Freedom of association or betrayal? Tengku Zafrul's political crossroads is upon us

IN politics, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies—just permanent interests. Why do we react with surprise when politicians choose to move to what they perceived as greener pastures?

Umno Supreme Council member Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz is not the first politician to defect to another party. Just before him, former two-term Padang Besar MP Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin announced his membership in PKR. He technically did not switch parties, as Umno had fired him for his decision to run as an independent in the 2022 general election.

This is where Zafrul's case differs slightly from others. A lot of chatter following the rumour about Zafrul leaving Umno for PKR is the question of why.

What reason does he have to leave Umno? He was not in any spats with Umno leaders as far as we know. He is not fired or suspended. Therefore, if it's not a push factor, we can speculate that there must be a pull factor involved. What's pulling him toward PKR?

The rumour mill has been churning non-stop for the past few days. What distinguishes PKR from Umno?

Firstly, positions. As many have pointed out, Zafrul’s senatorship is about to end.

The thing with joining politics is that it is like the Eagles' song “Hotel California”—once you check in, you can never leave. Zafrul needs a strategy to stay relevant in politics and possibly extend his career in public office after decades in the private sector.

Rumours suggest that if Zafrul joins PKR, he could potentially run for a seat in Selangor and subsequently become the Selangor Menteri Besar. If this is accurate, we could refer to it as 'Langkah Zafrul'.

However, an elected office bearer typically requires strong grassroots support. Zafrul, having emerged from political obscurity to become a so-called technocratic Minister of Finance in 2020, lacks the necessary grassroots support. It also explains his inability to win in the 2022 general election in which he faced Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who came out of retirement to defend the Kuala Selangor seat.

Although Zafrul has been with Umno since 1997, he was not active in politics. Zafrul's affiliation with Umno is deeply ingrained in his DNA, stemming from his own family background. It is this aristocratic position that is both a boon and a bane for him.

On the one hand, he has established connections and is well-connected. On the other hand, the rakyat perceives him as disconnected from the people, leading to minimal grassroots support. Of course, this could be the subject of another article about how Malaysians have a love-hate relationship with elites (see my recently published book Elite Populism and Malay Leaders in Malaysia).

Having little grassroots support also means that it's impossible to accuse him of betraying his supporters. The most accurate accusation is that he is betraying the political lords who placed him in power.

Umno leaders were the ones who set him on the path to political power, but now he may decide to join another party to further his political career. Some commentators have said he is not being true to himself. But I would argue that perhaps he is being true to himself by strategically planning for his political future.

In fact, he might be staying true to himself by joining PKR. In a televised interview with Melissa Idris back in 2022, he said, “I believe in a multiracial country, and we need a party that represents all.” In Malaysia’s political landscape of mostly race-based political parties, despite six decades of independence, PKR may be considered as the only truly multiracial political party in the country. DAP and Gerakan are still viewed as a Chinese-based political party with little penetration among the Malay community. Perhaps joining PKR is indeed a conscious decision by Zafrul that aligns with his political ideology and aspirations.

Should we prevent a man from making his own political decisions? This is the conundrum.

In a democracy, we believe in freedom of association. However, Malaysia's numerous and recent experiences with party hopping have resulted in a growing mistrust among the populace, particularly when there are reports of politicians switching sides for their own personal benefit.

However, Zafrul's primary advantage lies in his appointment, not election, into office as a senator and minister. Therefore, he will not be going against the wishes of any constituency as he has none.

At the very least, however, he should be a gentleman about it and bring all sides—Umno and PKR—to the proverbial and physical table to hash out this transfer so that it is in the best interest of all: the political elites and the people who crave for political stability for the next two to three years.

Syaza Shukri, PhD, is an associate professor and the current Head at the Department of Political Science, IIUM. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Sinar Daily.