Membership drive grips political parties
Umno will continue pursuing its target of 3,000 new members registered
in every state by year-end.
in every state by year-end.
Malaysian political parties would prefer to be broad-based, but remain troubled by the risk of infiltration by opportunists, writes Zubaidah Abu Bakar.
NST (9/5/08): Size does not matter. This was proved by some political parties which, despite having relatively few card-carrying members, had their representation in Parliament markedly increased in the March general election.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat now has 31 seats, an increase of 30, although membership was holding up to a constant 300,000 up to the polls. The DAP, with a registered membership of fewer than 100,000, has 28 representatives, an increase of 16 from the previous term.
But in the context of Malaysian politics, political parties on both sides of the divide generally prefer the numbers. Large membership equals strength, they say.
So they are not rejecting new membership applications, which are coming in steadily for some parties despite huge setbacks in the polls. Many parties are on membership drives.
Gerakan, for instance, has set up 100 new branches and registered at least 5,000 new members in the past two months, according to party secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye.
PKR is also experiencing an influx of new members, a trend its secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim describes as "encouraging". The party expects its membership to triple by year-end.
"People who want to engage in our struggle are politically experienced and they share the agenda for change. We will definitely take them," he says, adding that membership in Ampang alone has risen by more than 2,000 since March.
For Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas), a wide network is important. Secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar says the party wants to boost its membership, now around 900,000. "The numbers reflect our strength," he says.
"We need committed members to mobilise our election machinery."
Pas is also experiencing a surge in membership applications after the March 8 polls, and a sizeable number of new branches are being set up. The party is still updating its database, and expects the new members to expand the party's rosters to more than a million.
Umno is also continuing to woo new members despite its dismal performance, which was partly attributed to its own members voting for opponents.
The country's largest political party, which boasts of having 3.2 million registered members, was snubbed when only 2.4 million voters voted for its candidates, reducing its MP strength by 30 to 79.
Umno will continue pursuing its target of 3,000 new members registered in every state by year-end.
Its Anakku Ahli Umno ("My children are Umno members") campaign, launched in 2005, is still very much alive.
"We are grassroots-based and want to get more people to support us through becoming registered members and helping fight for the party's cause," says Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, Umno's information chief.
Like Pas, Umno needs election campaign workers to woo voters on the ground come every election. Its time-tested "Kumpulan 10" campaign strategy, where each member or group is to take charge of 10 families during an election campaign, will not work if the party does not have members to touch base.
The Chinese-based MCA, with 1.1 million members, is trying to reach out to young people. It amended its constitution last year to enable youths, aged between 18 and 35, to set up their own branches and run activities independently, as part of efforts to "reinvent" the party.
Only 16.07 per cent of MCA's membership comprises those below 35. It aims to raise this to 20 per cent in the next two years, party secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said early this year.
While the DAP is not limiting its membership, it is treading with caution in admitting new members, whose applications are vetted at the branch level.
"We are not limiting membership but we want only members who are loyal to our cause," says party chairman Karpal Singh.
"We have to be careful who we take as we do not want opportunists in the party."
DAP is known to prefer quality to quantity. The party had never relied on membership for support and won support from non-members because of its deeds and the performance of its MPs.
DAP leaders believe their party is self-sustaining, given that 50 per cent of members of its central executive committee comprise graduates; one-fifth of them lawyers.
The last general election result speaks for itself - the DAP does not have to have a big, broadbased membership to win support at the ballot box.
Professor James Chin's observation that "people always want to be associated with those in power" may explain the sudden surge in membership among political parties that performed well in the last general election.
The head of Monash University's School of Arts says this human peculiarity explains why more people are becoming interested in joining PKR, DAP and Pas of late.
"These three parties are now in control of five states, so it is natural for people to want to be part of them," he said, adding: "It is also a well-accepted view that the fastest way to gain power and wealth is to join a political party.
"There are also those who become a member in the hope that one day they will get a chance to move up the party hierarchy and hold important posts in the government."
Chin also points out that it is a trend in many political parties to see an increase in membership during internal-election years - especially parties whose delegations to annual assemblies are based on membership strength at the division level.
This might explain the sudden interest of "apolitical" individuals in Penang to join Gerakan despite the party having lost power in the state it ruled for 39 years.
Gerakan is holding its party elections in October. The MCA, Umno and DAP will also hold party elections this year.
While too many members can be a liability to a political party, given the difficulty of pleasing everyone, Muhammad says Umno has its own ways to tackle the issue.
"There are pros and cons of having a large membership, but being a big party is what Umno wants," he says, though admitting it is difficult to screen supporters for sincerity.
Kamaruddin strongly believes that Pas members will not resort to actions that would undermine the party, as those who join Pas are committed to the party's struggle.
Karpal admits that it is easier to control members of a small organisation, but says limiting party membership is not a rule.
