Political parties face shortage of credible candidates for future PM

TwentyTwo:13

‘Political parties face shortage of credible candidates for future PM’

Political parties in the country are in dire need of a transformation as they have failed to groom new leaders to lead the country.

With a general election on the horizon, it appears that both the government and opposition do not have the right candidates to push for the position of prime minister. Parties are banking on the same candidates, over and over again.

Associate Professor Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said Malaysia needs energetic and progressive leaders. The need for them to be properly groomed and moulded to lead the country is more pressing, now than ever.

“If you look at countries like New Zealand and Canada, you have young people running the country. In Malaysia, those who are in their late 40s are nowhere to be found,” he said.

“We have had the same people helming political parties for a long time. (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been in politics since the 1960s … And then you have (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim, who came into the fray in the 80s. Even (Lim) Kit Siang (who recently retired) has been there since the 60s.”

Azeem, who is director of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, says Umno is plagued with the same problem, with no solution in sight.

“(Datuk Seri) Ismail Sabri Yaakob himself is just an interim Prime Minister. His approval rating is not known, as no polls or surveys had been carried out to measure how popular the current government is. Unless we know how he is perceived by the people, he will only continue his term as PM up until Parliament is dissolved.”

He said while current “poster boys” Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi are popular within the party, they are both facing charges in court.

“He (Najib) is definitely not the choice for urban voters. But at the same time, you cannot rule out the fact that he could be Umno’s trump card as he is popular in rural areas. Judging by the behavioural patterns of the electorate in Johor and Melaka, it appears that they are unfazed by the court charges levelled against Najib, and his conviction. It no longer matters,” he said.

Azeem added that while other Umno leaders like Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Khairy Jamaluddin are both potential PM material, they have been sidelined by their own party.

“Hishammuddin, despite his previous keris-wielding incident, is a moderate leader. He is not a racial, or religious hardliner. But he does not hold any position within the party hierarchy and is not in the good books of (Datuk Seri) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.”

Azeem said the same goes for Khairy.

“He (Khairy) is a very progressive man and could be among our next generation of leaders. He has what it takes to be accepted by all, not just the Malays. But despite being very urban, sharp, and hardworking, he is just not trending within Umno.”

Even opposition parties are guilty of not wanting to let go, or simply not having enough young leaders who can lead the country.

“While Anwar will remain PKR president, I am not sure if he will still be seen as a ‘PM in waiting’. Prior to GE14, the opposition had always touted him as their PM candidate, but it has never worked out in their favour, especially among the Malay voters.

“Anwar’s aura is no longer what it used to be. Look at how he had campaigned in Melaka and Johor. Look at the end results. But who else does PKR have right now?”

He added that Nurul Izzah Anwar, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, nor Rafizi Ramli of PKR had what it takes right now to be the prime minister candidate for Pakatan Harapan.

“Realistically speaking, Pakatan Harapan will have a tough time nominating a PM candidate in the next GE. No one is going to vote for the opposition if (Amanah President) Mohamad Sabu or (DAP secretary-general) Anthony Loke were to be named PM candidate for Pakatan.”

Azeem said Dr Mahathir too, had completely lost the plot, as evidenced in the Johor election when Pejuang was roundly defeated.

He added that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu too, is at risk of facing a wipeout in the next GE.

“It is a sad situation that the political parties in the country have failed to groom future leaders who can take over.

“As such, it is going to be interesting to see how things will play out in the next GE, because no one can say with a high degree of certainty who is the PM in waiting.”