Make way for younger generation

IN his gratitude message to well wishers on being chosen as the Pakatan Harapan candidate for Kuala Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, the incumbent for the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat, said: “I have not been given much option by Amanah. If Umno is to field Tengku Zafrul in Kuala Selangor, while I mooted the idea of Agenda Regenerasi – to make way for younger leaders to be fielded. Wish me well and doakan untuk saya.”

Basically, he’s a reluctant candidate. After all, he has announced his decision to retire because he will be 67 by January 2023.

If his immediate reaction and his statements over the past year that he wants to retire from politics are considered, it’s evident that Dr Dzulkefly is contesting not because he wants to, but because he is compelled to for his party Amanah’s sake.

The party has obviously failed to find a younger candidate, which displays its oversight in grooming potential successors for the seat.

Amanah, which is part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, must now rely on Dr Dzulkefly to challenge and defeat one of Umno’s new young hopefuls.

Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s candidacy has yet to be confirmed, but indications are that he will be chosen for Kuala Selangor. He was appointed Barisan Nasional treasurer for Selangor and has made regular visits to the constituency in recent months, making inroads with the different communities.

In demeanour, both Dr Dzulkefly and Tengku Zafrul are similar. They are likeable, have great EQ, are both professionals – one a medical scientist and the other an established banker before becoming Finance Minister – and they are graceful and tactful in their arguments against their opponents.

Dr Dzulkefly could be anyone’s favourite uncle, and Tengku Zafrul could be a favourite cousin.

But therein lies the difference. Dr Dzulkefly has been in politics for a long time – first in PAS and then in Amanah. He served as Health Minister in the short-lived Pakatan government, probably the pinnacle of his career.

It’s likely that he’s just worn out. Like many other politicians past their prime, there’s no fire left in their belly. We shouldn’t expect Dr Dzulkefly to introduce new ideas to elevate his constituency.

He has expressed his desire to retire many times in the last year, and in his latest tweet, acknowledged that he would have preferred someone younger to fulfil his “agenda of regeneration”.

Tengku Zafrul, on the other hand, is a technocrat, brought into politics at a time the country began grappling with the unprecedented horrors of the pandemic.

In many ways, he has shown the same dedication Dr Dzulkefly had when he was Health Minister. Tengku Zafrul has successfully steered the country through the pandemic.

Almost 18 years younger than Dr Dzulkefly, Tengku Zafrul, 49, following his baptism of fire as Finance Minister, has expressed a desire to serve, and he essentially fits the bill of Dr Dzulkefly’s dreams of regeneration. So, what has changed for Dr Dzulkefly?

Perhaps, that’s the larger problem we have in Malaysian politics.

In Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a prime example. He is 97 going on 98. He will be very lucky – short of a miracle – to be able to serve the full five-year term if he gets re-elected in Langkawi, Kedah.

In a country of 32 million people, surely there are enough intelligent, hardworking, dedicated, service-oriented and visionary young people to fill the 222 parliamentary seats for election.

There must be many young Dr Mahathirs who are ready. Yet, Tun, who has achieved a lot in his near century, still refuses to give up.

He still harbours the hope of becoming PM for the third time, and he has even mooted the idea of a pact with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Why would Anwar want to believe Dr Mahathir after the latter played him out by refusing to pass the baton?

The same can be said of many of our senior politicians, who are in their 70s and 80s – Anwar (75), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (75), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (85) and Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang (75) – and are still clinging on.

Perhaps the saving grace for DAP is that its supremo, Lim Kit Siang, 81, has declared that he is retiring.

Most of these politicians have dominated the political scene in Malaysia in one way or another since its infancy.

Let’s look at some of the most powerful countries in the world.

Barack Obama became president of the United States of America, the most powerful country in the world, at the age of 47. Tony Blair and David Cameron became prime ministers of Britain at 43, Angela Merkel – one of the most admired leaders of the last century – became chancellor of Germany when she was 51 and retired at her peak.

The current Finland PM Sanna Marin is 36, while New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern was 37 when she was sworn into office in 2017. The new Italian prime minister Giorgio Meloni is only 45.

The trend of young leaders has always been the drift from the time of Alexander the Great.

Yes, experience is a great leveller.

But isn’t it said that the young will inherit the earth?

The elders always say that the young are our greatest asset. A country, therefore, needs to invest its time, effort and resources into training, grooming and encouraging our “greatest asset”.

If Tengku Zafrul is chosen to stand in Kuala Selangor, and if Dr Dzulkefly does go against his own wish to fight for that seat, it will be one of the more closely watched contests in this election.

Would it not be better for Amanah (Pakatan Harapan) to field a young, professional candidate to challenge for that seat so that there is re-generation, as Dr Dzulkefly wishes, regardless who wins? Only then can the country move forward; only then can the young hope that they will be allowed to determine the destiny of the country for their children and grandchildren.

For people like us in the 60s, 70s and 80s, we still have energy to serve the country, its citizens and our families, but in a different capacity – as tutors, guides, advisers and elder statesmen.

We are learning all the time, but our capacity diminishes as we age.

One day, and in the fairly distant future, people like Tengku Zafrul, Khairy Jamaluddin, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Hannah Yeoh and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will age as well. They, too, will have to relinquish their positions.

There’s something here for the older politicians to ponder, but it’s wishful thinking to expect them to accept reality.