MUCH is being talked about development at every election.

Political parties like to claim how they are the only ones capable of bringing about development, often showcasing their own infrastructure projects as proof of this.

With this, it is implied or sometimes even explicitly campaigned, that the other party is incapable of doing so, and that voting them in would risk stunting the growth of a particular constituency, state, or even the country. 

This is tantamount to holding voters to ransom and is a form of political blackmail. 

Against the backdrop of Covid-19 fatigue and its negative peripheral effects, it is perhaps a good time to retire tiresome, outdated, regressive and immature political tactics.  

Infrastructure development is the responsibility of any sitting government, for all its citizens.  

It should not be used as a tool to bargain with. 

Already, Malaysia is losing out to our neighbours. The past two years saw several major car, electronics and technology manufacturers pull out of Malaysia in favour of our neighbours. 

Our stock exchange is the worst-performing in the region, after our government removed a tax cap, making it the most expensive bourse to trade in Asean. 

We have to improve our competitiveness and attract investors, and that can only happen with sincere effort and minimising the political element from national development.  

Developmental plans have to make sense and suit the long-term needs of a particular area.

The old political habit of patronage-driven development, such as military facilities at the constituency of the defence minister, or a police training facility at the home minister’s, is no longer viable, particularly when we have limited resources and plenty of work to do.

Not only does it make little strategic sense, it is wasteful, especially upon expiry of the said patronage.

The new appointee tends to proceed to build his or her own legacy, reducing the need for facilities to be developed, in favour of new ones in their favoured areas. 

Similarly, mobilising resources and making developmental promises in political hotspots is a counterproductive measure.

During the premiership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, much fanfare was raised for 5G development in Pulau Langkawi, which died down after the Sheraton Move.

His replacement promised a 5G roll-out by the end of this year, with an emphasis in Sarawak, which was then due for its state elections, while the current prime minister brought the same conversation to Malacca, citing tourist arrivals, coincidentally with the then Malacca elections. 

Political interference in plans like these should be reduced, as they have proven ineffective and cause us to lose out to the competition, as even homegrown companies have moved parts or entire operations overseas.   

State and federal cooperation on development should also be aligned. 

The East Coast Rail Link project is one such example, with Selangor cooperating with the Transport Ministry (MOT), resulting in a win-win; MOT gets to proceed with their project while Selangor gets their desired inclusion of the southern part of the state. 

This kind of cooperation is welcome and allows government agencies to play off each other’s strengths rather than attempt to reinvent the wheel.

Cooperation in attracting foreign investment in strategic areas with ready expertise and local experience, such as e-commerce, logistics fulfilment, medical tourism, halal development, eco-tourism and sustainable development would be areas of potential we could explore, rather than trailing behind our neighbours in areas where they have overtaken us.  

This should be less difficult to attain with a supply-and-confidence MOU in place and political lines more clearly drawn today than it was a year ago. 

What we desperately need now is more political will, less self-serving politics. – December 8, 2021.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.