As the 14th Malaysian general election looms, it is almost comical to see ageing politicians still trying to justify their “right” to stand for election even while they clamour for “change” in the political order.

They cite political conspiracies by their political opponents to justify hogging the electoral seats. Some have been in Parliament since the era of the Tunku – half a century ago! During that time, Umno (hardly the paragon of democracy) has changed party leaders five times!

It is no coincidence that these long term political leaders exert control over their respective political parties to ensure all prospective party candidates are beholden to them. They argue that they are indispensable and that it is their right to selectively hold both federal as well as state seats.

The late Karpal Singh was a stern opponent of this grabby practice of established party leaders hogging federal and state seats. His famous line when a former DAP stalwart left the party was: “No one is indispensable.” That surely applies to everyone in the world. Or are some people exempt from this truism?

Why are term limits vital for democracy?

Clearly, many Malaysians still do not appreciate the meaning of democracy. During the historic Paris Commune of 1871, elected officials were subject to immediate recall.

In ancient Greece more than 2000 years ago, many offices were term limited so as to limit the power of individuals, a practice that was seen as vital for the greater good of society.

In other democratic countries, we see responsible and honourable politicians resign at the slightest failure of judgement on their part or when their term has reached a convenient point for another younger leader to take over.

Many modern republics employ term limits for their highest offices. The United States places a limit of two terms on its presidency while some state governors and state legislators also have term limits. The Russian Federation likewise limits the head of state to two terms; any further terms cannot be consecutive.

The democratic justification for the term limit is simply that elected officials can over time obtain too much power or authority and thus become less representative of all the citizens. The democratic principle behind the term limit is that no one person should have too much power nor for too long. The concept of term limits minimises the amount of power any one person can gain over a period of time.

Reducing chances of corruption

As we have just recently seen, corporate interests, including those in property and finance, can provide inducements to the incumbent, even within two terms of service, especially when they have developed familiar relations over time.

There is clearly a correlation between the length of time a politician serves and the degree to which he or she has opportunities to engage in corruption. The principle of term limits has always been applied to the civil service, which is why civil servants and police personnel are transferred every so often to prevent the acquisition of power and inducements to corruption in any one post.

Term limits would make this less likely since there is less time for a politician to be influenced by the power of the office that he or she holds. Corporate interests cannot become as entrenched when term limits are in place. With term limitations, corporate influence still happens, but not to the extent it can when such interests develop unhealthy relationships with career politicians who are in office for a long time.

Preventing careerism

In a democracy, elected representatives are supposed to represent the interests of the citizens. As most politicians will tell us when they are interviewed, their work is supposed to be a service to society as a whole.

Being a member of Parliament or state representative is not a profession even though it has become a career for many. In fact, elected officials should operate on the understanding that they are only serving the people for a period of time until it is someone else’s turn. Term limits ensure that their representatives focus more on representing the public than on hogging the office and power.

Providing leadership opportunities for others

Democracy and organisational development are about providing diverse opportunities to as many people as possible and especially to the young, women, indigenous people and the marginalised. In our society, there are so many individuals with untapped potential for leadership, as if that is not clear for all to see. In recent years, we have seen a surge of many young capable leaders in politics, including women of various ethnic origins.

The ancient sage Laozi appreciated the meaning of true leadership, saying: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists; when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” Isn’t this a far cry from the ageing leaders whose delusion of self-importance makes them cling to power?

Let’s face it, the number of available seats in the federal Parliament and state assemblies are strictly limited. To serve four terms in Parliament is a reasonable limit and allows new candidates to make themselves known to their constituents and have a go at representing the people.

Term limits will create the opportunity for younger people to get elected to public office. Modern society needs service-oriented young people in different elected positions, which provides diversity and strength to the citizenry. A wider pool of candidates also gives voters a wider choice of new people and new dynamic ideas.

Overdue democratic reform for Malaysia

Thus, the democratic principle of term limits for elected officials is to ensure that no one person can hold a position of control or power for an indefinite period of time. It is also to allow and encourage more young people to have the opportunity to become leaders in the political process.

The urgent democratic reform for Malaysia should therefore limit the terms of ALL elected officials, namely, that of the prime minister, chief minister or menteri besar to two terms, and that of members of Parliament and ADUNs to four terms.

Kua Kia Soong is adviser to Suaram.

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