All have a stake in Umno’s future
The Opposition knows despite all their claims otherwise, that March 8, 2008, was less a support for them than a strongly-worded message to Barisan Nasional and Umno from the people. Thus, the door is not closed to them and many are as yet unwilling to sever that relationship permanently.
Zainul Arifin, New Straits Times
THE last time this much attention was focused on Umno was in 1987, when the party was split in half in a contest that proved to be almost its undoing
The fallout from the party-splitting contest between the then Datuk Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, backed by their coterie of supporters otherwise known as teams A and B, was Umno being declared illegal.
The challenge then was internal and the threat was implosion. It took more than two decades for things to get back to pre-1987, and even then, in some cases, only just.
Now more than 30 years on, Umno is facing challenges, this time externally, like never before. Public perception is largely negative, some self-inflicted, others coloured by a strategic campaign to demonise and vilify the party and its leaders; and its opponents are much emboldened, and much supported.
Recent political developments have created doubt over Barisan Nasional's "birth right" to rule, and subsequently Umno's leadership in the coalition. This is the set-up warming into this week's Umno assembly and belated party elections.
Much attention is also focused on seeing in a new president, and soon the country's sixth prime minister, in Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and what the new leadership has in store for us all.
It is, therefore, no coincidence that no one in politics now is as vilified and demonised as Najib in what is seen as an orchestrated effort to set up hurdles to his ascension. There are even attempts to get outgoing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not to hand over the premiership to Najib, attempts by the same people who had been sniping at him for the longest time.
This confluence of events have led many to ask if Umno is on its last leg, or if it is just suffering from hiccups and would continue to take its place as a key entity in the country's governance.
Many critics of Umno, especially those not partisan to other political parties, have suggested that Umno had not done enough to reform itself — to take stock of new ideas and ideals, developments and scenarios. The flavour of the day, after all, is "change".
Perhaps critics who suggested that Umno is not changing should take note that its president, and the prime minister, is leaving office way ahead of time. If that is not a sign of Umno understanding what needs to be done and being serious about change, then I don't know what is. It is in fact a step short of a revolution
Nevertheless, except for the partisan critics, Umno can take heart that others who criticised it, and the Barisan Nasional, are willing to give it another shot. While those in the Opposition are calling for their removal, many more are issuing the coalition a "change or else …" warning.
The Opposition knows despite all their claims otherwise, that March 8, 2008, was less a support for them than a strongly-worded message to Barisan Nasional and Umno from the people. Thus, the door is not closed to them and many are as yet unwilling to sever that relationship permanently.
Hence, also the vilification of Najib whom many in the Opposition see as someone who could turn the tables on them.
What Umno has done in over 60 years helming the nation is to curb the excesses of the Malays, and get them to agree on the concept of power-sharing, successfully.
Many may not agree with this statement, but the fact that the majority Malays were willing to share power with the minorities suggests that there is something inherently moderate and inclusive in Umno's approach. It started with getting the Malays to agree on citizenship for others, and soon to share in all areas that allow other races to prosper culturally and economically.
Malays who had wanted more radical manifestations of their politics, be they in governance or the expression of their religion, were tempered by the power-sharing message of Umno.
Nevertheless, these days there are many who are counting the days to Umno's demise, marking on their calendars the date of the next general election, when the party, and consequently BN, they hope would be defeated. Only time will tell if that were to happen. We have a lifetime of politics to go through still.
However, theoretically, a demise of Umno would leave many Malays adrift without a political mooring. They would then likely gravitate to Pas, which would most likely be more sympathetic to the causes of the Malays and their religion, than say Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Would a much stronger Pas be as benign as when it is an equal partner in a coalition? Would it not be ironic that Umno's survival would have more impact on the non-Malays, than the Malays?
