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The Fall of the Liberal Party of Australia FINAL 2

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The Fall of the Liberal Party of Australia FINAL 2 !"#$%&''$()$*"#$+,-#.&'$/&.*0$$$$$$ ()$123*.&',&$ +#33(43$)(.$5&'&03,&4$',-#.&'3$ ! "#$%&!'#()*! ! ! ! !"#$%$"&'()* +!! ! !"#$%$"&'()* The Fall of the Liberal Party of Australia Lessons for Malaysian liberals Keith Leong The Malaysia Think Tank’s mission is to encourage the adoption of classical liberal ideas in Malaysia, supporting the principles of free individuals, free markets, limited government, and the rule of law. www.WauBebas.org ,!! ! !"#$%$"&'()* © Malaysia Think Tank, 2009 Published by Malaysia Think Tank (London branch) Suite 112, 456 – 458 Strand London WC2R 0DZ United Kingdom The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not those of the Malaysia Think Tank, its Advisory Board, International Advisors, or Executive Board. -!! ! !"#$%$"&'()* !&-'#$()$6(4*#4*3 ! About the author .....................................................................................................................5 Author’s Preface ......................................................................................................................6 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................7 Introduction............................................................................................................................10 Background of the Liberal Party of Australia ...................................................................10 The Structure of the Liberal Party of Australia.................................................................11 Robert Menzies: The Liberal Legend..................................................................................13 Menzies Successors ...............................................................................................................14 The Ideology of the Liberal Party up to the 1970s ............................................................15 Return to Power and Discontent: Malcolm Fraser ...........................................................17 In the Wilderness...................................................................................................................18 Return to Power.....................................................................................................................19 The Howard Years.................................................................................................................20 Consolidation of Power and the War on Terror ...............................................................20 The Zenith of Howardism....................................................................................................21 The Fourth Term: Triumph and Tragedy ..........................................................................23 The 2007 Federal Election and its Aftermath ....................................................................24 Lessons from the Liberal Party of Australia......................................................................25 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................27 Suggested Further Reading..................................................................................................29 About the Malaysia Think Tank..........................................................................................30 ! .!! ! !"#$%$"&'()* 1-(2*$*"#$&2*"(.$ Keith Leong was born in Malacca but grew up in Damansara Jaya, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Distinction) in English and Sociology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. In 2007, he was awarded an Endeavour Malaysia Award and returned to UNSW to complete an MA in Creative Writing. Keith still lives in Damansara and works as a Researcher at ISIS Malaysia. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not those of the Malaysia Think Tank, its Advisory Board, International Advisors, or Executive Board. /!! ! !"#$%$"&'()* 12*"(.73$/.#)&8#$ This is not an academic paper. Rather, it is an exercise on my part to note down some observations from my time in Australia. I have quite probably made some factual errors and some of my contentions will doubtlessly be successfully, even easily, contested or disproved. The only excuse I can offer in this case is my eagerness to contribute to the growth of Malaysia’s political culture and the expansion of its horizons beyond its currently narrow, racialist boundaries. Keith Leong February 2009 0!! ! !"#$%$"&'()* 9:#82*,;#$<2==&.0! Malaysians who subscribe to liberal ideology need to take cognizance of the defeat suffered by the Liberal Party of Australia in 2007. Long the premier conservative force in Australian politics, the Liberals, along with their ally, the National Party, are now in Opposition in all but one state. The Liberals had the added indignity of having their leader, former Prime Minister John Howard defeated in his own seat. Debates are now rife over the viability of the Liberal brand. It can be said that part of the problems for the Liberal Party was that it was never able to reconcile its economic rationalist, socially conservative wing with the more moderate elements of their party. The Liberal Party was founded in 1944 by Robert Menzies, who had previously served as Prime Minister of Australia under the United Australia Party (UAP). The Liberal Party had as its predecessors the UAP, the Nationalist Party and the Commonwealth Liberal Party. The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a fusion of the Protectionist and Free Trade parties. The former was ironically more economically populist in their outlook than the latter. The Nationalists and UAP in turn came about by mergers with Australian Labor Party defectors at various points in Australia’s history over conscription and economic issues. Both the UAP and the Nationalist Party eventually formed an alliance with the Country (later National) Party which holds until this day as the “Coalition”. In reaction to the virtual decimation of the UAP in 1944, Menzies advocated the formation of a new anti-Labor party in Australia. The Liberal Party of Australia emerged out of a collection of the old UAP, as well as conservative women’s, youth and business groups. Though conservative, Menzies expanded their ideology to also include the populist ethos of the earlier-era. The Liberal Party (which continued its predecessor’s Coalition with the Country / National party) won power in 1949 after Australians grew disillusioned by Labor’s attempts to expand its socialist policies. Menzies enjoyed great success playing on the electorate’s Cold War fears of communism. He also won support through his effective economic and welfare policies. His successors, however, fell out of touch with Australia’s changing demographics and were defeated in 1972. Returning to power under Malcolm Fraser in 1975, the Liberals then adopted a neoliberal, economic rationalist approach to governance. They also grew more socially conservative and traditionalist in their approach. Opposition to this led to their defeat in 1983. 1!! ! !"#$%$"&'()* In this period, the Liberals were badly divided and often changed leaders as a result of their repeated electoral defeats. There was a growing conflict between their social liberal and economic rationalist / socially conservative wings, which finally was resolved in favour of the latter when John Howard won office in 1996. Howard championed the ‘Australian battlers’ - mainstream Australians who felt alienated by the policies of the Labor Government. Howard’s conservatism eventually took its toll on the Liberals. His social conservatism alienated minorities and even some mainstream Australians. Howard’s use of the ‘War on Terror’ and the issue of asylum seekers to gain political capital were widely seen as opportunistic. Furthermore, his attempts to reform Australia’s industrial relations cost him the support of the nation’s working and middle-classes. His intolerance of ideological dissent in his party, as well as his refusal to hand power to Peter Costello, his long- serving deputy, led to the perception that Howard was only interested in staying in power, thus contributing to his defeat in 2007. There are many lessons that Malaysian liberals can learn from the experience of their Australian counterparts, especially now that the country is experiencing some major political challenges. Firstly, it is important for Malaysian liberals to build broad-based coalitions to pursue their agenda. One of Menzies’ greatest successes was that he was able to forge a cohesive party out of disparate elements that was conservative but also progressive. Secondly, when it comes to politics, the liberal agenda can only succeed by winning support from the centre. All of the Australian Liberals and their predecessors’ victories, as well as defeats, were caused by them either capturing or being out of step with the sentiment of the electorate in the centre-ground. Pragmatism is essential in both campaigning and governing. Thirdly, it is vital for a cohesive succession plan to be set in place. The Australian Liberal Party at several points in history, especially in Howard’s era, suffered from the lack of this. Finally, Malaysian liberals must remain united. The Australian Liberal Party splits in the 1980s did much to keep them out of power. Having said that, the need for unity should not negate the even greater requirement for intellectual and ideological independence. Howard’s alienation of the social liberal wing in his
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