UMNO IS GOVT-IN-WAITING, SO CLAIMS HAMIDI

BY

K.SILADASS

Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the President of UMNO, and former Deputy Prime Minister, is optimistic that UMNO will return to power, thus, his contention UMNO is Govt-in-waiting.

The original UMNO which was founded in 1946 to oppose the formation of Malayan Union, had as its principal objective to protect the Malay Rulers, who were the protectors of Malay people, their religion and their ancestral custom, and so on. The founder of the then UMNO was Dato’ Onn bin Jaafar.

No sooner the Malayan Union was dissolved and its place the Federation of Malaya was established in accordance with the terms of the Federation of Malaya Agreement, Onn Jaafar wanted UMNO to change its Malay only policy and identity to include the non-Malays as members, thus, he suggested the change of the name to United Malayan National Organisation. His proposal did not materialise, and among the principal characters who opposed the change included Tunku Abdul Rahman. From the time of its formation in 1946, it must be noted that, it had behaved as an exclusive party, and its first association with Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) was a reluctant marriage – a sort of marriage of convenience during the newly introduced municipal elections. Malayan Indian Congress joined later. In 1954, Alliance contested in the first general election for the Federal legislative council and won 51 out of 52 seats. It was a significant victory.

It could be noticed that from the time of its conception UMNO had acted in a manner excluding others. For instance, in the negotiations for the dissolution of Malayan Union and the formation of the Federation of Malaya Agreement, with the collusion of the British and the blessings of the Rulers, only the then UMNO was allowed to take part. Other interested parties were deliberately excluded. When the negotiation for Merdeka began, and the appointment of the Reid Commission was deliberated, it was UMNO, and more significantly Tunku Abdul Rahman’s view seemed to have been given importance and no other parties were let in – in fact they were excluded as far as the composition of the Reid Commission was concerned.

It could also be seen that the old UMNO was claiming to itself exclusive right to decide on matters of national importance and its association with MCA and MIC was just a camaflouge to hoodwink everyone that it was embracing an inclusive policy. UMNO had always remained hegemonic.

The crisis that broke out in UMNO in the late eighties resulted in a court action, and on 4 February 1998, the late Justice Harun Hashim declared that it was an unlawful party because of the existence of unregistered UMNO branches. The old UMNO was given a judicial burial. But, the taste of power lingered on, and that resulted in the formation of UMNO Baru led by Dr. Mahathir Mohammad (now Tun Dr. Mahathir).

It could, therefore, be seen that the old UMNO having lost its legality resurfaced as a new entity, and had remained in power all these years, had always played a dominant political role. And in course of retaining it powers has shown its Machiavellian prowess.

Now, if we were to consider Hamidi’s expectations it can be seen that he and his party members are not prepared to admit the wrongs that had been committed over the years when BN was in power. Of course, there are a few who have come out of UMNO and had condemned it for not being alive to the people’s aspiration, or, the interest of Malaysia as a whole.

What is Hamidi’s plan? He has not disclosed. Has he a plan? Maybe so, as he might be keeping it close to his heart; but one thing that is too obvious is the fact that the present leadership of UMNO Baru have yet to learn, understand the judgment Malaysians rendered on 9^th May, 2018. They still believe in the rhetoric they are so accustomed with, that includes UMNO is Govt-in-waiting.

The present UMNO to be relevant must begin to realise that the situation has changed since 1946. They must begin to accept the fact that protecting the Sultans is no longer in issue, the Federal, as well as the State Constitutions provide adequate safeguards. The Malay rights and privileges too can never be challenged. They too are protected. However, the main question as to Malay rights and privileges are concerned as reasonable Malaysians, we are duty bound to ask: Have the majority of the Malays benefitted from this special privileges, or is it only a fraction of the Malay population who have benefitted at the expense of the Malay majority. The scandalous manner wealth had been accumulated by those in power and their henchman in the past is now brought to the public knowledge, which is clear that the majority of the Malays have been duped. Another area where the majority of Malays’ financial predicament can be seen in the rising number of insolvencies involving Malays. It has now been disclosed by Dato’ Seri Dr. Wan Azizah, the Deputy Prime Minister that 90%, that is about 13.7 million Malaysian workers are still not covered by any form of social security. Would it be an exaggeration if we conclude that the large percentage of this 13.7 million will be Malays?

