or service centers when we lost in every general election from 1966 to 2008 but continued our struggle for the people.
All this is done when UMNO is demonizing both DAP and the Chinese community for daring to oppose and vote against BN. Malaysians are no longer stupid and will not allow BN to racialize national issues.
Instead every matter should be discussed and decided on merits that is not race-based but needs based. This is the new paradigm shift of this general elections that the people are sick and tired of race-based and extremist politics as well as a clear preference for people-centric policies that makes a difference to the lives of ordinary Malaysians.
Let us prove that the power of the people is more powerful than those people in power!