Umno readies for crucial meet

Assembly delegates are expected to pledge support for efforts to close party ranks and strengthen Malay unity.

COMMENT

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno regards its general assembly this year as a crucial rallying point not only for its members, but for all Malays, as it prepares for the 13th general election.

It sees the current heated political atmosphere as a threat to Malay political dominance and even its own survival. The heat has in fact been on since 2008, when the Pakatan Rakyat alliance robbed Barisan Nasional of its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Umno and the Malays who support it believe that the rise of the opposition threatens their rights and very existence.

Thus the assembly, which begins this Friday, will see delegates declaring undivided loyalty to the party and support for its objective of restoring and strengthening the political dominance of the Malays.

Party chief Najib Tun Razak has been emphasising the importance of Malay unity and solid support for Umno since he took over the presidency in 2009.

The general belief among Umno leaders is that disunity has robbed the party of so much of its fighting spirit that even the smallest party in the opposition could gather the gumption to question Malay rights and Islamic laws without fear of strong reaction.

Some observers expect assembly delegates to make up for this perceived meekness with fiery speeches against opposition parties and others who question Malay rights and insult Islamic beliefs.

However, in their more sober moments, some delegates are also expected to question the party’s criteria for the selection of candidates in the coming general election. Some will even question their leaders’ wisdom in setting those criteria.

Party headquarters has finalised the list of candidates, but many members and even divisional leaders are said to be unreceptive to the call for them to accept the decision of the leadership.

Some who are disappointed with their exclusion from the list are questioning whether the leaders can really tell a “winnable candidate” from one who is not. They claim they are still popular among voters. But their detractors, particularly anxious young hopefuls, regard them as “spent politicians” who should be replaced.

Nevertheless, observers do not expect the candidacy issue to take centre stage at the assembly because the leaders are not in the mood to entertain it, determined as they are to continue unhindered with the party’s transformation programme – meaning a changing of the guard before it is too late.

The thrust of the assembly will be a call for unity and a plea for support of the leadership’s decisions.

The leaders will emphasise the need to prevent sabotage and boycotts by disgruntled members, which they believe were the main reasons for Umno’s loss of votes in the last election.