PRESS STATEMENT
23rd April 2024
“State Governments and the Federal Government in Malaysia have different jurisdictions and powers as spelt out in the Federal Constitution, some of which are concurrent. Responding to Dato Seri Wong Soon Koh’s recent call for DAP to relinquish posts held by their politicians in the Federal administration, ROSE is of the opinion that there is nothing wrong for a political party, such as DAP, to be part of a coalition government at the Federal level whilst at state level it is an opposition party. This is the scenario mainly because currently we have what is called a post-election coalition government. (Both the DAP with 40 MPs and GPS component parties with 24 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat are part of the Unity Govt formed after the 2022 GE).
Post-election coalition government simply means that parties come together to form government after an election results in a hung parliament. They can and will contest each other in the next election when parliament is dissolved. In some other countries this scenario (as faced by DAP) would be commonplace like in Germany.
Sarawakians may also remember that the original Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was a member of the federal BN government but at state level, they were in opposition for years.
Parties also have the right to make their choice of who to affiliate with just as PSB has done.
When political parties compete based on policies, there will be more checks on abuse of power and corruption. Competition between political parties also offers better choices for voters when election comes around. This scenario can incentivise political parties to compete during an election as well as collaborate after election. Post 2018 General Election, we should have learnt that government coalitions will not always be permanent and that a post-election government can be legitimately formed by a coalition of political parties who had competed or contested against each other in the same election.
In the coming Sarawak State election due in 2025/2026, the question of whether the DAP or any other national party like PKR will send candidates to contest against GPS (their coalition government partner in the Federal Government) will be on the voters’ minds. Will there be competition or less competition amongst the political parties? And for the voters will there be more choices or less choices?
Whether at the State Election or General Election (GE), voters choose the candidate whom they think will best represent them in their respective constituencies and to look after their collective interests. Whilst sincerity is an important character trait to look for in a politician or elected representative, it would be also be naïve to think that political parties act out of sincerity instead of the priority or the need to gain enough votes (even by overpromising during election campaigns) to become government or be part of government.
Therefore, it remains for voters to look for politicians who are useful and those who can offer better policies to make our lives and this place a better place for all. “
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