Malaysia: Money politics rears its ugly
head By Anil Netto
PENANG,
Malaysia - The specter of money politics has once again
returned to haunt Malaysia's dominant party, the United
Malays National Organization (UMNO), and could undermine
the anti-graft credentials of party president Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi, who is also the country's prime minister.
The allegations come at the worst possible time
for UMNO amid claims that candidates at the
just-concluded Supreme Council election had given huge
sums of money to delegates to secure support.
"History shows that empires and institutions
have fallen by the wayside because of unfettered
corruption. For all its proud history and contributions
to Malaysia, UMNO too is not immune," wrote New Straits
Times editor-in-chief Kalimullah Hassan in his weekly
column. "And this was borne out during this year's UMNO
election. Much as some leaders and delegates refuse to
acknowledge publicly that money was passed from some
candidates to delegates, deep down, they know that this
did happen."
A veteran UMNO party official
raised eyebrows on Tuesday by claiming that money
politics was the worst he had seen during his more than
three decades in various high positions. The term "money
politics" in the context of UMNO party election is often
a euphemism for vote-buying or the promise of doling out
patronage in return for votes.
The official,
Abdul Kadir Shiekh Fadzir, who is also Malaysia's
information minister, lost his Supreme Council seat in
the recent UMNO election and revealed later that it was
the first time he had been approached by certain people
to pay for votes. When asked if money politics really
took place in the election, a peeved Kadir told
reporters, "It happened as everybody knows."
Although there is talk of money politics each
time UMNO elections are held, what makes it different
this time is that the issue has upset a veteran party
member like Kadir enough for him to complain about it
openly in the tightly controlled mainstream media. And
Kadir is not the only one coming to terms with the
reality within UMNO.
Party veteran Shahrir
Samad, widely seen as a "Mr Clean" within the party for
his refusal to indulge in vote-buying, was a dark horse
among seven candidates vying for the three hotly
contested posts of UMNO vice president. He finished at
the bottom of the heap.
UMNO secretary general
Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad was reported by the national
news agency Bernama as saying that allegations of
rampant money politics in the party elections marred the
success of the party's general assembly, which ended
last Saturday.
Radzi admitted receiving verbal
complaints from several candidates on money politics but
no proof or written reports were received until last
Saturday. "I, like the prime minister, only heard of the
allegations but so far, we don't have anything," he said
after the assembly had ended.
If money politics
did happen, he said, UMNO members who had the
information should come forward with the proof so that
action could be taken.
It's all proving to be an
embarrassment for Abdullah, who in July won the UMNO
presidency uncontested after a potential rival had
earlier failed to secure enough nominations. Party
electoral rules make it extremely difficult for
challengers to emerge for the top two posts in the
party.
For some, the prevalence of money
politics is a symptom of something deeper.
"It's
indicative of the factionalism within the party,"
Universiti Sains Malaysia (Science University of
Malaysia) political-science professor Johan
Saravanamuttu said in an interview.
"There are
different groups now within UMNO," said Saravanamuttu,
also the university's research dean for
social-transformation issues. "It seems to me that the
deciding factor [in securing victory for second-echelon
posts] was not only who could allegedly dole out the
money but who would also be in a position to dole out
patronage."
The political-science professor
observed that those who apparently had the money but who
were not in a position to dish out patronage did not do
as well.
Abdullah, who took over as prime
minister from Mahathir Mohamad last November, had led
the ruling coalition to a landslide general election
victory in March on an anti-graft platform. He has also
been promoting "Islam Hadhari", a more
progressive civilizational understanding of the faith
that, among other things, emphasizes moral integrity and
a just and trustworthy government.
The latest
allegations are bound to poke a hole in the rhetoric.
"UMNO waited for 22 years to get itself
revitalized with a new party president," noted political
observer Jeff Ooi, who runs the popular weblog
Screenshots. "But when the new chieftain was officially
installed, his coronation was greeted with accusations
of money politics."
Ooi noted that some are
wondering who advised Abdullah to loosen up on the
party's code of ethics to allow feverish campaigning
during the final weeks before the party election.
The prevalence of money politics may not be due
to a lack of sincerity on Abdullah's part, but experts
like Savaranamuttu think a solution to the problem may
be beyond him: "He [Abdullah] is trying to project the
image that he doesn't want money politics. But even the
PM [prime minister] will not be able to root out money
politics within his party because of the high level of
factionalism."
Saravanamuttu pointed out that
such factionalism is common among political parties that
have been in power for so long that they eventually lead
to a single dominant party in the country. "In such
cases, the real political contests are within the party
[between factions] rather than between different
political parties."
And because no contests are
allowed for the top two posts in UMNO, the maneuvering
shifts to the vice presidents' posts, he noted.
"Clearly the election of new UMNO leaders at all
levels, from the vice president to the Supreme Council
members who have not been in the forefront of the fight
against money politics and corruption, can be read as a
reaction by UMNO against the prime minister," said Lim
Guan Eng, secretary general of the opposition Democratic
Action Party.
Whether Abdullah could still be
effective in the fight against money politics and
corruption must depend on his personal commitment in the
face of a new UMNO team that is lukewarm at best with
his political agenda, Lim said. "There is no doubt that,
from the [UMNO Supreme Council election] results,
Abdullah faces enormous challenges in carrying out his
political agenda."
