Relevancy and the UMNO Legacy
UMNO always argue about the past, about what it had done, but promise little as to what it is going to do for Malays, Malaysians and the country in future.
By Delimma
UMNO nowadays is preaching a very poignant song – change, or we will be changed. Gone are the days when UMNO meetings at the branch, division and even national levels revel on what UMNO has done for the country and its populace. The new generation voters demand more than just history lessons about what UMNO has achieved for the nation since its inception some 64 years ago. But many see this more as a PR exercise, one to cloud and veil its inability to adapt to modern demands.
In a recent UMNO gathering, one of its stalwarts remarked that the cry for change might prove too little too late for UMNO. Is this the case? Is this a sombre, reality check done by someone who has fought for the party all his life? Or is this just another forgetful interlude which according to many UMNO leaders and followers, do not hold water as in their pig-skinned mindset, UMNO will forever remain relevant.
UMNO was taken aback on two momentous occasions; when it had to be beggars to the other BN members in 1999 and now to the public as it toils with the prospect of actually losing power for the first time in its inglorious history. UMNO leaders, ever the patriarch that they devour themselves to be, are still in a state of denial. They blame young voters and their ignorance towards history as the reason for UMNO’s current shortcomings and threat to survival. They blame young voters for not realising it is UMNO that has fought for independence, it is UMNO that has led the country towards its sterling rise as an Asian Tiger, it is UMNO that has made them, moulded them and developed them into a more sophisticated lot that they have become today.
Fine, that might be true, and thank you UMNO for it. But by reaching independence, by developing the country, by raising its people from humble servants to leaders and shakers with their own minds, UMNO must have lost its marbles by expecting Malaysians to remain inexplicably entrenched in supporting them. What UMNO failed after independence to do, is simply to grow up from a party venerated for giving us all this freedom into one that truly represents the interests and plight of today’s modern society.
Whilst stricken poverty is all but totally eradicated, the gap between the haves and the have nots have not … err let me make this simple. The gap between the low income group and the high achievers is widening as this piece is written, and where UMNO has been successful at the high end, it failed at the low end to plug the gap.
Take Felda for example. Yes, that UMNO fought for it is undeniable. But after so long, Felda has grown into a monstrosity that is neither accountable for responsible for the rest of Malaysians. It has become a secret society of its own, jealous in guarding its own interests and quickly firing on all cylinders at the first sign of intrusion into its “autonomous” reign.
The recent absurdity (maybe blatant stupidity) on the part of the opposition in proclaiming Felda to be bankrupt must have been a major miscalculation on their part. For a society that still boasts of rich assets and more than 1 billion in cash, bankrupt is not the right word to use. Poor choice by the opposition advisors. The right question should be why the need to make more land investments when the disparity issue of current settlers remain unresolved? Why the huge wastage of money that could be spent elsewhere be the sole treasure of Felda, and Felda alone?
Any honest Malaysian who does not have Felda background nor mired in Felda fairy tale has this question for UMNO to answer. Is Felda a society belonging to its members or is it a government and national institution belonging to all Malaysians, although it serves many Malays? What has Felda contributed to the general Malay who does not have any connection with Felda anyway? Are we saying that Felda need not contribute to other Malays in need? Does UMNO agree that Felda should not be sanctioned by the government and live a life of its own?
Felda has done a lot for some Malays (calculate the number of Malays compared with all generations of Felda and the answer is not most, but some), but unlike MARA, Felda has gone on to become an entity bent on serving its own interests and not the interest of Malays in general. That is what raised a lot of questions about its operations and dealings, since it is using public money which could be used for more needy Malays outside its closed doors rather than be wasted on investments that only enriches its members … at whose expense?
Then there’s MARA, who over the years have wasted more money in trying to help Malay entrepreneurs who have abused and abused the government’s and institution’s goodwill and trust. MARA became too lenient and in doing so allowed many of these entrepreneurs to go down the drain together with money that now MARA sadly has to overwrite. What MARA needs is a total overhaul of its monitoring and risk analysis system, and a systematic approach towards helping genuine entrepreneurs of Malay/Bumiputera origin wherever they might be to grow and prosper. To do this is easier said than done, but it has to be and UMNO is the only one able to do it, save it is still in pre-independence mode.
