Where have all the Malay leaders gone?

No one has proven to be a figure Malaysians can invest their hopes and dreams in

Mahathir Mohamad must be a deeply disappointed man. Surely, when he took up the cause of overthrowing Najib Razak, he must have expected solid support from at least a handful of Umno leaders who saw eye to eye with him with regard to the need for change. And among those leaders, he probably expected one or two to show enough leadership to take over from Najib. It is obvious now that no one in Umno has made enough of a case for himself, and this highlights a serious crisis the nation has faced for some time – the lack of a strong Malay leadership.

A strong Malay leader is a necessity for the continued stability of the nation, but who can we turn to?

Isn’t it sad that we can rely only on the 90-year-old Mahathir? Where have all the good leaders gone? Of course, many claim to be leaders, but even with Mahathir saying they need to step up and show that they deserve to assume the reins, no one has dared to commit to the cause. All we have are a few hemming and hawing from the sidelines, but never daring to make a definite break from Najib.

In truth, no one, not Muhyiddin Yassin, not Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, and not anyone from the opposition has stepped up to a point where he can be clearly seen as a potential prime minister. No one has proven to be a figure Malaysians can invest their hopes and dreams in.

This is worrisome indeed. If we cannot identify the faces that will carry us into the future, then are we headed for uncertainty no matter who is trotted out in front of us to be called “Prime Minister”? But then again, the job is so tainted and carries so much baggage that no one can blame our leaders for not wanting to step up.

Nevertheless, the situation is not sustainable. We need a new generation of credible Malay leaders to rise up. It is clear now that we can’t rely on the likes of Khairy Jamaluddin, who once seemed so promising, but has since fizzled out. Perhaps we must instead look to those like Nurul Izzah and Saifuddin Abdullah to get a glimpse of hope.

Mahathir leads the way now, but soon, even he will have to lower his torch and pass the flame on to someone new. With all the Umno leaders found wanting, it is possible that whoever Mahathir picks will not be up to the job. That being the case, deposing Najib will be nothing but a symbolic gesture. Nothing will change.