No easy task to transform Umno
The progressive ideas advocated by the liberals in the Malay party do not seem to sit well with the majority of the old-mindset members.
But the reality is, the transformation agenda is a minority agenda. Umno still remains entrenched in the old ways of politicking along racial and religious lines judging from the debates that took place in the five-day proceedings.
Syed Jaymal Zahiid, Free Malaysia Today
The central theme at the 62th Umno annual general assembly which ended last week has been about “transformation”, an initiative that party president Najib Tun Razak tried to champion as Umno – the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin – gears up for national polls.
From the shift in conservative mindset to a more progressive one and to the call for unpopular incumbents to make a graceful exit, it was clear that the transformation branding was aimed at winning back non-Malay support.
Najib had admitted that Umno cannot rely on its Malay power base alone; it desperately needs a stronger mandate to ensure his survival. Hence, winning back non-Malay support or the fence-sitters is key to realising his target.
But the reality is, the transformation agenda is a minority agenda. Umno still remains entrenched in the old ways of politicking along racial and religious lines judging from the debates that took place in the five-day proceedings.
Only a few delegates spoke of Najib’s transformation quest while the others used age-old tactics of rousing the hardline elements in the party by focusing its fire on a predominantly Chinese party, the DAP, which they accused of having only one agenda – “to corrode Malay rule and the sanctity of Islam”.
Najib’s deputy Muhyiddin Yassin himself played on the same sentiment when he opened the Youth and Wanita assemblies, saying that Malay rule will diminish if Pakatan Rakyat, led by a dominant DAP, were to be voted in.
Furthermore, apart from some progressive ideas thrown around in the party’s Youth wing proceedings, the general undertone of the debates signalled clearly Umno’s refusal to shed its right- wing skin, thus exposing its arrogance.
It appeared that the majority of the delegates believed that all the party needs is greater Malay support.
To many of them, the non-Malays are no longer reliable, and are possibly traitors who do not recognise the good the Malay party had done for them.
This could be seen in the repeated calls for seats belonging to Umno’s allies in BN with Malay-majority voters be returned to Umno.