Big or small is a matter of choice. Fact: Political parties get the people's support if their cause is in tandem with the needs and aspirations of voters at the time the general election is held.
NST (9/5/08): Size does not matter. This was proved by some political parties which, despite having relatively few card-carrying members, had their representation in Parliament markedly increased in the March general election.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat now has 31 seats, an increase of 30, although membership was holding up to a constant 300,000 up to the polls. The DAP, with a registered membership of fewer than 100,000, has 28 representatives, an increase of 16 from the previous term.
But in the context of Malaysian politics, political parties on both sides of the divide generally prefer the numbers. Large membership equals strength, they say.
So they are not rejecting new membership applications, which are coming in steadily for some parties despite huge setbacks in the polls. Many parties are on membership drives.
Gerakan, for instance, has set up 100 new branches and registered at least 5,000 new members in the past two months, according to party secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye.
PKR is also experiencing an influx of new members, a trend its secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim describes as "encouraging". The party expects its membership to triple by year-end.
"People who want to engage in our struggle are politically experienced and they share the agenda for change. We will definitely take them," he says, adding that membership in Ampang alone has risen by more than 2,000 since March.
For Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas), a wide network is important. Secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar says the party wants to boost its membership, now around 900,000. "The numbers reflect our strength," he says.
"We need committed members to mobilise our election machinery."
Pas is also experiencing a surge in membership applications after the March 8 polls, and a sizeable number of new branches are being set up. The party is still updating its database, and expects the new members to expand the party's rosters to more than a million.
Umno is also continuing to woo new members despite its dismal performance, which was partly attributed to its own members voting for opponents.
The country's largest political party, which boasts of having 3.2 million registered members, was snubbed when only 2.4 million voters voted for its candidates, reducing its MP strength by 30 to 79.
Umno will continue pursuing its target of 3,000 new members registered in every state by year-end.
Its Anakku Ahli Umno ("My children are Umno members") campaign, launched in 2005, is still very much alive.
"We are grassroots-based and want to get more people to support us through becoming registered members and helping fight for the party's cause," says Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, Umno's information chief.
Like Pas, Umno needs election campaign workers to woo voters on the ground come every election. Its time-tested "Kumpulan 10" campaign strategy, where each member or group is to take charge of 10 families during an election campaign, will not work if the party does not have members to touch base.
The Chinese-based MCA, with 1.1 million members, is trying to reach out to young people. It amended its constitution last year to enable youths, aged between 18 and 35, to set up their own branches and run activities independently, as part of efforts to "reinvent" the party.
Only 16.07 per cent of MCA's membership comprises those below 35. It aims to raise this to 20 per cent in the next two years, party secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said early this year.
While the DAP is not limiting its membership, it is treading with caution in admitting new members, whose applications are vetted at the branch level.
"We are not limiting membership but we want only members who are loyal to our cause," says party chairman Karpal Singh.
"We have to be careful who we take as we do not want opportunists in the party."
DAP is known to prefer quality to quantity. The party had never relied on membership for support and won support from non-members because of its deeds and the performance of its MPs.
DAP leaders believe their party is self-sustaining, given that 50 per cent of members of its central executive committee comprise graduates; one-fifth of them lawyers.
The last general election result speaks for itself - the DAP does not have to have a big, broadbased membership to win support at the ballot box.
Professor James Chin's observation that "people always want to be associated with those in power" may explain the sudden surge in membership among political parties that performed well in the last general election.
The head of Monash University's School of Arts says this human peculiarity explains why more people are becoming interested in joining PKR, DAP and Pas of late.
"These three parties are now in control of five states, so it is natural for people to want to be part of them," he said, adding: "It is also a well-accepted view that the fastest way to gain power and wealth is to join a political party.
"There are also those who become a member in the hope that one day they will get a chance to move up the party hierarchy and hold important posts in the government."
Chin also points out that it is a trend in many political parties to see an increase in membership during internal-election years - especially parties whose delegations to annual assemblies are based on membership strength at the division level.
This might explain the sudden interest of "apolitical" individuals in Penang to join Gerakan despite the party having lost power in the state it ruled for 39 years.
Gerakan is holding its party elections in October. The MCA, Umno and DAP will also hold party elections this year.
While too many members can be a liability to a political party, given the difficulty of pleasing everyone, Muhammad says Umno has its own ways to tackle the issue.
"There are pros and cons of having a large membership, but being a big party is what Umno wants," he says, though admitting it is difficult to screen supporters for sincerity.
Kamaruddin strongly believes that Pas members will not resort to actions that would undermine the party, as those who join Pas are committed to the party's struggle.
Karpal admits that it is easier to control members of a small organisation, but says limiting party membership is not a rule.
Big or small is a matter of choice. Fact: Political parties get the people's support if their cause is in tandem with the needs and aspirations of voters at the time the general election is held.
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