Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

AS the state elections draw nearer, competing parties and coalitions have started to roll out their respective line-ups of candidates.

There are obviously a number of politicians who have been dropped from the lists, sparking unease and complaints among them.

While these gripes can be dismissed as sheer frustration of sour grapes, the discontent expressed by a few has caught public attention nonetheless. In fact, it may deserve close scrutiny, especially if there is some grain of truth to it.

Moreover, the articulated dissatisfaction may have grave implications on the fortunes of the affected parties in the August 12 state elections.

For instance, former Penang DAP leader Satees Muniandy, who was dropped from the candidate list, claimed that someone he referred to as “emperor” has the clout to decide on the party’s candidates in Penang. This is, indeed, a serious accusation.

Worse, the incumbent Bagan Dalam assemblyman insisted that most of the politicians who are said to be aligned with caretaker Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow were not selected to contest, alluding to the existence of fissures and favouritism in the party.

Satees has since announced his resignation from DAP, and will defend his seat as an Independent while maintaining his unwavering support for Chow.

Equally disturbing, David Marshel also quit DAP recently, only to contest the Perai seat as an Independent. Perai is the seat of caretaker Penang deputy chief minister II P. Ramasamy.

The former Seberang Perai city councillor said he was making the foray to ensure that Chow remains as chief minister after the elections. This strategy, he said, was aimed at “freeing Penang from Lim Guan Eng”.

Marshel claimed that Lim is eyeing the coveted post of chief minister.

Ramasamy also waded into the controversy, wondering whether his party is still the same DAP he had joined almost two decades ago.

He lamented a lack of transparency in announcing the state line-up because no one consulted him before the announcement was made. His name, too, was not on the list.

It was said the new list is to allow for the party’s much-needed rejuvenation, hence, the appearance of younger candidates. But then, it made some people wonder why there is also another set of younger politicians who were dropped.

Closing party ranks, as Lim proposed recently, is the right thing to do in the face of the state elections.

However, these grouses leave a bad taste in the mouth, especially when they relate to a party that professes itself to be democratic and transparent. An allegation of the so-called emperor dominating DAP is not comforting either.

Besides, this may trigger a backlash from largely Indian voters, particularly supporters of Satees and Ramasamy, who might turn their backs on DAP-Pakatan Harapan (PH). Or at the very least, stay away from the voting booth.

Similarly, the apparent lack of consultation between PH-Umno and Barisan Nasional components MCA and MIC regarding the selection of state seats has led to the two parties’ decision to sit out the polls.

But this is not the only issue that has emerged.

What is also noteworthy is that a certain MIC politician, in particular K.R. Parthiban, was seen flirting with Perikatan Nasional (PN), prompting the prediction that a number of MIC supporters may be persuaded to have a change of heart at the ballot box.

Parthiban was spotted at a PN launch of its Indian supporters’ club secretariat on July 23 in Tanjong Karang, in which he justified his presence by saying that it was PH, not BN, that was contesting there.

The suspended MIC central working committee member said the party leadership’s message was clear, which is to support BN candidates.

To be sure, PKR is Parthiban’s arch-enemy because he lost the Ijok state seat to the party some time ago.

Additionally, PKR’s defiance in nominating its Shah Alam deputy chairman, Najwan Halimi, for the Selangor elections despite opposition to his enlistment could alienate some Indian voters at a time when PN is aggressively trying to woo the Indian electorate.

Najwan, a leader of the supposedly multi-ethnic PKR, recently made a racist remark that disparaged Parti Sosialis Malaysia as an “Indian estate party” and Sivaranjani Manickam, the party’s candidate for the Meru seat. He has since apologised.

There can never be a “perfect list”, but such human imperfections should not justify any opaque and undemocratic mode of selection. – July 29, 2023.