Human Resource in Politics

Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.  ~Author Unknown

It has been proven time and time again that absolute power corrupts absolutely. In Malaysia, the situation and conditions are ideal to breed politicians that become cosy and comfortable with the position that they hold. They are voted into the assembly or parliament term after term up till a point where they believe that the seat is their birth right.

By Mohd Prasad Hanif, Secretary, PAS Klang

From today onwards, until the Election Commission announces the date, both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional will be meeting to decide on the prospective candidates. At the same time, the people of Selangor will be speculating the identity of the candidate. Names like Zaid Ibrahim, G. Palanivel, and Kamalanathan will be all over the news. Each political party will be trying to outsmart each other by prolonging this game.

Let’s talk about recycled candidates. According to some newspaper articles, some MIC politicians have contributed much to the Indians in the Hulu Selangor constituency. They have donated a large amount of money to various funds and projects. They visit the elderly, kiss the babies and shake hands with the locals. Great. Seriously, as a young observer, the Indian situation has not changed much throughout their political career. As a matter of fact, their party has been deemed irrelevant by the voters in 2008.

The part that I do not understand is their determination to stand in the elections despite their total and utter failure. They just keep coming back. Their resumes are tainted and filled with crooked promises. They do not have anything to show in terms of principle achievement. Have they ever addressed poverty? Or abortion and the right of the women? Or the education system and its failures and progress? What do they actually stand for? What are their stand on privatization of hospitals?

The candidates offered by Barisan Nasional do not have the simple capability of thinking for themselves. They do not campaign based on principles. They have none. They simply echo the principles of their lords and masters – those who control their lives through money and power. Their representatives are so dreadful that one of the Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament actually requested the government to reduce subsidies!

Barisan Nasional has successfully turned an election campaign into a marketing and media frenzy instead of an intellectual spar to determine the future of Malaysia. “Academics and critics have expressed their concern that politicians are marketing themselves `like soap’ or are somehow devaluing the democratic political system.” (Kates, 1998)

This brings us to the next question. What is the criteria for the right candidate? The first criteria of a candidate is that the candidate must not want the position. He does not eye the position, does not lobby for it, nor does he promote himself for the candidacy. The person should work for the party solely for the party and its principles.

My second criteria would be the principles of the candidates. He should be straightforward and declare his principles. The people must know his believes on abortion, education, the future of Malaysia and its children. The qualification of the candidate is also important. A learned candidate, qualified in the sciences or the arts, would be ideal to debate the future of the country, intellectually, in Parliament. Even if there are no paper qualifications, a candidate with extensive experience and contribution to the community should be considered.

It is practically axiomatic among political scientists that the behavior of elected officials is driven by ambition. (Carey, 2009) Therefore, my third criterion is his ambition. The party leadership need to understand clearly the ambition of the particular candidate. Does he aspire to be the Prime Minister? Does he aspire to be a Minister? The party leadership also need to know how he intends to achieve them and why he wants the position. Extensive interview sessions will be needed, of course. By doing this, the political party can effectively eliminate a candidate that has the propensity to gravitate towards money politics.

For ambitious politicians, clearing the candidate selection hurdle should be as formidable a challenge as clearing the general election hurdle. Thus, party leadership will need to pay much closer attention to requirements to become candidates and the recruitment process itself. In order for them to walk in the corridors of power, Pakatan Rakyat must first ensure that the candidates undergo the entire process of existence in the party and a thorough evaluation of their contribution.

I believe the candidate selection process of the parties should be as tough and gruelling as corporate executive selection process. Relevant experience and contribution as well as achievements must be demonstrated. Most importantly, the leadership charisma must be present – but not to the extent that overconfidence blinds the rational decision.

The candidates must differentiate themselves from their competitors as well as Barisan Nasional candidates. They mus convince the party leaders of their concepts of hope and optimism and the promise of a better future for the country. The candidates’ messages should be infectious within the party itself. The leadership should feel optimistic with positive hope for the future or overwhelmed with negative feelings, depending on the talent of the candidates. This should indicate the suitability of the candidate.

Despite my long and boring article above, it boils down to the political will of the party leadership to decide the process of recruitment and it policies regarding the candidate qualities. If all else fails, I would propose a two-term limit for all candidates, whether they are good or not. That way, we secure the fact that there might not be rotten diapers being recycled again.

Despite all this rambling about candidate qualities and recruitment processes, it might just boil down to the quote by Frank Mckinney:

We’d all like to vote for the best man, but he’s never a candidate.  ~ Frank McKinney “Kin” Hubbard 

 

References

Steven Kates.  (1998). A qualitative exploration into voters’ ethical perceptions of political advertising: Discourse, disinformation, and moral boundaries. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(16), 1871-1885.  Retrieved March 26, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 37309483).

Carey, J.. (2009). Pathways to Power: Political Recruitment and Candidate Selection in Latin America. Latin American Politics and Society, 51(1), 165-167.  Retrieved March 26, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1661751201).