The challenge of leadership
If Pakatan Harapan were to win the next election, the current leader of the coalition might not be a suitable prime minister because she probably would not have the majority support of Pakatan followers.
K J John, Free Malaysia Today
No true democrat can accept the way the Malaysian Prime Minister is appointed. At the very least, he should be chosen by the component parties that make up the coalition that wins a general election.
Until now, only the Umno President has been PM because, as leader of the dominant party in Barisan Nasional, he is also the leader of the coalition. So far in BN history, the other component parties have yet to object to the appointment of the wrong person. To put it another way, none of the other BN parties has questioned the integrity of the PM candidate.
This system should be abhorrent to those who subscribe to a democratic model in which leadership has to be decided by the majority of followers.
If Pakatan Harapan were to win the next election, the current leader of the coalition might not be a suitable prime minister because she probably would not have the majority support of Pakatan followers. She would be reminiscent of Corazon Aquino of the Philippines, a proxy leader and never a true one. The only way forward is to have a vote in the Pakatan Council or some enlarged body. Better still, there should be an election by popular vote, with the candidates vetted and audited beforehand by an integrity committee.
Personal integrity and systemic integrity are different ideas and ideals. One deals with the personal character and integrity of a candidate and the other deals with the quality and content of leadership, which would cover the reform programme he proposes and his abilities in dealing with people and guiding them. Good leaders can motivate followers to take new directions without causing major conflicts within his organisation.
When a person assumes the post of Prime Minister, he must always represent the interests of all the parties of the coalition he leads, and do so equitably.
There is always a challenge in trying to represent multiple interests while seeking to moderate between competing interests. It is a challenge that can be met only by a person of character, one who has personal integrity and credibility and whose behaviour and actions harmonise with his orations.
