FACULTY OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCE AND POLICY STUDIES

ACADEMIC YEAR 2018/2019

MARCH-JULY 2018
INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE
PAD120
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Course Details

Course: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE

Group: AM1102A1
Lecturer’s name: MISS FAIZAH ABBDULLAH
Assignment question: DISCUSS THE TYPES OF POWER

Assignment Details

Due date: 14th APRIL 2018

Important Note: submission of assignments is the responsibility of the student

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 Student’s details:

NO Name Student ID No. Signature

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1. AFDLIN MIKHAIL BIN MOHD SOFIAN

2. NELLYNIE EFFANISA NAWARI

3. SHAQILLA AZEERA BT MOHD

ZAKARIA

Assignment Overall Marks:________________ Marks

TABLE OF CONTENT

NO. CONTENTS PAGE

1. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
2. 2.0 TYPES OF POWER 2-6

2.1 Coercive Power

2.2 Reward Power

2.3 Expert power

2.4 Legitimate Power

2.5 Referent Power

3. 3.0 CONCLUSION 7
4. 4.0 REFERENCES 8
5. 5.0 APPENDICES 9
1.0 INTRODUCTION

Based on Hans Morgenthau, “when speak about power, its mean man's control

over the minds and actions of other men. By political power, its refer to the mutual

relations of control among the holders of public authority and between the latter and

the people at large”. Based on this philosopher, power refer to two matters which is

Individual political where individual who has power basically means that the person

could control other people mind or action and in political power matters, power can

be referred to the power of those people in the public office, public authority/holders

of the power in the government. Other than that, Based on Max Weber, power is a

tool for individual or a group of people to achieve their objectives through actions

even though their action is cruel. It may also define as one's ability to make others do

what they normally not want to do by giving a reward, taking away or threatening to

take away something they value or by forcing them to do something to achieve one's

objectives. However, based on Lacewing, “power is the ability to get others to do

things even when they might not want to”. Meaning to say, power can operate through

persuasion, so that people will cooperate willingly and freely, on the basis of reasons

they will accept, which may include incentives other than through coercion where the

power holder can use threats, sanctions, and force. Power sometimes doesn't work

because of followers don't want or refuse to do the action that power holder is wanted

followers to do. Therefore, a public holder can operate their power using persuasion

which changed the behavior through cooperation without force. For example, using

reward power. Followers basically listen to power holders because they think that

they can get a reward (political patronage) or through coercion which is power holder

has the right to punish followers that don't want or refuse to listen and followers

believe that power holder has the capability to control the punishment

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2.0 THE TYPES OF POWER

2.1 THE COERCIVE POWER

The first type of power is coercion power. Coercion power is being conducted

through the use of force. This political force influences their people through their

words and actions to enhance the political, social and economic stability of the

country. It is the power that a person holds because he or she has control of the

penalization and demotions. This power enables the followers to listen to them

because their followers are driven by the fear of consequences as they believe that the

leader has the power to punish them when they decline to the orders given to them

such as through fines, putting them into jail, probation, and also by death. For instance,

the power that the government has towards its citizens through the implementation of

law that they have made while governing the country. One of the laws that can be

used as an example is the Road Transport Act 1987 Act 333 section 40(1) pertaining

exceeding speed limit, where any motor vehicle drivers on the road who disobey the

speed limit imposed by the legislative branch by speeding beyond the speed limit of

motor vehicle will be guilty of an offence and shall suffer the consequences and will

be liable to be fined below the amount of one thousand ringgit. Let’s say that

particular person is not willing to pay for the fine after breaking the law made by the

government, he will be called out by the court of law to settle down the dispute and to

upheld the law and ensure justice to that person, and even after that, if he or she is still

not agreeing on paying the fine, he will be jailed. Thus, this proves that the power that

one has on coercion power can change the behaviour of the people and if they refuse

to listen, they would receive their punishment adequately.

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2.2 THE REWARD POWER

Reward power that sourced from wealth. It is the one effective method in gaining

power as to be a political leader, that leader must have the resources to gain support

from the people. The follower believe that the leader has the resources that can bring

benefits to them that will help the follower in reaching their goals and meet their

needs. It is the power of a leader to give some type of reward to people as a mean to

influence the people to act in a certain way. In terms of patron-clientelism, it is

referred to the people who support the leader. The patron who controls a great deal of

wealth can have a mutual arrangement and agreement with another person whos is the

client that will benefit from the support given by them to their patron. For example,

political patronage. Political patronage refer to a political campaign. When a business

man from Kota Kinabalu went down to Sandakan just because they want to do a

campaign for Tan Sri Musa Aman willingly. Tan Sri Musa Aman did not ask them to

do it but they do it willingly just because they know if they help campaigning for Tan

Sri Musa Aman and he wins, they know that they will get something out of it such as

a tender. Thus, it proves that a leader can influence a follower’s behaviour if they

have money or things that can satisfied the people in order to get people tied to them.

