The way forward for Umno may be to remember the past

(The Malaysian Insider) – He saved his best for the last. In his final address as the president of Umno, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today painted a stark picture for the ruling party, telling them that the victory they snared 12 months ago could be their last if they did not reclaim the qualities of the old Umno.

He warned them against becoming religious and racial extremists, cautioning them not to discriminate against non-Malays, reminding them that the rights of every Malaysian under the Federal Constitution had to be respected and protected.

He reminded his party members that Malaysia had changed, that the opening up of the country was irreversible, that Umno would meet doom if its members tried to turn the clock back and persisted in living in their own cocoon.

“Realise this. Outside the Dewan Merdeka, many people feel that if Umno and Barisan Nasional do not change, then our victory at the 12th general election will be the last, and this will be the final time that Barisan Nasional will form the government… there are many among us, even some sitting on this stage, who have said that Umno must change. But what I want to hear uttered is that 'I will change'.  It would be a disaster for Umno if we fail to understand that Umno is us, and as long as we do not change, Umno will not be able to change," said Abdullah, who struck a tone of humility throughout his opening address at the party’s address.

He thanked everyone for their support, even his nemesis Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, apologised for his shortcomings as party president and prime minister and pledged support and loyalty for Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

But his main focus was to allow his party members to get a glimpse of the future. And for that purpose he took them down memory lane, recounting why he and millions of older Umno members offered to join the party, and how everyone put the party above self. Then the real heroes were the nameless and faceless individuals who worked for the party and country without any expectation.

“They never asked, indeed they always gave," he said, rattling off a laundry list of achievements of the older generation, including turning the country to one of the poorest nations in the world to a top trading nation.

Yet, things have changed today. Umno is despised by some and does not inspire confidence among many Malaysians. Abdullah listed down five reasons for the negativity surrounding Umno. These are:

• Umno had lost the art of getting close to ordinary Malaysian, the same people who once gave the ruling party its impressive grassroots power.

• The lopsided development in the country. In their haste and exuberance to turn Malaysia into a developed nation the Umno-led government forgot about the rural communities.

• Umno’s failure to get close to the younger generation.

• Squabbling over positions had frayed the bonds of family within Umno.

• The tendency by Umno members to put materialism over everything else, giving the impression that Umno was a corrupt political party.

“We have failed to manage success… We have started to feel ourselves as invincible. We have put more importance on our position in Umno than thinking about Umno’s position among Malaysians, ‘’ he said.

To go forward and recapture its past standing, Umno must embrace the elements which the party such a force, namely sensitivity to the needs and problems of the Malays, the openness of Umno to acknowledge the contribution of all Malaysians and the ability to evolve.

“Shed this feeling of arrogance, the feeling that only we are correct, that only we are clever, keep away from corruption, and look after the interest of Malays as well as non-Malays as well as those who support us and our opponents," he said.

An outstanding feature of Umno was its ability to forge an alliance with MCA and MIC and other communities under the BN banner. Today there was a pressing need to understand the power-sharing formula further, he noted.

“Since of late, the Malays have begun to feel threatened by what they feel are excessive and unreasonable demands by non-Malays… At the same time, the non-Malays, including those in Barisan Nasional have felt the need to voice out in louder voices their concern of being marginalised. There appears to be suspicion on both sides. If this is allowed to continue it will erode the spirit of cooperation which we have built over 50 years.

“Umno must not run away from its responsibility of protecting Malays and the Bumiputeras. But Umno should never practice racial or religious extremism. Umno must never practice discrimination and be viewed as a racist party by non-Malays. The loyalty of every Malaysian without taking into account their race must be valued," he said, urging all Malaysians not to stress the differences between the races.