I had started out as a cynic towards the Politics of Development which was so much touted by our then Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. Like many other slogans I’d heard over the years – I paid no heed to it up until the resurgence of ethnic politics in the Peninsular.
The rupture of political discourse along the lines of racial and religious cleavage in the Peninsular forced me to realise the significance and foresightedness of the Politics of Development – and its effect in ensuring that racially charged politics is tucked away.
While ethnicity and beliefs remain strong undercurrents in Sarawak’s political discourse – they remained an implicit, albeit integral part of the political discourse. This gave Sarawak an effect similar to a graceful swan on a lake – while it gracefully swims around the lake, people are not aware of the thrashing and flailing legs pushing the swan to move forward.
The Politics of Development had minimised, if not subdued the politicking along the racial fault lines or at least made it “subservient to the demands of development”. It is interesting to note that while both the Federal Government and Sarawak State Government have opted to adopt the developmental state model, Sarawak has put less emphasize on race and religion.
The developmental state, which was similarly adopted by Singapore and South Korea were seen as the roadmap towards a developed status through strong government intervention and the role of government in the economy. The Politics of Development stood on three (3) pillars, namely: the close unity among all ethnic communities; a strong government under an efficient and strong leadership; and a strong cooperation between the government and the people.
Much like other economies’ experimentation with different variants of the developmental state model, the result of Politics of Development can be observed from the various developments in term of infrastructures as well as the megaprojects that were intruded by the state government in an effort to develop the economic sector in Sarawak.
Politics of Development has shifted the political turf in Sarawak and put it on a course of its own. Far from the championing particular groups or harp on the discourse of supremacy, Politics of Development cemented the spirit of consociationalism in Sarawak.
The former Premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted this in his speech when officiating the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) general assembly in 1992. He stated that the concept of politics of development is now the strong political element for the Sarawak state government and it has proven to bring development and prosperity to the state.
But Politics of Development requires an injection of new serum for it to be revitalized and appreciated by the new generation. Brash, bold and demanding batch of electorates – the new generation are also staunch believers in meritocracy.
To be given an opportunity or a prize when one is not deserving is a big taboo. The quota based consociationalism which were fought heavily by the political heavyweights in the years leading towards the conceptualization of Politics of Development became an arcane and archaic concept.
The State government will require the best team selected based on merit in order for the State to pursue its agenda of Politics of Development. An analogous to a football team was given. In order for a football club to champion the league, it needs to have the best team assembled – with the team members selected based on merit.
In reality, it is unavoidable that certain groups or sectors of the society will be underrepresented due to historic and circumstantial factors, rather than inherent. It is paramount that these underrepresented groups are groomed and given the extra attention in order for them to be able to contribute to the team.
Forcing the current team to be disbanded and realigned based on the groupings’ population would be a disservice towards the football team. An inclusive meritocracy however, will serve the state government best as the philosophical framework to proceed.
Inclusive meritocracy is not something new in the state government. With all of its Chief Ministers receiving their education from missionary schools that emphasize on meritocracy – the spirit is kept alive through various manifestations. The state government’s scholarship for instance – the Yayasan Biasiswa Tunku Abdul Rahman (YBSTAR) which is overseen by the Sarawak Foundation, is given purely on meritocratic basis.
Likewise, the Chief Minister’s Awards distributed by the Sarawak Foundation are also given to the most deserving students – regardless of race. In this environment, there are groups which are less represented. Rebooting the meritocratic system and adopting the quota-based system based on grouping will diminish the stature of the prestigious scholarship. In retrospect, the quota-based scholarship will also put a chip on the recipient’s shoulder with the feeling of inadequacy.
The way forward has been to emphasize on special programmes for the groups which are struggling to cope with the competitive environment. A handicap, not unlike the rulings used in golf is definitely needed to be introduced. A home to more than 30 ethnicities, it is unavoidable that some groups may face more problems in adapting to the modern world than the rest.
Tribes which have just embarked on the path towards modernity will definitely require special attention as compared to various established races in the land. This will requires tact and careful study to ensure that the races have equal footing and a sense of belonging in the state’s rapid development.
The extent of these special provisions given toward the underrepresented groups will always remain controversial. But the basic idea of upholding meritocracy needs to be maintained to ensure a level playing field for all Sarawakian citizens. There is no better way to run a society, than putting the right person at the right job.
During the previous Kuching International Forum on Unity, Prof Chandra Muzaffar conceded that the economic framework is already in place and working wonders. While there may be flaws to the framework, there is nothing that can’t be rectified. What was missing and requires urgent attention is a set of philosophical framework which is shared by all. An ethos that serves to give a group of people its identity has been generally lacking.
Thus, the introduction of inclusive meritocracy as the state’s philosophical framework serves to complement the physical framework. Not only that, in the current situation where once again race and religion tugged the heartstrings of men – this philosophical framework will serve as the lifeline to the politics of development and ensure that the political discourse in Sarawak is steered away from the explicit exhortation to rally along the lines of race and religion.
Conceptualizing a philosophical framework may seem tedious and unimportant. But it serves as a powerful rallying point for the purpose of citizenship. One need only to look back at the Anti-Cession movement in the 1940s – which saw Sarawakians identifying themselves with the 9 Cardinal Points outlined by the Brookes.
We have reached more than 50 years of independence, and I believe that the time is ripe for us to determine an inclusive essence of what it means to be a Sarawakian. We have journeyed halfway through with the politics of development and steer our politics away from racial fault lines – in the same time enjoying the rapid growth of the state. The challenge that lays ahead of us is to maintain our course of development within this direction, which requires a philosophical framework and conceptualize the philosophy which will give a philosophical identity to our fairland Sarawak.
Born and bred in Kuching, Syed Nizamuddin was one of the key-speakers at the Kuching International Forum on Unity representing the youths. He serves as an Assistant Secretary of the Multilateral Economics and Environment Division (MEED), at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is also currently pursuing his Masters in Public Administration (MPA) at the University of Malaya and a Member of the Malaysian Youth Parliament.