KUALA LUMPUR: Kinabatangan member of parliament Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin supported a proposal that voting should be along racial lines as it would ensure justice for every race in Malaysia.
Bung Mokhtar said that those with mixed race parentage would benefit most from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim’s proposal.
“Those with two or three ancestries as a result of mixed marriages can choose which one they prefer. There is no issue of electoral apartheid,” he said while debating on the Supplementary Supply Bill at the committee stage in Parliament yesterday.
He said apartheid referred to oppression by a larger ethnic group of a smaller group, which did not reflect the situation in Malaysia.
“Why can’t we have something like this? Every tribe and race will have their respective representatives,” he added.
In a reply to Anthony Loke (DAP-Seremban) in Parliament on Monday, Shahidan said the principle of equal legislative representation of “one person, one vote” was not suitable for Malaysia unless it was implemented in accordance with the country’s multiracial composition.
“We want to give fairness to the rakyat and ‘one person one vote’ does not necessarily ensure that,” he said in response to the opposition’s proposal for a “one person one vote” system.
Dr Ong Kian Ming (DAP-Serdang) then called for Shahidan’s resignation, while other opposition leaders also criticised the Arau MP for bringing a racial dimension into the matter.
At a press conference at the parliament lobby yesterday, Ong called on Shahidan to give details of any countries that chose their elected representatives according to race.
“His proposal would affect stability and harmony of the country and worsen race relations in the country.
“If Malay representatives are only voted in by Malay voters, they will more than likely only represent the views of their Malay electorate. Similarly for the Chinese representatives who are voted in by Chinese voters, Indian representatives by Indian voters, Iban representatives by Iban voters, Kadazan representatives by Kadazan voters and so on.
“This means that there will be no electoral incentives for representatives to consider the views of voters who are not from their own race. This will inevitably increase racial polarisation rather than reduce racial problems,” he said.
G. Manivannan (PKR-Kapar) said Shahidan’s proposal was regressive while Khalid Samad (PAS-Shah Alam) felt this showed BN did not know how to handle racial problems.
“If implemented, it will worsen racial polarisation,” said Khalid.