RM200,000 insurance for Bernama man: A need for honest politics in Umno

Amid a storm of public criticism, the UMNO-linked Putra 1Malaysia Club has hastened to announce that the family of BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor killed in Somalia last week will receive insurance of RM200,000.

But while appreciated, the sum is unlikely to assuage the grief felt by his family, which includes two young sons aged 3 and 8.

"What we need are honest politics, not selfish or hypocritical politics aimed to mask and hide internal party problems and to gain political mileage at the expense of others, like now Noramfaizul has been killed and he doesn't even know why," PKR vice president Tian Chua toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Noramfaizul was shot by a stray bullet while covering the UMNO club's humanitarian mission.

UMNO blamed

Indeed, Noramfaizul's family has lambasted the club for organising the mission to Somailia without checking the facts or giving prior training and sufficient protective gear such as bullet proof vests - a must in Somailia rated by the international wtachdog groups as being one of the world's deadliest nations especially for the media.

But a slew of other UMNO leaders including Prime Minister Najib Razak and former premier Mahathir Mohamad have rushed out to defend the Somalian mission.

"I have already communicated this to Noramfaizul's parents when we met yesterday (Sunday)," said Putra 1Malaysia Club boss Abdul Azeez, when announcing the RM200,000 insurance during an RTM morning talk show with Information, Culture and Communications minister Rais Yatim on Monday.

“The Opposition does not know how to be thankful or grateful. They even say disparaging things about those who struggled for the independence they now enjoy,” Star reported Mahathir as saying.

A need for honest politics

Mahathir was referring to the Bukit Kepong incident in which PAS deputy president Mat Sabu had said the real fighters for Malaya's independence from British rule was not UMNO as it has always claimed, but other freedom fighters and groups.

UMNO immediately condemned Mat Sabu to be a 'traitor' and a 'communist'. But in recent days, more historians have emerged to lay down the facts and recognise the contribution of Malay freedom fighters such as Mat Indera,Shamsiah Fakeh and the PUTERA-Amcja. These had been victimised and betrayed by UMNO to the British, which had tended to favour the elitist UMNO.

But perhaps Mahathir's statement sums up what is wrong in the Malaysian political scene.

The 85-year-old sees the world from the UMNO point of view and for him there is no other viewpoint. Whether this is sincerely so, or he is doing it in order to protect the corrupt old-boys-club power-structuture created by the UMNO elite is arguable. But UMNO's refusal to admit that they do no have a monoploy on the nation has spawned the greatest disunity amongst the people in the nation.

"It is not about Somalia or the Gaza flotilla mission or any one particular campaign. However, in each case, before sending off any staff, the employer must always ensure the staff are trained and can do their jobs with proper equipment. Underlying and overriding all that is the fact that UMNO is still refusing to clean up its politics," said Tian.

"All UMNO needs to do to be popular is to fight corruption and not cover up for its lack of performance by 'glamour' trips here and there. Malaysia is itself in bad shape and needs aid. Do we see anyone being sent to help the Penan, for example?"

- Malaysia Chronicle