The tragedy that is Umno

Mariam Mokhtar

Umno is not for the Malays. Umno exists only so that its leaders will thrive to the detriment of the normal, ordinary Malay.

Umno is full of Malays who are afraid to say “No”. “No” to corruption. “No” to power abuse. “No” to seeking as well as giving patronage.

Perhaps one can add, “No” to Mahathir, “No” to Najib.

Umno has been in power for over 54 years. Not all Malays wish to be in Umno, but Umno does need all of the Malays for it to be a potent force. Today, Umno refuses to accept that Malays are abandoning Umno.

Around the time of independence, Umno may have had people of quality within its ranks. Today, it is alleged that loyalty is determined by money. Is that what Umno think the Malays are proud of? That their allegiance is easily bought? Umno strips Malays of self-worth and self-respect.

Instead of using intelligent discourse and logic to dissect any issue, Umno uses sexual allegations or character assassinations, to blacken the reputation of members of the opposition. Opposition leaders had their characters or their children’s character tarnished with untrue allegations in pro-Umno blogs.

Gutter politics are prevalent in Umno and was witnessed during the last Umno general assembly. Name calling and snide insinuations seemed to be the order of the day. These men and women, who are supposed to be leaders and pillars of Malay society, are a disgrace to themselves and the nation.

In Umno, men who were guilty of sexual acts, against their hired help or against minors, talk about the sexual behaviour of other people, as if they led blameless lives. Those who are guilty of money politics tried to distract attention by calling on opposition members to resign. What happened to accountability and responsibility?

These men and women, talk about religion as if they were themselves, free of sin. These same people use any opportunity to say that the failure of the Malays is because of the dominance of the non-Malays.

In education, for instance, the Malays are given the best chances for obtaining a higher education. Things are made deliberately easy for them. The undesirable side-effect is that they and their children grow up lacking aspiration and ambition.

Malays who wanted to improve themselves by learning English are now considered traitors. Many Malays who study overseas have a poor grasp of English. Many who were not allowed to mix with other races at home, found great difficulty adapting to life with non-Malays.

Is this what Umno leaders want of the Malay? For them to be cocooned and their minds closed to what is happening in the global arena?

Tunnel vision

Malays have lost the respect of the other races and nationalities. Worldwide, people are breaking down the walls which prevent intermingling, but not, it appears, in the Malay race.

Malays have tunnel vision when it comes to understanding social mores. They see non-Malays and non-Muslims as a threat to their very existence. They feel that they are far superior to the other races or nationalities, and their belligerence prevents them from accepting that others are superior to them in many fields; be it education, business, social integration and civility.

Umno leaders have tried to use the Ketuanan Melayu concept to champion Malay interests. In truth, Ketuanan Melayu only champions the interests of Umno leaders.

Umno is not for the Malays. Umno exists only so that its leaders will thrive to the detriment of the normal, ordinary Malay.

Does Umno practise equality and fairness? Who gets the contracts and government tenders? Is this Umno’s idea of helping the Malays? Even among the Malays, fairness is not practised.

The Umno cronies have the monopoly on the staples of life like rice, bottled drinks, bread, beer, brandy, cattle, airlines and their associated industries, APs (Approved Permits), electricity, contracts for school supplies, NS (National Service) uniforms, cars, petrol and petrol stations, road construction, taxi permits, whisky, water, gambling.

Does Umno encourage the opportunity for growth and expansion? Those who have fallen out of favour or those who no longer enjoy the patronage of various government ministers, probably wished that legitimate competition had been around, in the first place.

Without healthy competition, how can confidence be inspired in foreign investors so that their investments will bring employment and opportunities to Malaysians?

What Brand Malaysia?

As a nation, do we have confidence in our own public institutions like the police, the judiciary and the various services which support society?

Are we confident that when things go wrong, the help of agencies which tackle corruption, or investigate criminal acts can be relied upon?

Are the leaders in Umno able to understand that without progressive reforms, the country’s growth is retarded, the people are held back and opportunities to improve the lives of the rakyat are few?

Does Umno realise that “Brand Malaysia” is a sum of its individual races and that the contribution of each community is important?

Right now, only Malay interests are treated with reverence, whilst the others are sidelined. Will Umno ever see the need to discard its racist policies?

Umno does not seem to appreciate that it needs to rebuild its core values. If it continues down the path of racism and religious intolerance, the party which once sustained its members, may never be able to recover.

Perhaps, that is not such a bad thing after all.