Let’s focus

Let’s accept one fact. Umno is the problem. And the problem can never become the solution. And if Ku Li thinks that the solution to the problem is to reform Umno, then he is barking up the wrong tree. And this would mean AMANAH is going to fail.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

On Friday, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) is going to launch a new movement called Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (AMANAH), according to Free Malaysia Today (you can read the full news coverage below).

Some are probably going to say that this is in response to the 9th July 2011 BERSIH rally or that the success of BERSIH has inspired certain people into making this move. Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions, AMANAH was actually in the cards since last year and was an idea that was not only a long time in making but also a long time in waiting.

However, just as BERSIH has been accused of being a vehicle or tool of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (or of Anwar Ibrahim), so will AMANAH be accused of being a vehicle or tool of Umno (or of Ku Li). This is mainly because of the personalities behind, or perceived to be behind, the movement (in BERSIH’s case it is ‘perceived to be behind’).

Ku Li is probably one of the last of the better people in Umno. I would be quite prepared to follow Ku Li. But I would find it difficult to follow him if he remains in Umno.

And that is the problem I am facing.

In his hati kecik (small heart), Ku Li wants to reform Umno. He still believes that Umno can be reformed. But I do not share this view. The only way Umno can be reformed would be to kick it out of office and let it remain a decade or two as an opposition party. Only then will it see the need to reform.

It will reform only because it wants to get back into power.

To be fair, Ku Li is not holding any senior party position in Umno. But that does not mean he is no longer significant to Umno. There are still many people in Umno who look up to him and place hopes in him in bringing reforms to Umno, although that group may be a minority rather than a majority.

Ku Li is never going to become the President of Umno. And this means he is not going to become the Prime Minister either if he is trying to do that as the President of Umno.

If Ku Li is hoping that by reforming Umno this can ensure he becomes the President of the party, and therefore the Prime Minister of Malaysia, then his perjuangan (struggle) will be seen as very narrow indeed. And he is going to face the same problem that Anwar Ibrahim is facing -- in that people view his perjuangan as being about becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Ku Li has to decide whether what he is doing is about reforming Umno or about reforming the country. And he also has to decide whether what he is doing is about serving the rakyat or about serving his own interest (to become Prime Minister).

This is the criticism that Anwar is facing. And it is going to be the same criticism that Ku Li is going to face as well. This is inevitable.

How is Ku Li going to convince everyone that AMANAH is not about Umno and what he is doing is not about ensuring he becomes Prime Minister? This is the task ahead of him. This is the obstacle Anwar is facing and is going to be the obstacle that Ku Li will face as well.

In the meanwhile, I am prepared to give Ku Li the benefit of the doubt unless proven otherwise. We shall support AMANAH until it is proven that AMANAH is not about the rakyat’s agenda but about a personal agenda.

Ku Li, however, will need to do some hard selling. Is he prepared to go all the way by even resigning from Umno to prove that this is not about Umno or about his personal quest to become Prime Minister?

Let’s accept one fact. Umno is the problem. And the problem can never become the solution. And if Ku Li thinks that the solution to the problem is to reform Umno, then he is barking up the wrong tree. And this would mean AMANAH is going to fail.

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Ku Li wants to rekindle spirit of founding fathers
Syed Jaymal Zahiid, Free Malaysia Today

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will launch a new group to rekindle spirit of national unity.

KUALA LUMPUR: Respected Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, popularly known as Ku Li, is set to launch his new outfit Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) aimed at nurturing unity as espoused by the country’s founding fathers.

Amid a more racially divided Malaysia, Amanah said in a statement today the group bids “to reaffirm, inculcate and re-ignite the sense of togetherness and true family spirit that prevailed among all Malaysians during the time of our common struggle for national independence”.

It also said it wants to rekindle the legacy, promise and ideals of Bapa Malaysia and the founding fathers so that all Malaysians may live together as members of a truly just, fair, progressive, united and happy nation community.

Its other objectives are:

* To earnestly acknowledge, affirm and respect the sovereignty of the constituent states of the Malaysian Federation, consistent with the principles of federalism, democratic principles and in the true spirit of the Federal Constitution.

* To ensure that our national institutions respect and uphold the rule of law, democratic principles, rights and universal values.

* To support a government and administration that is transparent and accountable, truly competent, efficient, free of corruption and cronyism, clean and honest, fair and trustworthy, and that will be fully able to serve its functions and meet its responsibilities, freely and fairly; an administration that will always be mindful of the rights and interests of the people in whose name and cause it is appointed to serve.

* To promote the socio-economic well-being of the people, so that all Malaysians may enjoy truly advanced, progressive, fair and equitable lives – individually upholding filial piety and other noble values and collectively joined together in sincere family kinship as members of our national community and as stakeholders in our common national destiny.

* To support an economic policy that will help achieve and sustain a high standard of living for the people, based on the principle of justice, fairness and balance, consistent with the constitution and under a stable monetary condition.

Razaleigh, who is the group’s founding president, will deliver his keynote speech on Friday at the Memorial Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra here.

The Kelantan prince, said to be the “last statesman”, has been very critical towards his own party Umno, the Malay linchpin in the Barisan Nasional.

He has often called for Umno, whose image is badly tarnished by its racial politics, to return to the party’s original struggles – the guardian of all races in the country.