BY ANISAH SHUKRY
The Malaysian Insider
17 February 2015
Old guards in Malaysia’s political parties are slowly leaving the scene paving the way for younger leaders to come forward, but between the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the pace of rejuvenation differs vastly.
Both sides have hugely respected and influential stalwarts but the number has dwindled down to one each – in BN, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is the sole veteran still in active politics as Gua Musang MP and in PR, Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang is still DAP adviser.
In PR, there is potential now for younger leaders to rise and develop even more responsibilities with the passing of PAS’s Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and DAP’s Karpal Singh, as well as the incarceration of PKR de factor leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In BN, party’s top posts are filled with second-generation leaders, such as Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Umno president and prime minister, and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, an Umno vice-president and defence minister.
But the crucial difference between the two coalitions was that with BN, the party’s rejuvenation process seems to have come to an abrupt stop with Najib’s generation, while in PR, younger leaders continue to join the coalition and rise up the ranks, analysts said.
“In PR, the passing of Nik Aziz and Anwar’s incarceration do give room for new leaders to come forward, like PKR’s Mohamed Azmin Ali, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi Ramli,” Ibrahim Suffian, the director of independent pollster Merdeka Centre, told The Malaysian Insider, referring to PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“But in BN, although there is some semblance of desire for change and to allow younger leaders to come forward, the party is still largely in the hands of longstanding leaders and the process of transition is not happening,” he said.
He said that while PR’s doors have always been open for new blood to come forward, the same could not be said for BN, where power among the incumbent leaders was guarded jealously and former politicians still held sway over the party.
“BN did try to field younger candidates in the last general election, but they all lost out.
“At this point, the only way younger leaders would play an active role in the party is for BN to lose the elections.
“The older leaders who occupy the powerful positions are working very hard to keep the power in their hands,” said Ibrahim.
On the other hand, PR was more open to younger talent because it was still trying to break BN’s stranglehold on power.
“This leads to more changes in leadership, especially the lower- and middle-party structure. I think this increases the potential for young people to be given a chance to move forward.”
Old guards still influential
Despite the gradual passing of the old guard, the party culture may not change so soon.
Ibrahim said that both coalitions were still largely under the sway of veteran politicians.
Dr Lim Teck Ghee, the director of the Centre for Policy Initiatives, agreed, adding that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar still exerted influence over their respective coalitions and remained a factor in Malaysian politics.
However, both played different roles, with Dr Mahathir seemingly breaking ranks from BN in criticising Najib, and Anwar focusing on making sure PR remained intact.
Lim said even as the old guards phased out from both parties, some things would remain the same in PR and BN in that views on ethnic and religious sentiments would still shape the party culture.
“Authoritarianism, bad or mis-governance, corruption are out – young voters are idealistic and want more from their leaders.
“At the same time, the young vote will be wooed for its ethnic and religious sentiment by both first- and second-tier leaders.
“So while there will be some changes in style and substance, much will remain the same,” he said.
In the case of BN component parties, he said even the “so-called new guard” may be out of touch with reality because of the privilege and affluence of these parties, having been in power for a long time.
“BN’s component parties have been stuck with the same faces who have made their way up the political ladder over the years by mouthing the same ideas and rhetoric, and by sticking closely to the party line.
“If they had stepped out of line by not sticking to the script, they would not have made their way up the ladder,” Lim said.
In contrast, PR was able to attract new faces because it did not have the baggage of history as a relative newcomer to the political arena.
“Also, being in the opposition has meant that individual members in PR can articulate their own views on developments more freely and with less concern about their own position or other possible repercussions,” Lim added.
Attracting the young
Professor Dr Arnold Puyok, a political science lecturer from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak concurred, saying that while PR had its old guards, their influence was not as deeply entrenched as with BN.
“The new and young leaders in PR are also given the opportunity to thrive without much control by the ‘seniors’,” he said.
Beyond the age factor, what mattered most to the electorate were ideas offered by politicians, Ibrahim said.
“What really is important is the authenticity of the leaders’ ideas, the genuineness of their struggle and their ability to articulate public concerns.
“Content is far more important than the actual age of the person. We have a very young electorate now and they want politics of ideas and policies, rather than personalities.”
DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang told The Malaysian Insider that now was the time for the younger generation to come forward and assume responsibilities in the party.
“I think this is a good opportunity for the older generation to give way to the post-Merdeka generation. And to be more in touch with the hopes and aspirations of the youth,” said the Gelang Patah MP.
On the eve of his incarceration last week, Anwar, who is the PKR de facto chief, had also conceded that the future of the opposition coalition lay with its younger leaders.
“Sometimes, the older leadership is dragged down by issues that are old and outdated… it is important that we give way to the young leadership in PR, because they are more forward looking,” Anwar had told more than 1,000 supporters in Dataran Petaling Jaya.
“We should ensure that this new and young group can see the future of Malaysia with confidence, and not with outdated mindsets that can pit one against each other.”
Last year, Najib had similarly called for the young to be given the opportunity to be in the Umno leadership, but Khairy Jamaluddin, who is the party’s Youth chief, had noted that the president’s calls for rejuvenation was threatening to split the party apart.
Khairy told the Umno general assembly in November that many party leaders now viewed the youth with hostility and feared they would be replaced by the younger generation.
Najib’s bid to attract younger leaders does not reflect on his choice of ministers – the present average age of the Malaysian cabinet is 58.5 years, with more than half the Cabinet older than 60. – February 17, 2015.