CALD Joins 8th Asia Centre International Conference

Most countries in Asia have periodic elections.  Whether these elections are free and fair is another matter. More importantly, there is a question on whether these elections actually advance or impede democracy.

With the aim of contributing to the discussion of this issue, the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) organized a panel in the 8th Asia Centre Annual Conference held on 23-25 August 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. The panel, took place on 24 August and was entitled “Towards Competitive Elections and Beyond: Realizing Electoral and Liberal Democracy in Asia”, focused on the most recent elections in the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, as well as the upcoming elections in Indonesia.  

These countries were chosen because they have been facing a number of issues and problems which prevent the holding of free and fair elections or the consolidation of liberal democracy in the region.   In countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, for example, election results can be significantly affected by disinformation, patron-client relations, populism and political dynasties. In Cambodia, electoral politics has been dominated by a single political party which benefits from an uneven political field. Finally, while the victory of the political opposition in recent Malaysian elections provides a glimmer of hope for democracy advocates, there are still a number of issues and problems which constrain they country from becoming full-pledged liberal democracy.  

Florencio “Butch” Abad from the Philippines emphasized the structural constraints such as poverty and patron-client relations which impact not only on electoral competition but on overall political governance in the country. For this reason, he argued that “reforming Philippine politics should go beyond electoral rules and political parties” and address these structural issues.

Cambodia’s Mardi Seng, on the other hand, related the decades-long struggle of the political opposition in his country ever since the UNTAC-administered elections in 1993. The most recent setback they experienced was the disqualification of the Candlelight Party in the July 2023 elections on a technicality. He lamented that the disqualification was most unfortunate as they were really prepared to compete.      

In Malaysia, electoral competition was robust as evidenced by the victory of the political opposition in the 15th General Elections held in 2022.  However, a worrying trend showing the rise of a hardline religious party could threaten the country’s pluralist, multi-ethnic, multi-religious foundations, said Jayanthi Balaguru. More worrying, she added, was that this rise was fueled by the support of the young people.   

Like Malaysia, Indonesia is also experiencing polarization because of religion.  According to Yashinta Sekarwangi Mega, “on the one hand, there are ‘nationalist’ groups who want to organize the state in ways that are plural and equal for everyone. On the other hand, there are ‘Islamist’ groups who feel that the interests of Islam must be prioritized and given greater attention.”  Apart from this, women political representation and disinformation continue to be election issues

“There are still a myriad of issues and problems which affect the realization of electoral democracy and liberal democracy in Asia”, said CALD Executive Director Lito Arlegue, who also moderated the panel. “While these issues and problems appear insurmountable, we have to remember that liberal democracy is the only system of governance that caters to human aspirations, and that the last man, will remain to be a liberal democratic man.”