Why would we need Umno when we have Pakatan?
Remember, Umno is just Umno and Barisan Nasional is more or less dead and no longer exists. So, there are no Chinese, Indians and others to worry about. You need to just worry about the Malays. Was it not Umno that said Melayu ialah Umno dan Umno ialah Melayu? Hence only the Malays matter and it is the duty of the three candidates for Umno President to tell the Malays what type of Umno Baru Lebih Baru they are going to get if they helm the party.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
There are those who feel Malaysia needs a ‘New Umno’ to fit in with the ‘New Malaysia’ that Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng and the rest of the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan are talking about.
Actually, we already have a New Umno or Umno Baru, which was formed in 1988 to replace the ‘Original Umno’ or ‘Umno Asli’ that was formed 42 years earlier in 1946.
Khairy wants a liberal-multiracial Umno
They say Umno is 72 years old and that Barisan Nasional has been ruling Malaysia for 61 years. That is not true. Umno is only 30 years old and Barisan Nasional has been ruling Malaysia for only 45 years since 1973. So, all this talk from Pakatan Harapan supporters that finally, after 61 years, Barisan Nasional has been kicked out is a load of nonsense.
Barisan Nasional is just 45 years old while Umno is just 30 years old. So how could it have taken Pakatan Harapan 61 years to kick Barisan Nasional out? Pakatan Harapan itself is merely three years old.
Can you see how the Pakatan Harapan people tembak? Pakatan is three years old, Umno is 30 years old, and Barisan is 45 years old. And it took Pakatan Harapan 61 years to kick out Umno and Barisan Nasional.
Now, the Umno people want to turn Umno into Umno Baru. But Umno is already Umno Baru. It has been Umno Baru for 30 years after the Umno Asli was closed down in 1988 and after 42 years of existence. So what Umno Baru are you talking about? Umno Baru Lebih Baru?
Tengku Razaleigh opposed Dr Mahathir’s Umno Baru in 1988 and wanted to restore the ‘Original’ Umno of 1946
They say the Umno Baru must not only be a liberal Umno but must also admit non-Malays as members. Hell, half of the Umno leadership is already non-Malay (or was until many abandoned Umno after the GE14 massacre). These people are Indians or Mamaks, which is an Indian-Malay cross-breed.
If anyone wants a liberal-multiracial party then why join Umno? There are many other liberal-multiracial parties such as Gerakan, PPP, PKR, DAP, PCM, etc., that they can join. (At least they claim to be a liberal-multiracial party although in reality that may not be quite true).
And when you say ‘liberal’, what do you mean by liberal? The definition of liberal is “willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one’s own and open to new ideas such as favouring free trade, civil liberties, individual rights and freedoms, etc. “
Umno is basically a Malay party and should remain so and not try to become a liberal-multiracial party in an already ‘crowded market’
Is Umno Baru Lebih Baru prepared to accept this ‘liberal’ stand?
You cannot force a person to state his/her religious beliefs. You cannot force a person to state his/her race other than ‘Malaysian’. There must be no discrimination according to race, such as Bumiputera discount for houses or racial quotas for jobs and universities, etc.
Religion cannot be forced upon anyone and a person is free to choose his/her religion or to become an atheist. Two people must be allowed to live as partners whether of the opposite sex or the same sex. No one should be subjected to religious laws.
Zahid is viewed as a Malay nationalist and loyal to Najib Razak
All that is merely the tip of the iceberg of a liberal Malaysia. And if Umno Baru Lebih Baru is going to become a liberal multiracial party, then the three candidates for the Umno Presidency must make this point very clear so that the 150,000 or 170,000 members who are going to vote for the new Umno President will know what they are voting for.
You cannot be both at the same time. You are either one or the other. So, Ahmad Zahid Hamdi, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, and Khairy Jamaluddin, must tell us if they win the Umno Presidency what type of Umno are the members going to get.
Remember, Umno is just Umno and Barisan Nasional is more or less dead and no longer exists. So, there are no Chinese, Indians and others to worry about. You need to just worry about the Malays. Was it not Umno that said Melayu ialah Umno dan Umno ialah Melayu? Hence only the Malays matter and it is the duty of the three candidates for Umno President to tell the Malays what type of Umno Baru Lebih Baru they are going to get if they helm the party.
