Why I disagree with 60:40 formula

AS you all know, I’ve always been a proponent of a two-party system. I opine that in order to make Malaysia a greater nation, there is a need for political reforms and for genuine democracy.

With regards to the recent altercation on the issue of PH offering 60% state seats to Warisan to contest in Sabah in exchange for the latter not to contest in parliamentary seats, I am personally against it! My stand is that, I am more inclined to have Tun Mahathir to be PH prime ministerial candidate than accepting Warisan to dominate Sabah at state level.

Parti Bersatu led by Tun M is going to contest 52 parliamentary seats out of the 222 at the national level. It makes up only 24% of the total seats in Parliament. Therefore, the notion that Bersatu is contesting the most seats among PH is untrue.

Based on the information given by PH top leaders, it looks like Keadilan is assigned the majority of the parliamentary seats to contest, including the earlier announced 51 seats in the Peninsular, and Sabah and Sarawak which is due to be announced.

In the Peninsular, Amanah is allocated 27 seats and DAP, 35 seats. It is known that the decision was made on the basis that no single party can hold a large majority, preventing one becoming a dominant party. Looking at the seat arrangement in the Peninsular, PH has created a balance of power among themselves. Many have criticized the DAP of being dominant in Penang, but one should know that DAP contested only 19 out of the 40 state seats, not even half the total number in Penang DUN. The recent announcement by Sabah DAP Chairman, Stephen Wong offering 60% of Sabah DUN seats is uncalled for. What is even worse is that the offer was subsequently turned down by Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking, claiming that Warisan could on its own win 2/3 majority of the state seats in the upcoming 14th General Election. Such an arrogant statement implied that Warisan desired to contest all the state seats in Sabah, otherwise how could they get 2/3 majority?

Tun Mahathir will turn 93 years this year, and PH has pledged that should they become government, the PM premiership is capped at two terms. This has also been included in Sabah PH’s New Deal, setting out that CM post would not be extended after two terms. In the event that the PH-Warisan partnership does materialise, would Warisan led by Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal be willing to concur to such a proposal? Before quitting Umno, Shafie’s political career had always been on the high. If Warisan comes into power, there is a worry that we could see a Taib-version CM in Sabah. He held power for 32 years in Sarawak before retiring from politics, far longer than Tun M’s 22 years of premiership. Do we want to see a dictatorial-like CM that wants to stay in power eternally?

Furthermore, PH has also pledged that the CM could not hold the Finance portfolio when they take reign. The infamous quote by Lord Acton, “absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely” is very relevant in our situation. Balancing of power is needed to uphold a fragile democracy like Malaysia. Many have said that Warisan is nothing more than just a one-man party, which is helmed by Shafie himself. If Warisan wins with a big majority in the upcoming election, would we be assured that there are mechanisms within Warisan to scrutinise the Semporna strong man? That seems doubtful. Don’t even get me started on discussing about whether or not there would be good governance under Warisan in Sabah!

Conversely, even if Bersatu wins all their contested seats, it’s not possible for Mahathir to form the government on its own, given that they have only a mere 24% of parliamentary seats. As such, Mahathir needs to cooperate with other parties such as Keadilan, Amanah and DAP to form a coalition government. Mahathir knows for a fact that what was practiced in his BN time would hardly be repeated in PH. Under PH, Keadilan, Amanah and DAP will act as check-and-balance to ensure there is law and order.

If PH insists to offer 60% of state seat to Warisan, or to an alarming 80%, giving them that many seats to contest, there is nothing to stop a dictatorship from emerging in Warisan and threaten democracy. Warisan is still a relatively new party with little to prove their loyalty to the rakyat, and what they have shouted thus far are purely rhetoric. Comparing them with Umno, even though Umno only have 31 DUN seats which accounts for 52% of the total number of seats in Sabah, the style of governance shown by the state government is a good example of what PH should avoid. Think about it, if an offer of 60% state seats is still considered unsatisfactory for Warisan, are they more greedy than Umno then? With 31 DUN seats, Umno Sabah is beset with scandals. So the question begs, is Shafie a clean man?

In short, I wish to reiterate that I am against the idea of Stephen Wong’s offer of 60% state seats to Warisan. Why should we care about Warisan? Why don’t we offer to other local based parties such as PCS and Parti Anak Negeri as well? With more component parties, it will be more realistic in ensuring a check-and-balance that will ultimately benefit the rakyat. We must reject BN because Umno has become recalcitrant and repeatedly belittled democracy. Opposition leaders must think and act wisely for the sake of the Sabah!