How Umno uses political thuggery to stay on top

 

Political thuggery seems to be an effective way for Umno to get away with many things while increasing its popularity.

I have seen enough of this over 30 years of scrutinising Malaysian politics to conclude that it may not simply be the work of individuals seeking popularity. In fact, it appears to be an important strategy in politics.

Pundits should not be quick to judge Umno as a 

bad

 political party. As I have found during my time in academia, party members tend to relish these acts of political thuggery.

To many Malays, politicians engaging in political thuggery are 

pahlawan

 (warriors), although they tend to operate from within their circles of Malay groups when hurling insults at others.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 

pendatang

 (immigrant) narrative and his branding of the Chinese community as 

ungrateful

 are prime examples of this, although, unlike many others, he has never stooped so low as to use sexual metaphors or make derogatory remarks.

How does political thuggery help Umno gain voters? First, it is the most popular method of winning over Malay sentiments. Malays tend to come across as a brotherhood fighting the 

pendatang

, ignoring the fact that they are themselves immigrants from around the Nusantara.

Instant popularity

Insults spewed by Umno politicians at non-Malays like Teresa Kok, Nga Kor Ming and non-Malay groups such as DAP and Christians, tend to gain instant popularity and support among less educated, educated and even the highly-educated Malays.

Second, political thuggery has kept Umno as the 

boss

 of Malaysian politics. The term 

gangster

 may also be used if it is understood to mean 

someone to be feared

. In fact, the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat of PAS once got into trouble for appearing to define the Almighty in such terms.

With Umno bossing politics in the country for many decades, political thuggery came into play as the party needed to be seen as the boss. Politicians from rival parties avoided doing the same, due to the risk of being accused of sedition.

Diversionary tactic

With Umno now only a small partner in the Pakatan Harapan-led unity government, the actions of politicians like Dr Akmal Saleh have helped maintain the party’s 

boss

 or 

gangster

 effect. That is how effective and important his role has been in Umno.

Third, political thuggery also distracts from important and critical matters such as corruption and conferring more projects on Malays. For instance, it tends to draw the spotlight away from Najib Razak’s wrongdoings and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s proposals to increase the stake held by the Bumiputera and the Malays in the economy.

In war, it is called a diversionary tactic. This tactic can be highly effective when the issue involves religion, such as the KK Mart sock issue.

Switching sides

Finally, political thuggery also opens a door to the possibility of Umno switching coalitions. Umno has repeatedly signalled that it is open to joining Perikatan Nasional provided it is on Umno’s terms. Meanwhile, it also serves as a negotiating tool for more perks from PH.

Although Zahid has dismissed a revival of Muafakat Nasional with PAS, anything can happen in the name of political survival.

Recently, Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamad has been accused of attempting to sow discord within the unity government. That may well be another attempt at political thuggery.

After all, political thuggery is a weapon of choice and necessity for Umno. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.