What and Why an Independent Candidate?

In politics, an independent candidate is someone who runs for politics without officially joining or being affiliated with any political party. In countries where the main political rivalry is between two large blocks or parties, the independent candidate is usually someone who feels that neither of the parties represents his or her viewpoint.

Independent candidates have varying track records in different political systems. In Australia, for example, independents have rarely been elected to the Federal parliament, but have had greater successes being elected to State parliaments. However, inCanada, independent candidates have been gaining ground in the House of Commons in recent years. In Ireland , independent candidates form 3% of the Lower House of Parliament. On the other hand, independent candidates have been steadily losing influence in theUnited Kingdom . In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is seeing very vibrant participation of independents in politics. Current Vice President Noli de Castro ran as an independent candidate for the Senate in 2001. He won his Senate candidacy with the highest votes (then) in the history of the Philippines.

(Adapted from Wikipedia)

The success rate of independent candidates depends very much on the electoral system in place in a particular country, and whether or not this system encourages the participation of independent candidates in politics.Malaysia employs a specific kind of electoral system known as the 'plurality voting system ', which promotes single-winners in all voting districts. This system is also known as 'first-past- the-post' or 'winner takes all'.

In systems like these, the ultimate victory in a particular constituency is often not represented by the distribution of popular votes. For example, if Party A wins 51% of the popular vote, and Party B wins 49% of the vote, Party A still wins the seat, even though the swing is merely 2%. Take another scenario, where if Party A wins 30% of the popular vote, and party B wins 20%, but 50% of the votes in that district are spoiled votes, Party A still wins the legitimacy of the seat, even though 50% of the electorate have demonstrated their disenchantment with both parties. In this system, third party candidates are often referred to as 'spoilers', and seats which see more than two parties contesting are referred to as 'three-cornered fights' or even 'four-cornered fights'. It is obvious that without the backing of a party political structure, independent candidates have the odds stacked against them when they choose to compete under this system.

However, under the system known as 'proportional representation' – practiced by countries such as Australia – an effort is made to match the percentage of votes that each candidate receives with the seats they win in Parliament. In this system, a diversity of candidates is often desirable, because the diversity of the popular vote is often very accurately translated into diversity within Parliament, which then creates a more vibrant legislative process for the entire country.

Why don't you join a political party then, if the odds in Malaysia are stacked against you?

WCI certainly believes that good candidates from any of the political parties deserve support from all of us. We believe in leaders who stand for equality, justice and human rights, regardless of where they come from. But after 50 years of independence, it is clear also that Malaysian politics is increasingly dominated by party political interests, and politics is becoming increasingly influenced by he or she who has the most money and institutional power to throw around. This is not the spirit of a good democracy. A good democracy will encourage any concerned citizen – man or woman, of any racial or religious background – to stand for elections, whether or not they belong to a political party.

And besides, we see this as a long-term effort for civil society to reclaim our voices within the political arena. We do not want concerned citizens to surrender important political decisions solely to political parties (whether they are from the Ruling or Opposition Parties), without feeling empowered to take a stand ourselves.

Furthermore, there are many Malaysians now who do not feel that any of the registered political parties accurately represent their aspirations and dreams forMalaysia . We encourage these Malaysians to take charge of their aspirations and dreams and run for politics as independent candidates, and to support other independent candidates who are a better reflection of our vision of a more democraticMalaysia that respects equality and human rights for all.

But if you are an independent candidacy initiative, why do you run under a party logo? Zaitun Kasim ran in the 1999 elections as an independent candidate, but under the DAP party logo.

First of all, this is a reflection of the commitment that the political parties themselves have to a more democratic Malaysia. WCI does not support or endorse any one party over the other. Rather, we seek support from all political parties. The parties that do end up supporting us do so because they too believe in the importance of giving space to independent candidates.

The reason why it is important to run under a party logo is because of the mechanism of elections in Malaysia. If you are an independent candidate, you do not get your logo from the Elections Commissions until nomination day. Your logo could be a pair of scissors or a key – and given the short time span of the campaigning period inMalaysia , it is highly unlikely that this pair of scissors or key will have the same impact on a voter's mind as, say, the symbol of a white 'dacing' against a blue backdrop or a white moon against a green backdrop or a red rocket against a white backdrop.

And it is precisely because the odds in Malaysia are stacked against independent candidates that we need to explore these creative strategies to ensure better participation of independent candidates in general elections. Remember, it is this kind of creativity that enabled WCI to poll 43% (26,144) of the vote in the Selayang seat in 1999, slashing the winning margin for the incumbent from 38,627 in the 1995 general election to 8,835.

But you people are NGO activists – why not create social change in your NGOs rather than engage in 'dirty politics'?

Politics is only as dirty as people make it. Politics can also be positive and clean and fair. Politics is merely the exchange of power, and power can either be exchanged in a hostile manner – through subterfuge, intimidation and corruption – or in a mutually productive manner – via firm negotiations, civil debates and ethical principles. We choose the latter expression of politics.

And as NGO activists and ordinary citizens, we understand that social change happens in many ways. It happens through community organizing, through public awareness campaigns, through the arts, through engagement with policy makers and political leaders, and also through the elections process. We believe that civil society needs to start believing that we too have a voice in our national elections. We have a voice in any environment that has an impact on our lives.

But you seem to only be championing women's rights – do you believe in sidelining men from politics?

We are called the Women's Candidacy Initiative for a reason. Just look at the statistics. Only 10% of our Parliamentarians are women. Women also form a minority in our cabinet And yet women make up 50% of the entire population. Women from all races, financial backgrounds, religions, educational backgrounds and ages. These women are not accurately represented in our highest decision-making bodies. Why? What is it that disallows women from becoming leaders? Furthermore, is it fair that a body that is composed of 90% male leaders is empowered to make decisions that impact the bodies, minds and souls of 50% of women in the entire country?

WCI is not about male-bashing. We have ardent and solid support from several men, in fact. WCI is about equality. Our focus on gender does not preclude our commitment to equality and justice for all – regardless of race, religion, financial status, disability, age or sexual identity.

We believe that in any healthy society, men and women are equal partners, sharing responsibilities and decisions equally and with mutual respect.