One can’t be an Umno clone and hope to do better than Umno

YOURSAY | ‘Nobody can be ‘better’ at being more Umno than Umno.’

Why Bersatu will fail

Sarwakian: Nicely written, writer Nicholas Wong. I agree with you on almost everything. But remember Bersatu failing is not equivalent to Pakatan Harapan failing.

Previously, Umno Baru had strong allies in MCA and MIC. Now PKR and DAP have made those allies irrelevant. Even Umno is much weaker now than during Dr Mahathir Mohamad's time as it is weighted down by scandals.

I agree that Bersatu will eventually fail, but for now their presence could be enough to tip the 14th general election (GE14) against BN. If Semangat 46 were around today, even their weak presence would be enough to cause the fall of BN when allied with PKR and DAP.

Existential Turd: Wong is not the first nor the last one who came to this conclusion. Only one that is blinded by their desire to overthrow Najib Abdul Razak can overlook this elephant in the room. One cannot be a clone of Umno and hope to perform better than Umno. Nobody can be ‘better’ at being more Umno than Umno.

The web of patronage wasn't built in one day. Umno has had half a century to take root. Bersatu is like a seed germinating under Umno's shade. It can never compete in terms of nutrients and sunshine. For Bersatu to succeed, it has to differentiate itself from Umno, and not by being more jingoistic.

For it to claim it is Umno sans Najib is not enough. For those on the outside, it is just Umno team A vs Umno team B. Team B is using the opposition to achieve its goal.

We don't want to replicate BN in Pakatan Harapan. To repeat a failed system and hoping for a different result is pure insanity.

Proarte: Bersatu will fail because it is trying to adopt a political high ground relative to Umno but at the same time adopting Umno's ‘racist and supremacist’ ideology.

Racism and false notions of supremacy can never lead to better governance or racial unity. Umno has traction with Malays, no doubt because of its 'branding' but also because it has the financial means to offer 'dedak' to Malays who are increasingly dependent and grateful for 'handouts'.

Mahathir has gone on record as saying that Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) is 'bribery' and also counterproductive because it is also benefitting people like the Chinese who traditionally do not vote for Umno.

Well, the fact is we all love BR1M but do not want Umno to ‘mismanage’ our country in such an appalling way.

What does PBBM (or self-styled 'Bersatu') have to offer Malaysia in the long run? I would say nothing because the Umno ideology of Malay supremacy and first class citizenship with the 'non-bumiputera' relegated to second class status remains intact.

Clever Voter: There hasn't been on record any single politician who resigned and successfully formed a new party. Perhaps that has discouraged many members from the established parties.

Mahathir made many grave errors and wrong judgements. Quite a few were irreversible.

Bersatu was formed out of convenience. It’s essentially a carbon copy of Umno. The recipe is the same except the labelling. It’s an uphill task for them to win.

Bersatu has no choice but to leverage on others. Its biggest test will be to gain the heartlands of Umno and not urban sectors. I wouldn't be surprised if they come out third behind DAP and PKR.

Anonymous 2342611447832424: Long live Dr M. You have undergone three bypasses and yet you are still vibrant and industrious as ever. I believe God keeps you alive for a reason - to right the wrongs that had been done by Umno/BN for the past 50 years.

The rakyat (except the diehard Umno/BN hypocrites) salute you for realising the past mistakes you have made and your willingness to correct them even when you are already in your twilight years.

The rakyat will pray that Dr M will be able to unite the opposition forces to defeat Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) and his team of alleged ‘penyamun’ in GE14. Ameen.

Donplaypuks: Bersatu stands to get rid of the utterly detestable and reprehensible ‘serially lying’ and 1MDB ‘defrauder, looter and plunderer’, his government and Umno/BN. That alone is sufficient for many even if the status quo before Najib was appointed PM in 2009 remains intact.

Get rid of the vermin and plague first; that is what that matters most. The rest, we are prepared to 'belakang kira'. In any event, it will split the Malay vote even further, and for all Umno/BN’s apparent nonchalance, there is real panic and fear in Najib's camp because of Bersatu. Ooh, doesn't that feel great.

Bersatu Malaysia: The only way for the opposition to win is to pattern itself after BN. A Malay party, a Chinese party, an Indian party, another party for intellectuals like Gerakan, a Sabahan party and a Sarawakian party coming together to form ‘Barisan Malaysia’, ‘Ikatan Malaysia’, ‘Bersatu Malaysia’ or by some other name that encompasses all races.

But no religious party must be included. Religion and politics don’t mix in Malaysia. You cannot impose religious beliefs in a multi-racial Malaysia. It will destroy the country.

888: If it's a straight fight between Bersatu and Umno, half of Malay votes and more or all the non-Malay votes will go to Bersatu. So there's a fighting chance for Bersatu, and hopefully it won't turn out just like the Umno it gets rid of.

Worldly Wise: Dr M nurtured full control of the minds of the rakyat by fully controlling the media. He perhaps meant well.

He did not realise that a free and responsible media was a check and balance against abuse of authority. He is now up against the fully-controlled media. Only the few adventurous elite read the social media.

Unless he joins forces wholeheartedly with jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, both he and Muhyiddin and others have no chance at all of dislodging BN.

Dont Just Talk: A young college student once told an ‘old dog’ that everything is difficult but nothing is impossible.

The only setback in our democratic system is our electoral roll, when 51 percent of the popular vote is still unable to form the federal government and unless gerrymandering is correctly resolved, there will never be a free and fair election in Malaysia. Use your head, boy.

Drngsc: Yes, it is tough, but doable. We have to succeed to save Malaysia. For the sake of Malaysia in the 21st century, race-based parties and religion-based parties must be abolished. They have done us more harm than good. A Malaysia for all.

The Malays will prosper once we remove the affirmative policy which is a crutch that they had held on to for far too long.- Mkini