Projek Sama said that under the present first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system, parties would opt to form coalitions or pacts after elections, asking their voters to support their allies.
“This is what is happening in Negeri Sembilan, where voters were asked to vote for Umno on Pakatan Harapan’s behalf, and now Umno is walking away. During the Sheraton Move, voters supported Bersatu as part of PH, but Bersatu later pulled out.
“What happened in both Negeri Sembilan and the Sheraton Move has damaged public trust and demands urgent changes in mindset, practice and the political system itself,” it said in a statement.
Pojek Sama said while anti-hopping laws introduced after the Sheraton Move had curbed individual defections, they did not address the withdrawal of entire parties from governing pacts.
“The core challenge is how to spare voters from having to support a party they distrust without preventing their preferred party from forming a government with that party after the election,” it said.
It said adding the CLPR system alongside the existing system would give voters two votes – one for a local candidate and one for a party statewide.
In the FPTP system, candidates who get the most votes in a constituency are elected, while the CLPR system allocates seats to parties based on their overall vote share, with candidates drawn from a pre-ranked party list.
Projek Sama said that in Negeri Sembilan, for example, a simulated addition of 12 CLPR seats to the existing 36 FPTP seats would result, based on 2023 vote shares of PH’s 39%, Barisan Nasional’s 38% and Perikatan Nasional’s 22%, in PH and BN winning five seats each, and PN two.
“Such a narrow margin between seats would naturally boost voter turnout as voters could support their preferred party, regardless of who is on their FPTP ballot,” it said.
This would force parties to “work hard to earn the trust of their allies’ supporters instead of simply relying on the alliance to pull them through”.
“Any party considering a post-election ‘breakup’ will have to think twice, as they will no longer be able to easily harvest the votes of their former partners,” it said.
However, Projek Sama said, this reform would require amending Articles 116 and 117 of the Federal Constitution, which it said is an “undeniably difficult task, but a conversation that must start now”.
The group said until such reform was implemented, parties should avoid entering permanent coalitions or completely ruling out absolute power-sharing with specific political parties unless promises could be upheld.
“Changing their rigid stand after the election would backfire on public trust. Political parties or coalitions should opt for limited electoral pacts with compatible parties where some multi-cornered fights might be allowed, preserving the voter’s right to choose,” it said.
It said frustrated voters should not sit out polls either, as doing so would only reduce political power.
“The best option for voters is to back their party of choice whenever they are on the ballot, and if only an ally of their party of choice is contesting, to rigorously scrutinise the ally’s credibility,” it said.