Umno is dying of cancer
And Tunku Abdul Rahman had seen this. In 1970 (11 years before Mahathir took over), the Tunku had warned the Malays that the day Mahathir takes over will be the beginning of the end for Umno. And, in 1988, the Tunku joined the opposition to oppose Umno (Baru). The Tunku wanted nothing to do with Umno because he knew Umno was doomed. And the Tunku had known this 30 years before Umno died in 2018.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
I hear Barisan Nasional people from MCA, MIC, Gerakan, etc., complaining that they lost the last general election on 9th May 2018 because of Umno. Yes, Umno is to blame for Barisan Nasional’s defeat in GE14, say people from MCA, MIC, Gerakan, and so on.
I hear Umno people, on the other hand, blaming Najib Tun Razak for the defeat. If Najib had resigned as Prime Minister then Umno and/or Barisan Nasional would have won GE14.
Let me tell you a story about this chain-smoker who had been smoking since he was in secondary school. As soon as he wakes up from sleep he smokes two sticks before he even brushes his teeth. After his coffee he smokes another three sticks before he leaves the house for work.
By the time he went to see the doctor he was already suffering from stage three lung cancer. He had been neglecting his health because he thought he merely had smokers’ cough and nothing more serious than that.
He died because he refused chemotherapy treatment, said his wife.
Actually, he did not die because he refused chemotherapy treatment. He died because of his heavy smoking habit. And it was a very old habit of more than 35 years since young. The chemotherapy treatment would have probably delayed his death a couple of months but he would not have lasted the year anyway.
In 1970, the Tunku said the day Mahathir takes over will be the beginning of the end for Umno
Umno began developing bad habits more than 35 years ago in the 1980s, just like that smoker I talked about above. Tun Musa Hitam warned Umno about its bad habits. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad got rid of him. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah warned Umno about its bad habits. Mahathir got rid of him as well. Anyone who warns Umno about its bad habits would face the wrath of Mahathir, judges and rulers included.
So, everyone just kept quiet and watched. If Umno is not careful it is going to self-destruct, said all the observers. This cannot go on. In time, Umno is going to suffer the consequences of its bad habits. But no one dared to be the mouse that bells the cat. Many before this had tried and got whacked, judges and rulers included.
So, let it be.
In 1998, the first warning of cancer emerged. It was still just stage one and could have been arrested. But in 2004 it looked like it was a false warning after all when Barisan Nasional won more than 90% of the seats in the general election that year.
But the cancer was actually still there and was growing.
In 2007, when Bersih was launched (the original Bersih, not the fake Bersih 2.0 that Anwar Ibrahim copied), that was stage two. By then Umno should have stopped its bad habits and sought treatment. But it did not.
The destruction of Umno began when Mahathir took over in 1981 and Umno died at Mahathir’s hand in 2018
In 2013, it was already crossing the point of no return. Mahathir then decided, instead of treating the patient, he is going to kill it. And in 2014 he made his move to kill off Umno.
In 2018, Umno was on its death bed and Mahathir ordered the life-support system to be switched off.
Could Umno have been saved? Maybe, in 2008. Maybe even, in 2013. But by 2018 even the good doctor had no more desire to save the patient. The good doctor felt it was more merciful to allow Umno to die with dignity, not that there is any dignity in death or in the way Umno is being killed off.
What did Umno’s ‘wives’ such as MCA, MIC, Gerakan, etc., do in all that time from 1981 to 2018? Nothing! They just stood there and watched. And now they blame Umno for the May 2018 disaster as if MCA, MIC, Gerakan, and so on, are blameless.
The ironical thing about this whole episode is that the good doctor who put Umno to sleep in 2018 was the same man who introduced all the bad habits to Umno 35 years ago in the 1980s. Umno may be sick. It may be dying from the result of its bad habits. But these bad habits started when Mahathir took over in 1981.
And Tunku Abdul Rahman had seen this. In 1970 (11 years before Mahathir took over), the Tunku had warned the Malays that the day Mahathir takes over will be the beginning of the end for Umno. And, in 1988, the Tunku joined the opposition to oppose Umno (Baru). The Tunku wanted nothing to do with Umno because he knew Umno was doomed. And the Tunku had known this 30 years before Umno died in 2018.
