Arrogant Umno now the enemy of the people and Monarchy

Bersih 2.0 is a national milestone on the road to better governance. It is obviously an international concern drawing global attention and even support. But UMNO’s persistence in adamantly clinging to its high and mighty pole of pedestal politics is only driving the rakyat into a tight corner.

And that in itself is very volatile – an eventuality that would have been no fault of the masses.

The developments surrounding Bersih 2.0’s determined struggle is common knowledge that even the cheaply hired immigrant laborer is able to hold coherent conversation on the subject. But what is most significant is that despite the country’s constitutional monarch welcoming the representatives of the rakyat’s Bersih 2.0 rally plan to an extremely rare audience, UMNO is still walking the streets with guns drawn.

Where is the humility of UMNO that has always proclaimed from its pedestal of power that it holds the constitutional monarchy in highest esteem? Is UMNO not a subject of His Majesty?

Going by the increasing hard line stance of UMNO one now wonders: is UMNO after all the true enemy of Malaysia’s Constitutional Monarchy?

Arrogant

UMNO’s President and also the Prime Minister of Malaysia arrogantly states that the government is waiting for Bersih to talk to them with regards to UMNO’s offer to a stadium.

The boss of UMNO is stating that there will be conditions set before the government allows the indoor rally.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia is saying that if the event turns ugly the government will hold the rally organizers responsible.

And in the meantime, all that UMNO leaders had uttered and threatened and acted through the police authorities have not been withdrawn with an apology nor does it seem that the raids and arrests and the prized ‘ammunition discoveries’ are stopped.

And neither is UMNO's media war on the rakyat showing any direction or hint of responsible reporting that complies with the universal code that upholds and protects the balancing act of the right to be informed and the duty to inform.

The rakyat were hoping that after His Majesty The Yang DiPertuan Agung in recognizing that his subjects were crying out for justice, convened an audience with the rakyat’s representatives, the government would have shown some remorse and humility as well as respect for the nation’s highest seat of authority.

No. UMNO now only seems even more resolute to pin the rakyat to the wall. Does UMNO not realize that for as long as it is in the driver’s seat of governing a country that responsibility to facilitate, encourage and accommodate citizenry governance in political direction setting is UMNO’s?

Does UMNO not realize that even more citizens are distancing themselves from UMNO today then 2008 owing to the high and mighty pedestal stance of UMNO’s leaders?

Does UMNO not understand that they are only a political party that gained the mandate to form the government subsequent to the rakyat casting their votes for them and more importantly the King giving his consent to govern his loyal subjects?

Something then is seriously very, very wrong in Malaysia. But for how long can things remain wrong is the next frightening question on people’s mind.

- J. D. Lovrenciear is a reader and contributor to Malaysia Chronicle