Umno’s bullshit!

Raja Petra Kamarudin

All Umno Youth members have been urged to fly the Umno flag to mark the party’s 60th anniversary on May 11, said the news report in one of the mainstream newspapers.

Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin was reported to have said that the party’s youth movement was organising a campaign to encourage its members to fly the flag until May 18. “This campaign is a symbol of our unity and our love for Umno and, for the younger generation, this is a symbol of our appreciation for the party’s never ending struggle for the religion, race and the country,” he said at the launch of the campaign at Putra World Trade Centre last week.

Some states, he said, have come out with interesting ways to participate in the campaign including a proposal by Pahang Umno Youth to carry Umno flags on boats and going downstream along the Pahang River. For individuals, he said, it would be enough for them to fly the party flag at their residences and offices during the campaign period.



“In doing so, they are encouraged to be creative and to ensure that their efforts are visible,” he added. Apart from the campaign, he said, the movement was also organising a contest to name the party flag, which until today has no official name.


This competition is open to all Malaysians. The winner will be judged not only on the name suggested, but also on the rationale behind the name. Those interested in taking part in the competition can send their suggestions through SMS to 017-267 0337 or by fax at 03-4044 2199 or through e-mail at [email protected] . The closing date is May 18.

First of all, Umno is not 60 years old. The Umno that was registered on 11 May 1946 ‘died’ just short of its 42nd birthday. This newly registered Umno that was registered after the court deregistered Umno on 4 February 1988, the ‘son’ of the old Umno, is therefore only 18 years old. It may share the same surname, but it is still the second generation Umno and a separate legal entity. Secondly, Umno, which is only 18 years old, should have celebrated its birthday in February, three months ago, not on 11 May.

We must remember that those who fought and struggled for the original Umno, such as many veterans including those who had become Prime Ministers of this country, refused to join Umno Baru (the name of the new Umno) and eventually all died without ever becoming members of the new party. To these people, they would not be rejoining Umno but joining a new party. These people such as Umno Youth Leader Hishammuddin’s father and Bapa Merdeka (Father of Independence) shunned Umno Baru and regarded it as an imitation or cheap copy of the original Umno that was wound out just so that certain enemies of the Prime Minister could be ousted from the party. For all intents and purposes, the deregistering of the old Umno and registration of the new party was an exercise in ‘backdoor sacking’.

We must remember, the Umno veterans, which included Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Musa Hitam, and Tunku Abdul Rahman, attempted to register Umno Malaysia as soon as the court deregistered Umno. Their application was however rejected on grounds that the ‘Umno’ name was already taken and therefore no longer available. One week after Umno Malaysia’s application was rejected the Registrar of Societies approved the registration of Umno Baru. Umno Baru’s application was submitted after Umno Malaysia was rejected, and not before. Therefore the rejection of Umno Malaysia on grounds that the name was no longer available was a farce. Umno Baru’s application was submitted later, only after Umno Malaysia had been rejected.

One important point to note here would be: Umno Baru had to submit an application to join Barisan Nasional. The Barisan Nasional meeting convened in February 1988 at the PWTC to consider Umno Baru’s application was chaired by MCA. Barisan Nasional sat to debate an application for membership from a new party. Therefore Umno Baru was considered a new party and not the same old Umno.

Next, Khairy talks about Umno’s struggle for religion, race and country, in that order. Umno struggles for bangsa, agama and negara. This means race, religion and country, in that order. Since when was Umno’s Constitution changed where religion is the first objective, followed by race and country? It is actually race first, followed by religion and country.

You may argue that this is a minor thing. It is not! This clearly spells out what the party’s struggle is all about and what its objectives are in order of priority. Umno never amended it, how is Khairy able to change it? Khairy is trying to outdo PAS in giving the impression that Umno’s first objective is religion. It is not! It is race, and that is why Umno upholds Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy a la Apartheid).

This is what Article 3 of Umno’s Constitution says:

FASAL 3: ASAS DAN TUJUAN

UMNO adalah sebuah parti politik yang berjuang mendukung cita-cita kebangsaan Melayu demi mengekalkan maruh dan martabat bangsa, agama dan negara.

The next thing they tell you is that Umno fought for Merdeka or independence for Malaya. This is not true. In all the meetings the Umno leaders of the 1940s and 1950s had with the British they never once pursued the issue of independence. Even when they opposed the creation of the Malayan Union in 1946 the issue of independence was never raised. It was others who fought for independence and they were all rounded up by the British and thrown into jail. Some were hanged for treason. Some disappeared and were found dead later. It was only after the British felt that keeping Malaya as a colony was proving too expensive and the danger of the country falling to the Communists was becoming too dicey that they agreed to independence. Only after the British had made up their minds to grant Malaya independence did Umno talk about it.

It was a fait accompli which Umno hijacked and claimed as its struggle. It is like someone claiming to have cooked the food after the meal has been served on the table, whereas this person never entered the kitchen even once.

Okay, let’s move on. Musa Hitam, the Deputy Prime Minister who opposed Dr Mahathir and subsequently resigned to team up with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to form ‘Team B’, once said that when a football is deflated, do not kick it. Not only will it not roll far, but you will hurt yourself as well. He was referring to the constant attacks he was subjected to after he had fallen from grace.

When Rahim Thambi Chik was forced to resign as Umno’s Youth Leader due to a sex scandal with an under-aged girl, he too was attacked by the acting Youth Leader, Zahid Hamidi. Mat Sabu, the PAS warlord, ridiculed Umno Youth. When we slam Rahim, Umno Youth comes to his defence, said Mat Sabu. Now that Rahim is out of power, Umno Youth slams him. PAS does not want to slam someone who is out of power. We will do so only when he is in power and abuses this power or commits a crime. Now that he is out of power, why bother to slam him? Only gutless Umno Youth would slam someone who is out of power but not dare say anything when he is in power.

That sums up what is going on in Malaysia today. When Dr Mahathir was in power, everyone sings his praises. Now that he is no longer in power, all the ‘brave souls’ speak up. Why did they not slam Dr Mahathir when he was Prime Minister, like how we in the opposition did? Why only now slam him when you feel he is powerless to retaliate?

Malaysia Today does not slam people out of office. Maybe once upon a time we too were critical of Dr Mahathir. You can read many of our commentaries before the emergence of Malaysia Today, which was published in the Free Anwar Campaign website. But now that he is no longer in office we do not target him for criticism. We do not kick a man when he is down. We challenge him when he is all powerful and mighty. And we do it openly, not using pseudonyms and throwing stones while hiding our hands.

Umno has chosen to go to war with Dr Mahathir. The beautiful part about this whole thing is: these same people who, today, criticise Dr Mahathir actually think that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is an idiot. They support Pak Lah and oppose Dr Mahathir not because they think great guns of the Prime Minister. It is because they know that only Pak Lah can decide who will become candidates in the next general election expected as soon as next year.

Pak Lah is buying support. He is granting every Member of Parliament RM2 million in development funds, and 10% is being paid in advance, upfront. RM2 million is nothing. There are less than 200 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament and they have more than RM200 billion to play around with over the next five years till 2010.

Dr Mahathir is finding his support diminishing as Pak Lah buys off all the MPs and Umno warlords. And there are many who will gladly kick a deflated ball if they are assured a seat in the next general election and a couple of millions in development funds personally approved by the Prime Minister. This goes to prove only one thing, all the Umno leaders are for sale.

If Umno Youth is really as brave as it pretends to be, then lodge a police report against Dr Mahathir and drag him to court under corruption charges. Do to Dr Mahathir what was done to Anwar. And do it now, or forever hold your peace!