MK Letter: Seat Negotiations & the Future of Malaysia

Just came across this Malaysiakini letter by Umar Mukhtar, and felt compelled to reproduce it and thank him.

I reiterate my optimism that the Opposition will come to an agreement on all the seats, just a matter of time, and say again that in my mind, nothing will be better than cooperation between KeADILan, DAP & Pas that is based on mutual respect and appreciation.

The letter:

I refer to the letters Opposition leaders, don’t be selfish and DAP, PAS, PKR – are you all deaf and clueless?

I understand the frustrations expressed by the writers on the opposition’s present difficulties in coming to an arrangement that can ensure a straight fight against the BN in the coming general elections.

Historically, in the context of seat allocations, there should be no problem between DAP and PAS. Each contests in either a Chinese-majority or Malay-majority area, as the case may be. It is the presence of the PKR that so-called complicates the situation because of ‘overlapping’ in mixed constituencies. At least two of the three parties concerned feel that they can win in such areas.

The unwritten test that is used now is their ‘winnability’ in a particular constituency, and quite rightly so. After all, the common objective is to avoid splitting opposition votes in order to defeat the BN. But it is precisely this that is causing the present difficulties.

PKR, being a young party, may not appear to have as much visible support as the other two, and thus may appear to be the spoiler if it runs in a three-cornered contest. And yet neither DAP nor PAS will ever win in a mixed-constituency because of their chauvinistic identities, which remain in the perception of voters.

PKR’s attraction remains that it is a party that challenges our political norms. It is that hesitancy in embracing new ideas by voters that camouflages its real presence and influence.

Therefore, if PAS truly wants to unseat the BN as the ruling party, the ‘winnabilty’ test should be applied in the negative – do not contest in areas where PAS is sure to lose, and allow PKR to contest there.

For example, I cannot imagine PAS winning in Lembah Pantai or Bandar Tun Razak (where it has indicated interest) because the Chinese voters there are in excess of 45 percent. The Chinese supporting PAS? Stop the wishful thinking, please.

As for DAP, it has to curtail its desire to contest in mixed-constituencies where Chinese votes are marginally more than the rest. Many seats in Melaka and Perak had fallen to the BN because DAP, like PAS, underestimated the power of the fear factor of racial dominance so well-cultivated by the BN.

It is easy to blame the simple-minded voters as being very easily manipulated. Sure, the ordinary voter is quite simple-minded. That is exactly why the country needs enlightened opposition leaders to show the way to overcome a stacked deck, instead of perpetuating the status quo by playing to the galleries and looking for immediate gratification.

Should DAP and PAS continue to think of themselves as just the opposition, then the opposition they will always be. The BN will always prevail if the present mindset of PAS and DAP leaders remains a leftover from the sixties.

The result of the latest gerrymandering markedly increased the mixed constituencies where the BN will not be facing winnable rivals, and limits DAP and PAS to a handful of overwhelming Chinese or Malay areas.

An electoral pact is not a coalition so we cannot expect our opposition parties to find it easy to satisfy the sectarian interests on which they had thrived. But for the sake of our future generations, I urge that DAP and PAS leaders lead by example and show enough courage to go off the beaten track and allow PKR the leeway it needs. This is necessary, if only to test whether or not Malaysians are so hard-wired into racial politics that they are beyond redemption.

This is not really a plea. It is an advisory that should progressive forces abandon the present attempt at moulding the opposition into a cohesive force, DAP and PAS could very well be the first victims of an offensive towards a two-party system. It will be a longer and tougher route, but I have not heard of anyone crying for the dinosaurs.