Importance of separation of powers
By Viktor Wong
Corruptions, power abuse, mismanagements and all sorts of negative elements within the government and the ruling party, that is what we have been hearing and reading about almost everyday. BN has been governing this country for more than 55 years, it is full of corruptions and power abuse, when Pakatan took over some state in the 2008 general elections, the opposition coalition is also being undermined by such elements during its first few years ruling some states.
Well, whenever or whoever who are in power, or having taste the seat of power would certainly fall into this element if he or she were to unable to control their greed while in office. What was the cause onto all such negative elements? No one have ever bother to look deeper into this issue.
Even the Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan arrogantly admitted that corruption in the BN government is something usual and it happens around the globe. So, does Ahmad Maslan agrees that corruption should carry on just because it is a norm?
What is the actual cause of corruption in this case? The answer here is simple, when a political party is running the government, the leader usually manages both the party and the government. So does the ministers, who are also usually members of the supreme council or central committee of the ruling party. Some senior ministers in the government may also hold senior party positions like, the secretary-general, party vice-president, permanent chairman of the party, party treasurer, party information chief and so on.
Leaders hold both party and government positions concurrently. Doesn't this spell a potential in power abuse and corruption? Yes, it is certain. When a leader who is holding a government position and a position in the party as well, he or she may tend to do whatever they could to please their party supporters with government allocations, grants and public funds, without looking at the professional aspect being the holder of a government position notably as minister or deputy minister. Therefore, the failure to serve public interests as a minister does exist in such situation.
As such, in order to stamp out corruptions, power abuse and mismanagement within the government, the separation of powers between the government and the ruling party must be clearly spelled out in order ensure that professionalism in the governance is not compromised by politics in the ruling party.
In this case, the chairman or president of the ruling party must not be the prime minister, while ministers should not be amongst members of the ruling party's central committee or supreme council. Yes, the prime minister should be someone from the ruling party but not from within the party's power structure. The prime minster should instead be referred only as the "leader" of the party. Let the party chairman or president run the daily operation of the ruling party while the prime minister should fully focus on the day to day affairs of the government professionally.
Take for instance, the politics and governance system in the United States (US). The US president is not even the leader of the ruling party. The party chairman's position is held by another person who runs the party full time. Same goes to the United Kingdom (UK), the British prime minister is only a nominal or ceremonial leader of the ruling party while the chairman runs the party affairs full time. So does the secretaries (in the US) and the ministers (in UK) who are all nominated not from within the party ranks.
In such system, the separation of powers between the ruling party and the government contribute to a sort of check and balance. Ruling party leaders who are legislators could establish portfolio-based committee within the legislative assembly to provide various checks and balance on ministry or departments by organising routine hearings on the policies laid and implemented by the government and its ministers. With such move, corruptions, power abuse and mismanagement can be eradicate systematically from both sides.
What we are seeing today is the opposition Pakatan Rakyat has been positive in such move. The parliamentary opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has decided not to assume the presidency of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in order to fully concentrate his role as leader of the opposition and prime minister-in-waiting. Anwar's move to appoint Azmin Ali as the Selangor PKR chairman and made Khalid Ibrahim a full-time menteri besar had in fact bear some positive results in the state's administration. We believe PKR's coalition partners, Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) too should follow suit in states where they are currently ruling.
Policies undertake by the ruling party does not necessarily need to be the policies of the government as well because policies of the ruling party are mainly political, while the government should be ran in accordance to the people's interests and not that of the ruling party's interests. In this case, professionalism in government should be upheld while clean party politics should also be maintained at the same time.
If BN still cannot accept this kind of separation of powers, then Pakatan should make their stand clear in implementing such move in order to stamp out the negative elements from within the party and government.
Corruptions, power abuse, mismanagements and all sorts of negative elements within the government and the ruling party, that is what we have been hearing and reading about almost everyday. BN has been governing this country for more than 55 years, it is full of corruptions and power abuse, when Pakatan took over some state in the 2008 general elections, the opposition coalition is also being undermined by such elements during its first few years ruling some states.
Well, whenever or whoever who are in power, or having taste the seat of power would certainly fall into this element if he or she were to unable to control their greed while in office. What was the cause onto all such negative elements? No one have ever bother to look deeper into this issue.
Even the Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan arrogantly admitted that corruption in the BN government is something usual and it happens around the globe. So, does Ahmad Maslan agrees that corruption should carry on just because it is a norm?
What is the actual cause of corruption in this case? The answer here is simple, when a political party is running the government, the leader usually manages both the party and the government. So does the ministers, who are also usually members of the supreme council or central committee of the ruling party. Some senior ministers in the government may also hold senior party positions like, the secretary-general, party vice-president, permanent chairman of the party, party treasurer, party information chief and so on.
Leaders hold both party and government positions concurrently. Doesn't this spell a potential in power abuse and corruption? Yes, it is certain. When a leader who is holding a government position and a position in the party as well, he or she may tend to do whatever they could to please their party supporters with government allocations, grants and public funds, without looking at the professional aspect being the holder of a government position notably as minister or deputy minister. Therefore, the failure to serve public interests as a minister does exist in such situation.
As such, in order to stamp out corruptions, power abuse and mismanagement within the government, the separation of powers between the government and the ruling party must be clearly spelled out in order ensure that professionalism in the governance is not compromised by politics in the ruling party.
In this case, the chairman or president of the ruling party must not be the prime minister, while ministers should not be amongst members of the ruling party's central committee or supreme council. Yes, the prime minister should be someone from the ruling party but not from within the party's power structure. The prime minster should instead be referred only as the "leader" of the party. Let the party chairman or president run the daily operation of the ruling party while the prime minister should fully focus on the day to day affairs of the government professionally.
Take for instance, the politics and governance system in the United States (US). The US president is not even the leader of the ruling party. The party chairman's position is held by another person who runs the party full time. Same goes to the United Kingdom (UK), the British prime minister is only a nominal or ceremonial leader of the ruling party while the chairman runs the party affairs full time. So does the secretaries (in the US) and the ministers (in UK) who are all nominated not from within the party ranks.
In such system, the separation of powers between the ruling party and the government contribute to a sort of check and balance. Ruling party leaders who are legislators could establish portfolio-based committee within the legislative assembly to provide various checks and balance on ministry or departments by organising routine hearings on the policies laid and implemented by the government and its ministers. With such move, corruptions, power abuse and mismanagement can be eradicate systematically from both sides.
What we are seeing today is the opposition Pakatan Rakyat has been positive in such move. The parliamentary opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has decided not to assume the presidency of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in order to fully concentrate his role as leader of the opposition and prime minister-in-waiting. Anwar's move to appoint Azmin Ali as the Selangor PKR chairman and made Khalid Ibrahim a full-time menteri besar had in fact bear some positive results in the state's administration. We believe PKR's coalition partners, Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) too should follow suit in states where they are currently ruling.
Policies undertake by the ruling party does not necessarily need to be the policies of the government as well because policies of the ruling party are mainly political, while the government should be ran in accordance to the people's interests and not that of the ruling party's interests. In this case, professionalism in government should be upheld while clean party politics should also be maintained at the same time.
If BN still cannot accept this kind of separation of powers, then Pakatan should make their stand clear in implementing such move in order to stamp out the negative elements from within the party and government.
