BN after Kuala Terengganu: To reform or not to reform?
As the Umno general assembly approaches, Anil Netto suggests that the ruling coalition knows what it needs to do to survive: it has to push through major reforms to wipe our corruption and abuse of power to win back lost support. But is it really capable of such reforms?
As the Umno election and general assembly in March approaches, the party faces a huge dilemma.
It is phasing out a leader (Abdullah Badawi) it feels is not suitable to lead the party following a general election setback last year which saw it lose its coveted two thirds parliamentary majority, while five out of 13 states fell to opposition hands.
Umno is now about to endorse a new leader, Najib Razak, whose own leadership credentials are in tatters following crushing by-election defeats in Permatang Pauh last August and Kuala Terengganu in January.
The irony is that it was the lack of meaningful reforms that led to the BN suffering an erosion of support. But it was Abdullah, more than Najib, who realised the importance of reforms, even though he largely failed to deliver them.
The 17 January by-election may not have changed the balance of power but it has implications that extend far beyond the capital of the resource-rich state of Terengganu. Voters were also sending a signal that the Umno power transition scheme had not impressed them. Many analysts saw it as the voters’ refusal to endorse Najib as the prime minister-to-be.
No one will feel the blow more than Najib, no matter how much the spin-doctors try to put the blame on Abdullah Badawi (who was after all widely perceived by both BN and Pakatan supporters as on his way out), the candidate, or other local issues.
The by-election was a victory not just for Pas but also the Pakatan, whose politicians helped in the campaign.
It was also a victory for People Power, as scores of activists, Muslims and others from as far away as KL and Penang (including Permatang Pauh) turned up to help out in the campaign.
More than that, it was a triumph for the people of Kuala Terengganu, who cast away their fears, doubts and concerted attempts to buy their votes through promises of allocations and projects.
The combined effect proved too much for the BN candidate, despite being backed up the heavy machinery of the state and its resources, including the big guns from Kuala Lumpur. The presence of the Umno big guns from other states was obvious from the number of gleaming, black SUVs swarming around Kuala Terengganu.
