More educated millennial, Gen Z Malays starting to question persistent graft tendencies in UMNO

 

A SEEMINGLY pro-Madani Threader has sought an explanation from UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki as to why leaders of the party continuously harp on the so-called Bumiputera rights and privileges but shy away from addressing the thorny concern of corruption culture among Malay leaders.

Referring to the MARA chairman’s speech at the at the Seminar Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam last Sunday (Oct 4), Muhd (@fawwais1989) further queried why UMNO leaders seldom touched on the above subject or that of social ills or weaknesses in the community.

The four other contemporary issues listed by the critical millennial poster are (i) danger poser of the Mat Rempit menace among young Malays; (ii) war against young Malay drug addiction; (iii) qualities of a Malay Islamic leader; and (iv) integrity and trustworthiness in Islam.

“Are those issues not valid for UMNO survival? Please enlighten me,” insisted @fawwais1989. “Educate Malay youths to unite, not incite them to be divided. ”

For context, Asyraf has specifically called on UiTM undergraduates not to be influenced by equality agendas that could erode Bumiputera educational privileges but instead urged them to defend special provisions under Article 153 on the special position of the Malays and Sabahan/Sarawakian natives.

He noted that the constitution specifically outlines positions for Malays and native groups – rather than the broader “Bumiputera” term – in public service, education and the economy.

The remarks drew mixed public reactions and criticism from human rights NGOs such as Pusat KOMAS which argued that rejecting equality principles runs counter to the inclusive intent of the national framework.

New-gen see through UMNO?

In fact, this is not the first time that educated millennial and Gen Z Malays are questioning the somehow entrenched graft culture in UMNO.

A number of UiTM students have taken to Threads to even berate the appropriateness of UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi officiating the said Seminar Ilmuwan Islam Malaysia given his past graft-linked track record.

Fanning the fire are Madani backers who questioned the timing of the event and using the good name of Islam following allegations of fund embezzlement linked to the Bumiputera institution’s investment arm, UITM Holdings Sdn Bhd.

As it is, prominent advocate and solicitor Dr Zulqarnain Lukman has recently remarked that UMNO will remain on the defensive if it continues to be relentlessly pressured/confronted by corruption and embezzlement issues.

The devastating effect is that this will inevitably erode public trust in the party, thus causing the electorate to withhold their votes from Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 16th General Election (GE16).

Zulqarnain further contended that the party cannot escape issues of corruption and embezzlement given its long tenure in power – a situation that provided opportunities for certain leaders and members to exploit their positions within the government for illicit gain.

“Public confidence in UMNO appeared to improve after the party became a component of the unity government. This was evidenced by their victories in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections,” observed the lawyer who specialises in Islamic family law, constitutional law, human rights and commercial law.

“However, their decision to contest solo or align with Perikatan Nasional (PN) has caused frustration among Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders and supporters.”

Whatever the case is, awareness is certainly rising among the younger generation Malays who in recent times have tended to be ‘hypercritical’ of UMNO’s whims and fancies as judged from comments in the query directed to the UMNO sec-gen. 

 - Focus Malaysia