By Siti Nurain Ratani
KUCHING: A leading academic has suggested that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) limit the tenure of state assemblymen to two terms in office.
This, said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Senior Research Fellow Professor Dr Zaini Othman, will go a long way in the evolution of GPS as a dynamic coalition going forward.
If other parties want to implement this approach, many will have to work up a sweat and have to roll up their sleeves but this is not the case with GPS as it is very stable, he pointed out.
Zaini said GPS should also consider fielding younger men and women in the forthcoming 15th General Election (GE15).
Illustrating his point, he said the fact remains that the political scene in the country has been dominated by veteran politicians with Sarawak being no exception.
“Therefore, GPS as a stable government needs to take steps to feature new leaders from among the young people to prove the government they vote for is more dynamic and open,” he said.
“Maybe GPS can feature at least five per cent new faces because this is what we call political mobility.
“It’s unlikely we want to see the same people on the political radar from way back when until now.”
He said it will also make GPS win the majority of seats in Sarawak in GE15, if not all, compared to Peninsular Malaysia.
“When GPS becomes the kingmaker, it can then secure many claims (it is after) not only from the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63) but more.
“It is not impossible to claim the post of Prime Minister or Finance Minister – this approach should be considered by GPS to sweep all parliamentary seats,” he added.
He said the most stable party in Malaysia at the moment is GPS compared to others such as Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN), UMNO or Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
“Therefore, in line with the slogan ‘Utamakan Sarawak’ and the government’s efforts to achieve a developed state status by 2030, let this approach be practiced to show that GPS is very dynamic,” he added.