What is important now is for the present UMNO to abandon its exclusive policy, shed off its arrogance and treat all Malaysians as equals. Respect all Malaysian, respect all religions, and respect all languages. In short, UMNO should shed its megalothymia attitude. These are the noble thoughts that had occupied the authors of the Federal Constitution in 1957 and accepted as a model for the 1963 Malaysian Constitution.It has worked in the past, it could continue to work provided the spirit of the letter is respected and everyone acquiring power act sincerely, conscientiously according to his or her constitutional oath. Until the present UMNO accepts this cardinal truth, it can wait but the wait will be fruitless, because, the new generation of Malaysians want a Malaysia which travels into the future, not reversing to the distant past.

UMNO THROWS IN THE TOWEL

By

K. Siladass

UMNO led Barisan Nasional has thrown in the towel in the Port Dickson Parliamentary by-election, even before the actual contest had begun. The reasons assigned by UMNO for boycotting the by-election is that, according to the Election Commission, the by-election would cost RM3.6 million. This, it must be noted does not include the costs the candidates and the voters would incur. UMNO’s President Dato Seri Zaid Hamidi, says that this could have been used to relieve some of the financial woes the country is facing. UMNO claims that the government must be peoplecentric.

One wonders when did UMNO and its people begin to entertain the notion of peoplecentric, as facts are surfacing that UMNO and its allies in BN had been far from being peoplecentric but were enjoying the benefits through various devious means. Further, were they not under self-induced anaesthesia regarding the welfare of the nation and the people.

The next reason UMNO has raised is that the by-election is engineered to fulfil the political ambition of an individual. Although there may be merit in this argument, the crucial question is that the country has been drained off its wealth by an individual, Dato’ Seri Abdul Najib Razak. So, why now this wisdom given priority? Where was this wisdom, when Najib actions were for his benefit, his family and his cronies alone?

Whatever the true reason may be, the decision to boycott the by-election can only be seen as a person who is incurably ill abandoning  hope of own survival. BN as well as UMNO are in similar position and that is the precise situation UMNO and its allies are in.

It is crystal clear that UMNO leaders themselves have begun to realise that UMNO’s megalothymia attitude (the arrogant attitude that it ought to be recognised as superior as Francis Fukuyama would define the word) had been exposed. With that attitude UMNO had been able to perpetuate the UMNO only theory which was hatched during the Malayan Union crisis incubated until Merdeka, given an identity of infinity and paramountcythereafter, and which were shattered on May 9^th this year.

In the circumstances, the real reason behind UMNO’s boycott of the Port Dickson by-election is that it has no plausible political agenda to put forward to the voters for their consideration. Whether it was proper for the serving member of Port Dickson Parliamentary constituency to resign is a question the voters will have to decide, and UMNO-BN-could have taken the opportunity to explain, and that is democracy is all about, not abstaining from the democratic process, and hurling ineffective arrows from outside. UMNO-led BN should have learnt the political lesson from former Labour Party of Malaya, whose demise was not only confined to boycott policy it pursued but also the overt acts of the BN’s predecessor the Alliance, which significantly contributed for Labour Party’s unceremonial funeral. UMNO-led Barisan Nasional is not in a different position. 

Now, the voters need only decide whether Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim should be their representative – there being no other issues at all. Strangely, Pakatan Harapan too has no problem, or issue to campaign, because, the deeds of BN-led by the former Prime Minister Najib are now in the court to be adjudicated. The only thing PH can talk about is that Anwar Ibrahim is the Prime Minister-in-waiting,so give him the passport to Parliament! The voters have the right to ask: Is this necessary? Why the haste? And why incur so much of tax-payers’ money and, more importantly, why subject the voters to unnecessary inconvenience and money? Finally, the failure of UMNO or BN failing to take part in the PD by-election is not an issue at all.