The Umno trap

We have heard of the middle income trap; a situation where a country after attaining a certain income will get stuck at that level - unable to progress further but may gently slip backwards.

For citizens of such a nation, there will typically be a majority earning within the middle income range with a small percentage of poor, rich and the super-rich. Those in the middle income group usually slide back into the poor group as the years go by, with only a few able to join the rich and super-rich.

Like it or not, the majority will be trapped and burdened with increasing debt to make ends meet.

There is also a low income trap or the poverty trap. But the UMNO trap is the most 'unique'. It is truly a case study of how a corruption and race-based party evolves through the years it held power.

Trapped with being racist

UMNO is basically only for Malays although it later changed a bit to allow other Bumiputeras entree so as to boost its own political longevity. Perhaps, this is why UMNO doesn't know better than to play the race card all the time until eventually it becomes racist - a Malay supremacist party insensitive to the rights of others.

So far, UMNO can never give a convincing rebuttal to the other races that it is not racist. Why is it not racist when UMNO is Malay and Malay is UMNO? That is what many UMNO members including former premier Mahathir Mohamad like to declare anyway.

But still UMNO being UMNO, it will go all out to pay a Professor 'Kangkong' (academic of dubious merit)  to prove that UMNO is not racist. No matter what, UMNO is trapped in its own racism.

Trapped without bright leaders

Next we recall back what Mahathir recently said about why UMNO leaders have not been able to recruit young talent. "So if somebody who is better than them comes in, then they feel their position is threatened. So they try their best not to allow better qualified people to come in," he said.

UMNO has no more bright young leaders. However it is not as simple as brain drain - it is much worse. Why? Firstly, there aren't many bright people in UMNO - so how can there be a 'brain' drain?. Secondly like Mahathir said, UMNO simply won’t allow people with bright ideas, with brains to join the party.

UMNO is trapped by its own insecurity and will stay a brainless party.

Trapped with money politics

In the earlier days, when UMNO leaders were trying to negotiate Malaya’s independence from the British, it managed to collect donations from the Malays to fund the negotiating teams. But now, the situation is reversed; wealthy UMNO hands out money to its members and leaders.

Even the party's membership fees are paid by UMNO. Everything that UMNO does depends on money. For UMNO, money is like water to the fish and oxygen to all living things.

Mahathir said, "In my time UMNO was strong. Now it is not. If you support so and so, you get contracts, you get all these perks. Whether the party is down or not, it is irrelevant to them. They must be holding their posts and getting their perks."

In the end, which is surely now, UMNO stripped to the core is nothing but money politics and more money politics. UMNO is trapped by money politics.

When money is the oxygen running through and giving life to UMNO and all its divisions and parts, politicians need not be clean. In fact, the dirtier the better.

With the meager income of being an MP or even a minister (compared to the needs of their constituencies), how can they have enough money to make their voters happy? Their voters will ask for many things such as pocket money to attend events, bus and taxi fares apart from seeking help over issues, quarrels and even contracts. It is no wonder that UMNO politicians are bogged down with ensuring they have enough money to spend and to appease their voters.

When people are fed money from UMNO politicians in return for their continuous support, you can be sure every UMNO politician will go all out to lay his hands on as much money as possible - no matter how. That's how he stays in power.

Of course, corruption being the easiest route, it becomes the most common method used by UMNO politicians. Is it any wonder that UMNO is trapped by money politics?

Trapped with cheating, lies and corruption

Despite all efforts, there are some things that money can’t buy and even if money can be used, UMNO may not have enough money or its top guns divided on whether to spend money on a particular purpose or not?

So far to resolve such 'stubborn' cases, what UMNO does is it to manipulate, flip-flop, cheat and lie. UMNO will divert the issue, point fingers and blame others. Including making empty promises. Yes, it is UMNO which always makes empty promises.

One good example is when Isa Samad promised the Bagan Pinang people that Port Dickson will be turned into a military town. Not a thing has been done so far.  Isa Samad is not doing anything about it because he is busy trying to manipulate and make money from Prime Minister Najib Razak's pet project - the Felda listing.

Port Dickson is still the same mediocre tourist town catering for the poor and lower middle income people.

UMNO politicians will also create money-making schemes that lead to scandals. Everything that the BN federal government does that involves money will somehow turn out to be a money-making scheme with a trail leading to UMNO and its cronies - you name it!

There is the MAS bail-outs (note not bailout BUT bailouts) with Tajuddin Ramli owing hundreds of millions to the national carrier as well as Danaharta but miraculously settled via secret out-of-the- court settlements, Najib's own RM7.3 billion Scorpene submarines scandal, ex-Women minister Shahrizat Jalil's RM250 million NFC 'Cowgate' scandal and the jaw-dropping expenses racked up by Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor for their overseas travels. The full list must surely be a meter long.

It has also been accused of cheating in every past election. UMNO has used the Election Commission whose chairman and deputy chairman are both UMNO members to allegedly falsify the electoral roll, misuse postal votes, gerrymander as well as to impose unfair restrictions such as reducing the campaign period.

The party has used all the government machineries to its own advantage. UMNO is trapped by its own corruption.

Trapped with abusing power.

UMNO has used the law, the courts and the police to intimidate the people who support the Opposition and to defeat the Opposition. UMNO even used the country's constitutional monarchy to stay in power. It has used the draconian ISA to jail dissidents like Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh.

UMNO has used the police, the Attorney-General, the government hospitals and even the Chemistry Department to fabricate Sodomy I and Sodomy II evidence against Anwar. Government servants who are inclined towards the Opposition have been transferred to faraway towns with very short notices. Those who don't support UMNO-BN will be left out of development and progress.

Petroleum royalties are not being given to oil-supplying states Kelantan and Terengganu, while Sabah too has been deprived of its oil wealth. It seems UMNO can never act according to the law and in adherence with good practice. UMNO, it appears, will always abuse the power it attained - illegitimately in the first place - by cheating during every election!

Trapped in time

UMNO can never change. Whenever voices call for change, they will be sacked from UMNO. Mahathir was sacked from UMNO by Tunku Abdul Rahman. Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh and Anwar were all removed from power or sacked by Mahathir.

UMNO can't seem to function in a pragmatic way and change with the times. When Malaysia becomes more liberal in future as more people opt for non-race-based parties, UMNO will still be the same trapped in its own time warp. In the end UMNO won’t be able to pass the test of time. It will be irrelevant to the majority of the Malays.

Even now, the Malays have several choices; they have PAS, PKR and DAP. UMNO may say that the Malays are divided and won’t be strong but PAS, PKR and DAP are under Pakatan Rakyat. Like it or not, Malaysia has embraced a two-party system and every Malaysian can freely vote for either Pakatan or BN.

So, let us not get trapped with UMNO

Given such an ominous resume, should Malaysians get trapped forever with UMNO. UMNO is for the Malays only. But we are Malaysians and we can be truly Malaysian without UMNO and for that matter without MIC, MCA and Gerakan too.

Malaysians can live without BN in power. Indeed, they have around too long, so let's avoid falling into the UMNO trap once again.

Malaysia Chronicle