WAN Saiful Wan Jan joined Bersatu not just to contest in the 14th general election but to help set the foundation to bring about long-term changes to Malaysia.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insight last night, the former CEO and founder of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said the country’s political culture must “move forward” and discard the cult of personality. 

He said social policies that emphasise the needs of the country and the people must be placed above the personalities of political leaders, he said. 

“We need to abandon the political culture today, which is too parochial. When we mention Bersatu, people only think of Dr Mahathir. When Umno is mentioned, it’s the party that is controlled by Najib. When PAS is mentioned, it’s Hadi’s party. 

“This is a very feudal way of thinking, when these individuals are just one of many on the frontlines of a struggle. The struggle itself needs to be properly defined,” he said.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin today announced Wan Saiful’s membership at the party’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya. 

Wan Saiful, 43, resigned from IDEAS last week, a think tank he founded along with two others in London nine years ago. 

IDEAS, which shifted to Malaysia in 2010, is a non-profit research institute specialising in public policy. The think tank sought to promote the supremacy of law, a limited government, a free market economy and individual liberty.  

Wan Saiful said his decision to join politics full time is driven by a need to bring about change.

He said he hopes uplift the dignity of the Malays who continue to be “insulted” when politicians claim they will be destroyed without government handouts. 

“For me this is an insult. We come from a race and religion that are supposed to instil in us confidence and self-reliance, but that has been eroded by Umno leaders,” he said. 

Below are excerpts of the interview:

TMI: What sparked your decision to join politics?

WAN SAIFUL: Actually, joining the political world is not such a big deal. The bigger leap is actually when I decided to come back to Malaysia bring back IDEAS here because in the UK, I was also politically active. So it’s really a matter of returning to politics. 

What is the biggest factor in my decision is time. The time is right for change because if I don’t join politics now, I would lose the opportunity to contribute. I think I would be the biggest help, especially in terms of ensuring Pakatan Harapan succeeds. 

I’ve had enough of the damage done by the current government. We need a new vision of the future. The debates so far have been overly focused on the past. When we speak of what Pakatan can offer, for example, it’s a never-ending argument looking back to the past, back to the 1980s, the 1990s.

What Pakatan can really offer is better governance in Malaysia. I hope with my dive into politics, I can do my part to contribute. Even if it’s a small part compared to those who have long joined the PH parties. 

TMI: What do you hope to bring to Bersatu?

WS: My hope is that the agenda I’ve held all the while (through IDEAS) would be applied on a national stage. The first on my list of change is the administration of the country, where we see an excessive concentration of power in the hands of the prime minister’s office. This can’t be good for any democratic country.

For me, what’s important is that we ensure that the finance minister portfolio is not also held by the prime minister. There needs to be a check and balance, especially in the internal structure of the cabinet. I don’t see why the prime minister’s office needs to be so big. 

Also, there is a need to separate the authority of the attorney-general and the public prosecutor. 

The agenda is already taken up by PH and it is on my priority list. 

TMI: How do you reconcile being a liberal and joining a race-based party that continues to champion affirmative action?

WS: There are differences between a civil society group and a political party. In a civil society, we can hold on to idealism. But as soon as we step into the field of politics, then we are faced with the realities of the day, and not just the idealism of what is to come 30 years from now. 

The reality today is that the people need help and support from the government. So, I feel it isn’t right to enter politics and to want force on the idealism of a civil society group. Join (politics) today, tomorrow we can bring about change to the political agenda.

Politics is about give and take. There are discussion, debates, negotiations and then finally the party comes to a decision. I feel that is the reality of things. Anywhere we work, there would be decisions and outcomes out of our control. 

But for me, the idealism remains. My ideal is that one day, there will be a society that tells politicians: “You want to give me RM500? Do you think I have price?” We haven’t reached that level yet, but one day we can create a society that can say, “I’m worth more than this.”

In the United Kingdom, when a political party reads out the statistics that a portion of the population needs government assistance, that statistic is usually read out with embarrassment because it signifies failure on the part the government to uplift the socio-economic standing of its citizens.

There’s nothing to be proud of when seven million people receive help (from 1Malaysia People’s Aid). What should be praised is when seven people become millionaires, or seven million people become entrepreneurs. That should be the role of government. 

But in Malaysia, the giving of aid is regarded as something so positive. 

TMI: You have been critical of so many people in your writings and in your public engagements. What would you do when those words come back to haunt you, especially during the election?

WS: I’m not just critical, I also praise people when they do the right thing. If he does the right thing, we praise. But he doesn’t do the right thing, we criticise. 

All this will be raised. My hope is that people will focus on what I say about Umno and Barisan Nasional before. That deserves to be repeated over and over. 

TMI: How are you going to fund your political career?

WS: The date I join Bersatu is also the official date I become an unemployed graduate. I have some savings, but it will finish in a month or two. 

I hope to meet some old friends who can help fund our cause. This has always been how I did it in the past nine years, by getting friends to lend a hand. – March 1, 2018.