By Remy Majangkim (Majangkim Office)
KOTA KINABALU: On May 11, Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe received his appointment as a senator. He lost his bid for a state seat in the November 29 Sabah election. Now, he replaces Noorita Sual, whose term ended.
Nothing personal against Phoong. He has served as a state minister. He has raised issues on infrastructure, youth, education, and Sabah’s rights. But this appointment reveals a deeper rot in Malaysia’s Senate system.
Let us ask the question no one in power will ask: Why is a defeated election candidate being rewarded with a Senate seat?
What the Senate Was Meant to Be
The Dewan Negara was never designed as a consolation prize for electoral losers.
The framers of the Federal Constitution envisioned a chamber of sober second thought – experts, legal minds, constitutional scholars, and NGO leaders who would review legislation without the heat of partisan politics.
Senators are paid. The base allowance is RM4,112.79 per month, with total remuneration estimated between RM11,000 and RM15,000 once allowances and attendance fees are added. This is public money. Taxpayers fund it.
In return, they are supposed to provide independent scrutiny. Instead, we get a rubber‑stamp chamber where party loyalty matters more than competence.
The Political Reward Cycle
Phoong lost his election. His party, DAP, was wiped out in Sabah. Yet within months, he is appointed to a federal position with a comfortable monthly allowance.
This is the same old pattern: lose an election, get a Senate seat. The people of Sabah voted. They did not choose Phoong. Yet he now sits in the Senate, representing Sabah – without any fresh mandate.
This is not representation. This is bypassing the ballot box. You sneaky eel!
What a Real Senator Would Look Like
If the Senate is to have any credibility, its members should come from the following:
NGOs – indigenous rights advocates, environmental defenders, and consumer watchdogs.
Legal professions – constitutional lawyers and retired judges who understand the law.
Academia – economists, political scientists, public health experts.
Community leaders – not party warlords, but genuine grassroots organisers.
And even a farmer with reading attributes has better standing to be a senator than a defeated politician. Why? Because that farmer has never lost an election. He has no political debts. He would read a bill and ask honest questions without fear of a party whip.
These people – the farmer, the NGO worker, and the retired judge – have expertise or integrity. They have no electoral ambitions.
They can scrutinise bills without worrying about their party’s next election strategy.
Instead, we get a revolving door of defeated politicians. The Senate becomes a safe haven, not a revising chamber.
Sabah Deserves Better.
Phoong Jin Zhe may be a decent man. But his appointment is not about merit. It is about party convenience. And until we demand that senators be chosen for their expertise – not their loyalty – the Dewan Negara will remain what it has always been: a reward house for those who lost the people’s vote.
Sabah’s voice at the federal level should not be a consolation prize. It should be a powerful, independent, expert voice. Or at least the honest voice of a farmer who never lost an election.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Jesselton Times.
