08

Power (Closer) to the People

Malaysian Today, 7 August 2008

EVEN if you’re a bit unsettled about how our politicians are bashing or cajoling each other these days, you’d be a bit strange to argue against democracy in principle. In our ex-coloniser Britain and neighbour Indonesia, the ruling parties have been suffering defeats in local elections and it seems the world (at least outside America) is falling in love with Barack Obama. Democracy, like your aunt’s kuih lapis, is something you have to agree is a good thing.

But there’s lots of variety in democracy. Political theorists draw upon history, etymology, religion and cultural tradition in attempt to create different models of democracy. Traditionally, Western scholars considered the experience of the Greeks, Romans, English and Americans but in recent years there’s been an uptake in arguments via other cultural or religious sources. Here, politicians have spoken of imbuing democracy with Asian values, and there are those who seek to inject Islamic values—as well as those who reject the notion that democracy and Islam are compatible at all.

Some of the common questions are: Who should get the vote? How often should people vote? How much power should representatives have? What electoral system should be used? Are there some things that shouldn’t be changed even if a majority wish it? Should we elect different people for different purposes? Should we elect individuals or parties? This last question is important in the context of Anwar’s proposed crossovers: if we elect individuals then they have the right to switch parties; but if we elect parties then they shouldn’t—under our Westminster system, the former is true.

An event last weekend co-organised by the Malaysia Think Tank and the Centre for Public Policy Studies asked many of these questions in relation to local council reforms. Over 40 people turned up to hear an academic, a lawyer, an activist and an MP speak on the policy and administration of local matters. Once upon a time, we did have local elections, but regulations in 1965 suspended them due to Konfrontasi and since then, the role and responsibilities of local government have blurred with time. Furthermore, the dominance of the Barisan has blurred even the lines between state and federal governments.

One of the key qualities of a good kuih lapis, I am told, is how many layers it should have and how thick each should be. Aesthetics, consistency and bite are all important, and each layer should be able to survive on its own if peeled off. Tiered democracy is much the same: in order to have a good final product, the size and powers of federal, state and local government need to complement each other so voters know who is doing what. I suspect most Malaysians aren’t aware of the separation of powers between state and federal government, let alone the responsibilities of their local council. Opponents of local elections argue that having even more politicians isn’t a good idea, and that there are other ways to get local input into decision-making, like forums and opinion polls.

But a reintroduction of local elections would empower Malaysians in many ways. First, there is the moral argument of enabling people to have greater control over their own affairs. Decision-making bodies that are closer to the people they govern enable one area to implement different solutions to problems to another area. This can go right down to how rubbish and recycling are collected or what bulbs streetlights use, thus encouraging competition in policy ideas as well as between providers of services. A culture of elections also helps to maintain a healthy awareness of our rights. An interesting point raised at last weekend’s forum was the fact that currently, patronage within parties is intense because no space exists for individuals to prove themselves to the electorate prior to state or federal elections. Local councils would provide that space, enabling novice politicians to acquire hands-on experience before moving up the ladder.

Interesting possibilities could emerge as parties gain reputations for different competencies. It would become possible, for example, for an area to send someone from the Barisan into the Dewan Rakyat while sending someone else from the Pakatan into the State Assembly, and then an environmental activist into the local council. In the UK and USA, such situations are not uncommon: citizens may approve of a party’s policies on transit buses but not its nationwide education policy, and vote for different parties at different levels accordingly. In short, local elections would let us judge our political parties more accurately—and that is something Malaysians need more than ever.

“Decision-making bodies that are closer to the people they govern enable one area to implement different solutions to problems to another area.”