UMNO has a lot of catching up to do, and time is running short until the next general election, which many are predicting earlier than planned due to the current trauma of the Altantuya-gate and unsinkable submarine saga. That it allegedly involves the party’s top echelon is another blow to UMNO’s effort to cleanse its already flagging image.
What UMNO has so far failed to do is to show to younger generations and more learned voters and Malaysians is that it has moved with the times. UMNO cannot just depend on undivided loyalty due to its past. One past Prime Minister said that we must never dwell in the past or we will remain locked in time whilst others pass us by. Good advice which so far many Malaysians see not heeded by UMNO. Allegations of money politics, vote buying, even “thuggery” by UMNO at all levels including the Puteri movement comes as no surprise given the entrenched culture introduced in the 1980s and 1990s by who else but its leaders!
UMNO always argue about the past, about what it had done, but promise little as to what it is going to do for Malays, Malaysians and the country in future. For younger Malaysians, they see UMNO more a liability than an asset. Why, simply the party seems to be a mirror of Felda, one benefitting its members at the expense of the general and majority. That its membership has not increased tenfold with the times says it all. The misconception of many an UMNO leader is that lessons in history will return voters and Malays to its fold. It will not, and sadly, UMNO will be washed on the shores of failures.
UMNO was told to change in 1999, something which many thought did when Abdullah Badawi took over at the end of 2003. But Abdullah is no Mahathir, and his good guy image disappeared with the hunger and thirst of his family members for power, money, you name it. Three months before his inauguration, allegations surfaced that his family members approached Khazanah to demand certain interests be sold or given to them. It only got worse thereafter. And being the good man that he is, realising shame is his least worry, he retreated to allow for change. But is it happening now? Many Malays at the least, think it has only exacerbated a benign tumour. What needs to be changed in UMNO is not its leadership, but its culture and political conceptions.
Rather than engage younger and first time voters on their turf, UMNO tried to bring them to their turf. And in turn, that turned those who joined the fray into cannibals that are seen as the face of UMNO today. Young UMNO members be they guy or gal, are more interested in what projects they can get, who can be their patriarch or matriarch rather than addressing the plight of the people they are supposed to be representing. They tell us to remember history, when we do not have food on our current table. They tell us what they have achieved, when we are denied proper education, healthcare, opportunities in business and more.
Rather than move forward into the future, embracing a transformation from its old adage, UMNO is seen as moving backwards, retreating into its history books and forgetting what it is supposed to be doing. Who cares what happens in Gaza when they have unemployment, bad education, no clean water, no house to shelter them and their families? Who cares if UMNO plans to build a greater KL, develop more business space and redevelop Kg Baru when they know the opportunities will not arrive at their doorstep and instead will only go to those who can afford these new luxuries.
The party claims it is rejuvenating, but the phoenix rising looks only far too similar to the old one that is more concerned with protecting its own interests. We do not need lessons in history to tell us who we are and where we come from. What we need is a plan for the future that promises a better country and fairness and equality for all. So far, UMNO has not offered us any. Rather than look into the insipid banking industry that denies growth and regrowth as well as rescue, UMNO is seen as trying to profiteer from it. Rather than address urban poverty, UMNO is bent on making money for its members and leaders. No wonder it only won 1 seat in the entire KL, and that too is seen as a remarkable feat which unfortunately, is not even recognised!
Ministers and leaders who are unanswerable to the people are appointed whom today are making a mockery of the administration, inept at addressing issues and instead more interested in wallowing in power and wealth. No wonder even members are now questioning the wisdom of UMNO leaders in appointing these chained dogs whose job is seen to only be protecting the supreme leaders at the expense of the people. Whatever they do and whoever they pee or poo on or bite is acceptable as long as they show unnerving loyalty to the death for the leader who put them there.
UMNO needs to address these issues and change … but many believe the change will come later rather than sooner. The opposition is rejoicing in this, most Malays do too, but all Malaysians agree that unless and until UMNO come clean and actually grow up, its time is up, up and away. Let’s just hope a change in government will do a world of good for us rather than plunge us into another cycle of vicious political interests and parody that will be a legacy of laughing proportions for generations to come.
