COMMENT | Let’s reflect on the concept of political parties and membership therein in Malaysia.

The context, of course, is the standing ovation received by Bersatu vice-president and former Elections Commission chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman for his suggestion: "In the election, we must win by hook or by crook".

Rashid said although he did not like the idea of using government resources, it had to be done.

"All division chiefs should be given activities so that they can have the opportunity to defend their divisions," he said.

In his speech, Rashid also urged the government to restore the parallel village chief systems practised by the previous BN government.

"And our people must occupy these positions," he said.

How useful are political operatives?

I would imagine most Malaysiakini readers found Rashid’s statement abhorrent and repugnant; I also imagine most readers also voted for Harapan.

How then, can we account for this standing ovation?

Needless to say, those clapping the loudest were the ones imagining themselves benefiting the most from a return to this system of feudal patronage.

It is true that political operatives can benefit a lot, but the question is, will Malaysians benefit as a whole?

What this question fundamentally boils down to is: of what value is the local political operative to Malaysia in the 21st Century?

Certainly, there may have been a time where such operatives were a big factor in influencing local votes. Are they today?

Do we imagine that even in rural Malaysia, it is the influence of such local operatives in the coffee shops that determine votes?

Of course, this is probably not what Rashid was talking about...