Political Turncoatism

I personally got interested in the news about the sacking of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim by the UMNO for several offenses including his attendance in a function of the opposition held these past days.  Datuk Zaid served as minister in the Prime Minister’s (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) Department.  The media reporting spotting him in a rally that was organized by the opposition.  In an apparent bid to “unmake” his disloyal act, or at least stress his loyalty to the UMNO, Datuk Zaid was quick to make his point: after he was sacked, he does not intend to join any political party.  And this declaration is done with the open invitation of Anwar Ibahim to him to join the opposition as a backdrop.

My reaction was: at least, he was not totally “disloyal”.

I was new in Malaysia when the news about Anwar Ibrahim’s plan to take over the government from PM Badawi was making the headlines.  From the news, there were hints that after all Malaysian politicians were likewise like “political butterflies.”  Anwar was taking pride about the number of administration parliament members who were ready to join his party and his dream of forming another government.

This is an indicator of politicians’ inkling to give in to political expediency and pragmatism, in the process snubbing the requirements of party loyalty.

I have the Philippine partisan political practice in comparison.  In my country, politicians are for sale. This is uncharacteristically revealed by the very personification of the practice of traditional politicking in the Philippines — the former five-time Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jose de Venecia.  And, so, they keep on towing the party line because of political freebies — either in the form of money, political favors, and what not — and they decide on moving on to another party of their choice where their narrow political agenda is best served.  As in de Venecia’s case, he was eased out of the House Speakership and as leader of the party which he used to share with the sitting president of the Republic of the Philippines.

Political turncoatism is not only true in the national level of partisan politics in the Philippines.  In provinces and municipalities — I do not wish to include the barangays, the smallest political unit in the Philippine, for the barangay officials are actually expected to be apolitical ; however, I have to indicate in here, too, that they in effect are not — political parties do not essentially matter for as easily as any politician changes his/her underwear party-hopping is done.