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2.3 THE EXPERT POWER

Expert power is where the empowered gains power by having an expertise or

specialization on a certain knowledge and skill which is also known as the

informational power. This expertise and specialization can vary from many aspects

which enables them to be heard by others. In order for a person to be able to influence

someone else behaviour, they will need to have a superior and extraordinary

information and ability that not everyone knows or can have, in other words, to be

ahead of everyone else. For example, a doctor. A doctor who has a broad knowledge

on medicine that not everyone else has can empower others with that knowledge that

they posses. This example can be further explained and proved by them as a doctor,

they utilize their expertise towards their patients by the means of advising them on the

steps that they can take in order to lead a better and healthier lifestyle that can prevent

them from getting ill from diseases such as coronary heart disease due to buildup of

plaque in the blood in the heart’s arteries that may lead to heart attack, which can be

prevented by the doctor informing their patients on how to carry out their daily

routines which can defend themselves from the disease. Thus, this shows that a leader

who is able to grasp the superior and extraordinary information and ability can

influence and take charge on others so that they will obey to the leader with his or her

information leverage.

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2.4 THE LEGITIMATE POWER

Legitimate power is sourced by the position that a person holds. Legitimate

comes from the word legit. The way to gain this power is through the position or the

title given. For example, the director, the assistant manager and the supervisor and

then usually we refer to the legitimate power is either in the organizational or in the

government or in the government itself in the country like prime minister they have

their own legitimate power and the cabinet they also have their own legitimate power.

In order for them to get this legitimate power they must be appointed into that

position and then usually people listen this power holder because the follower believe

that the power holder has the right to influence them and the follower has the

obligation to follow it because they know this person has already appointed into that

position so therefore the follower need to listen to this person. However, this

legitimate is only limited within the capacity of that job. For example, polis bantuan

in UITM usually student will listen to them because they have the power within the

campus but when the student met the polis bantuan in other place outside from UITM

usually they will not listen because they do not have the power anymore. Another

example is the cabinet member. Basically this cabinet is appointed by the prime

minister so whatever policies that came out from the cabinet that have approval by the

prime minister usually people will listen. For instance, the Ministry of Education

implements ICGPA so all public university in Malaysia need to implement this

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because they know the ministry of education has the power to do so. It means that

using this power you make decisions without consideration of personal relationship,

individual needs, and personal objective. Using this power is not bad but should be

used in conjunction with other sources of power to be most effective

2.5 THE REFERENT POWER

Referent power is the power earned from the popular support. The power holder

has this power through having support from their people. In other words, the power

holder has many followers and voters for him or her. We can take a clearer example

such as when the power holder which is the politician gives a talk, many people will

come willingly to listen without expecting any reward and also willing to support

without any force. Basically, this is a power that comes from the individual's own

personality attractiveness as a leader to influence others. With this attractiveness of a

personality, an individual has the capability to attract others and build loyalty as

normally, people who have good personalities has the bonus point to be able to do so.

For example, Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim Ismail, Sultan of Johor. He is a

humble King that has portrayed his humbleness through many was which one can be

see when he took his time off to have breakfast at a restaurant like a normal person

would and with that simple gesture only, it managed to impress his people with his

humbleness. Popular support also reduces the need to use coercive power or reward

power to obtain compliance. The referent power is also needed in order to be elected

or appointed, for example, the Members of Parliament. Before they become a member

of the parliament, the politician have to compete in the election to win. Indirectly,

they need support and vote to win the election as the fate of their ruling will be solely

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determined by the majority support that they gain from for as when the person

manage to attract their people with their attractive personality, hence they will get

more votes and have higher chances to win for the position they are running for. Thus,

it is crystal clear that a leader who has an impressive and attractive personality, it will

get the people support them profoundly.

3.0 CONCLUSION

To be a leader, you need to understand this five types of power because to be a

successful leader you need to have at least one of this power so that people will listen

to you. The power is important to achieve a person’s goals and needs. It is also

important to stabilize the economic and social development of a country. For us, the

best type of power that a leader should have is referent power. It is because the leader

do not need to use money or force or their position to influence people as the leader

will only need to portray their extraordinary personalities to influence people’s

behaviour to support them. It means that the follower willingly support that leader

without using force, money, or position. For example, Tun Mahathir he do not use

force, money or position to influence people, the people are willingly follow him

because of his extraordinary personality.

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4.0 REFERENCES

1. The Commissioner of Law Revision.2016. Laws of Malaysia: Act 333 Road

Transport Act 1987. Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd

2. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/political-forces.html Accessed:

02.05.2018

3. https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/tc/coronary-artery-disease-prevention

Accessed: 02.05.2018

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5.0 APPENDICES

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