Journal of Public Administration and Governance ISSN 2161-7104 2018, Vol. 8, No. 2 The Role of Political Elites in the Development of New Villages in Malaysia Jeck Seng Wee (Corresponding author) College of Law, Government and International studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia E-mail: [email protected] Siew Nooi Phang (Ph.D) College of Law, Government and International studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia E-mail: [email protected] Samihah Khalil (Ph.D) College of Law, Government and International studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia E-mail: [email protected] Received: Mar. 13, 2018 Accepted: Apr. 4, 2018 Online published: Apr. 13, 2018 doi:10.5296/jpag.v8i2.13001 URL: https://doi.org/10.5296/jpag.v8i2.13001 Abstract Political elites comprise a small group that has power and influence over the “others” in society. Basically, political elites play an important role in the decision-making process of the community. New Villages in Malaysia are influenced by political elites who are the representatives of the village community. These political elites are members of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a coalition party of the ruling political party. MCA's political elite play an important role in safeguarding the welfare and affairs of the New Village residents. New Villages refer to a Chinese New Village which is a re-settlement site set up during the Communist emergency period of British rule in Malaysia in the mid-1950s. The role of the MCA's political elite has helped to create the New Village Master Plan 2005 which serves as a guide and reference to the Federal Government and the State Government in the 1 http://jpag.macrothink.org Journal of Public Administration and Governance ISSN 2161-7104 2018, Vol. 8, No. 2 development of New Villages. However, limited provisions and unclear policies have resulted in New Villages facing a multitude of problems and have frustrated development in New Villages especially in tandem with the requirements of national development. The residents of New Villages are neglected, and many are experiencing social and economic problems. The paper evaluates these problems with reference to the role of local leaders and development objectives for New Villages in the context of national goals. Keywords: development, MCA, new villages, political elites 1. Introduction Malaysia is a plural country comprising of three main ethnic groups, namely the Malays, Chinese, Indians and Others thereby making it known as a 'Pluralism Society' (Weiss, 2013). Malaysia practices Parliament democracy with a constitutional monarch since attaining independence in 1957 (Hairany Naffis, 1989). Parliament democracy means the citizens are involved in the state of governance and constitutional monarchy means maintaining the king as the head of the nation. Malaysia has practiced the multi-party concept in its political system since the first local election in 1955, based on the "first past the post" concept. Malaysia's premier political party, the Barisan Nasional (before 1973 it was called the Alliance Party) consists of three dominant component political parties; the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) and MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress). The Barisan Nasional has won in all the general elections held thus far and has ruled the country since independence in 1957 (Welsh, 2013). These are ethnic based political parties where the UMNO represents the Malays, the MCA for the Chinese and the MIC for the Indians. As the years passed, other ethnically mixed political parties were admitted as members of the Barisan Nasional such as the Gerakan and some lesser component political parties in Sabah and Sarawak (Welsh, 2013). Since the New Villages will be the focus of this paper and where the majority of its populace is ethnic Chinese, it is inevitable that the position of MCA and its role in the New Villages comes to the fore. MCA is a Chinese organization formed to represent the interests of the Chinese community (Ho, 2004). MCA is the first political party associated with the New Villages and has played an important role in safeguarding the welfare of the residents and striving for the development of New Villages since its inception. The New Villages is one of the outcomes of the British colonization and inhabited largely by the Chinese (Mohd Zaki, 2003). The settlements had existed since the period of the communist emergency between the years 1948-1960. During this phase of British rule in Malaya and the war against the communist insurgency in the country, the British had gathered the Chinese settlers who were living at the fringes of the jungle into various organized and guarded settlements called New Villages to protect and fend off the communists (O'Ballence, 1966). Consequently, with the communist threat no longer a problem, the people continued residing in the New Villages and eked out an independent livelihood for themselves; either through agriculture or small businesses which soon grew into the small and medium industries presently. Certainly, there were some villages which were not economically viable that 2 http://jpag.macrothink.org Journal of Public Administration and Governance ISSN 2161-7104 2018, Vol. 8, No. 2 resulted in some of its residents relocating to other towns leaving the houses in disrepair and partly abandoned. The desertion of these villages had a negative social and economic impact on the remaining settlers and their settlements (Phang & Tan, 2014). The existence of New Villages has raised various issues related to national development. Among the major issues are those related to social and economic aspects which are difficult to resolve due to lack of funds and unclear plans for the New Villages. Only in 2005 was a proper New Village Master Plan produced and used as a guide and reference by government agencies and political elites for the development of New Villages. As a result of ad hoc policies for the development of New Villages, many of them were left in limbo but some managed to grow and modernize due to their own resources. Thus far, the growth of the New Villages has been haphazard and not in tandem with the overall development of the nation (Phang & Tan, 2013). This situation has influenced the residents of New Villages to be particularly focused on political issues and the relationship of their village leaders or the local elites with the MCA. Although various development approaches have been taken by the MCA, the achievement of New Villages in its development objective has remained largely low. The aim of this paper is to study the role of the political elites at the national and local levels in the light of the elite theory and examine the development of New Villages in the process of modernization in Malaysia. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Political Elites According to Higley (2008) political elites is a group of individuals, companies, political parties or public organizations that manages the government and all manifestations of political power. According to Lasswell, Lerner and Rothwell (1952) political elites include the group of authorities in the system and the political body of the government of a country. In this theory the instructions are received from the superiors and flow down. In terms of power flow, the higher the position in the hierarchy, the higher the power. Political elites refer to some individuals who have an important role in a community group (Keller, 1963). The study by Keller grouped the political elites into two groups. The first group is the elites who are single individuals, usually called political elites (Aristotle, Gaetano Mosca, Pareto). Meanwhile, the second group, is a grouping of individuals or elites that share the power, responsibility, and rights or rewards (Saint Simon, Karl Mainnheim, Raymond Aron). This statement is backed by Marvick (1976) who explained that although political elites are often seen as united groups, there are among its members some who often compete and have different interests. The competition and the differences often occur in the struggle for power or elite circulation. Putnam (1976) states that in general social scientists have divided political elites into three perspectives. First, it is the structural or positioning angle. This view explains that the elite position in the upper layers in the structure of society has led them to play an important role in the community's activities. This position can be achieved through business or social standing, or via descendancy or caste. Second is the institution's point of view. This view is based on an institution that advocates for elites in society. Mills (1956) explains that to gain fame, wealth and power, one must enter into a large institution, because the position the 3 http://jpag.macrothink.org Journal of Public Administration and Governance ISSN 2161-7104 2018, Vol. 8, No. 2 person occupies in the institution extends to him the privilege of valuable experiences and to master the knowledge. Third is the perspective of political power. When political power is defined in terms of ability to influence government decisions and activity and the person who has this power can be identified as elite. This view clearly states that political elites have a huge influence in the process of decision making in the government. Political elites are individuals or groups of elites who have influence and power in the process of political decision making (Lasswell et. al, 1952). In Malaysia, political parties that have long dominated the government are Barisan Nasional and its dominant component parties of the UMNO, MCA and the MIC. Based on the situation of New Villages, whose residents are mainly Chinese, it is obvious that the MCA became the first political party to assume responsibility for maintaining the interests and privileges of the New Villages (Malaysian Chinese Association, 2004).