The illogic of a liberal and progressive UMNO

Here is an article written by a commentator:

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The illogic of a liberal and progressive UMNO – Part I

By Ramayana

The recent statement by UMNO’s new Ketua Pemuda (who is also the old Ketua Pemuda, of course) defies logic. And that drives me nuts. Enough to make me put finger to keyboard and write something so that people can see just how nonsensical it is. And how nonsensical Pemuda UMNO has become.

Yes. The Emperor-in-waiting has no clothes, and this is why:

1. Ketua Pemuda is quoted as saying, in Pemuda UMNO’s official mouthpiece, that his win was a sign that UMNO wants to be more progressive and liberal. In other words, that UMNO wants to be like him and his big boss. Yet, the recent elections suggest this approach makes no sense:

a. If the Malay majority had indeed wanted a more liberal and progressive leadership, surely they would have voted for PKR and/or PAS en masse at GE13? Why didn’t they?

b. Instead, they turned around and gave UMNO an even bigger win this time. Why? Was it because at that moment they saw UMNO as a more progressive and liberal Malay party?

c. Is this then to be taken as a sign that the majority of Malays wants UMNO to become more progressive and liberal? If so, we wonder how these folks read roadsigns.

2. Related to that: it’s not just the Ketua Pemuda who makes the mistake, but these days almost everyone on top in UMNO, too – I loathe to use the term “UMNO leadership” because at present time they are showing anything but. They confidently proclaim that the reason why the Malays turned and gave UMNO a bigger majority was because – get this – the majority Malays accepted and endorsed Agenda Transformasi that UMNO brings through its president President (if you get what I mean).

I got a one word response to that. Unfotunately, it is unprintable.

a. We have to ask the President and his deluded minions: if that is supposed to be a sign that the Malay majority wants UMNO’s Agenda Transformasi, what does it say about the 95% Chinese voters who soundly REJECTED it?

b. Why continue with an agenda that is accepted only by 55% of the electorate, and soundly rejected in the urban areas?

No need to answer the rhetorical questions because we all know that the present stand – “Melayu sokong dan mahu Agenda Transformasi UMNOOOOO!” – is just a classic “cover line”, to use the popular Malay term.

The delusional belief stems from an effort to save the UMNO President’s self esteem that got whacked kaw-kaw at the recent elections. Despite the greatness of his Agenda Transformasi, 95% of the Chinese who were supposedly eating out of his hands rejected BN/UMNO. Who can forget the face of the BN/UMNO President the day after the results were announced? Terkulat-kulat sampai tak tahu nak duduk atau nak berdiri. Priceless. But then, just a few months on, he has found a way to excuse his bad performance, and is now back to his arrogant self.

Delusions is what you get when you hang out with the rakyat to watch footie on teevee only in Bangsar and Subang Jaya. Go down la to the various Uptowns and Downtowns and see what is really going on the minds of the REAL Melayu who are UMNO’s constituents. Then maybe you would know – as we on the outside already know clearly and without any doubt – the over-riding reason why the Malay masses turned to UMNO during the last elections.

3. Ketua Pemuda declares that he wants to make UMNO more centrist. WTF. UMNO _is_ centrist. This has been covered elsewehere, so I will keep it short:

The extremists are PAS and DAP, both extreme parties that are trying desperately – and succeeding – to cover line their extremism.

UMNO has always been centrist: UMNO’s policies – despite repeated attempts to paint them as negative, even by its own Ketua Pemuda – benefit everyone equally, if not favouring more towards the nons. Even with the NEP, when Malays get government contracts, they bring these jobs to suppliers – who make up the vast majority of these suppliers? The NEP succeeded in creating a huge Malay middle class – who benefits from this huge market made up of almost 70% of the nation’s population?

The illogic of a liberal and progressive UMNO – Part II

4. Again, we start by querying the logic: WTF do you want to turn UMNO into PKR for? Offering the same shit as the other side? Where is your USP then? The Malay noobs who want to be liberal and progressive, they should just go vote for PKR. Which in fact, was what they did.

a. But hang on. Excuse me, didn’t UMNO itself say that the majority of the Malay male youth voted BN/UMNO in GE13? So where’s the problem, yo?

b. You think by doing a PKR you would out-PKR PKR? How is that logical?

The analogy is of a nasi lemak seller who becomes an overnight success. So the very next day what happens? A new nasi lemak seller opens up a stall. Right next to the incumbent nasi lemak seller. Familiar story, innit? Who would have thought that Pemuda UMNO wanted a Ketua Pemuda who has the mentality of a jealous nasi lemak seller?

To put it another way: when you go and ape Apple, you are doomed to be stuck in Apple’s shadow. Nothing you come out with will ever be better than an iPad because, hell, iPad is Apple. Solution: offer something that is not an iPad. Like Android. And a company whose philosophy is not Apple’s. Like Google. See, you _can_ offer an alternative and still be cool.

You just need to, I dunno, think. Innovate, rather than copy. And here we thought innovation was the in-thing du jour of Bapak Presiden.

Create a new category, the way Apple had created a new category jugak dulu. When people offer A, you offer B. That’s logical. That’s a real alternative. When people offer A, you ejaculate in your pants and hurriedly turn the ship’s wheels around to offer A as well. When it is not even yet proven – as we have seen from the GE13 results – that 60% of the masses want the philosophy that A has. WTF is that if not insanity?

5. Related to that: one, in GE13 95% Chinese went out to vote vs 55% Malay/Bumis, yet UMNO still won. What does that say? Two, stats I have come across suggest the Malay youth under 30 mainly voted for BN. What does that say?

The logical thing to do would have been to strengthen your existing base. AND THEN you go look for new markets. At that time you can use your Bapak Presiden’s favourite Blue Ocean strategy – might as well, right, since you already paid millions for it.

Where is the logic of going for new markets before consolidating your existing one? Pre-assuming – based on denials and false assumptions – what your current market wants? That’s why perhaps after graduating from a prestigious alma mater the proper thing to do would have been to look for a job rather than a well-connected soulmate to marry. Masuk wataniah, jadi model majalah, ada dapat bayaran yang contribute kepada income Melayu naik to First World levels ke, dik.

6. The Malays have to change in order to compete in this new world. I agree wholeheartedly. But at what cost?

a. Do we need to be like others and become ultra-kiasu just to compete with them?

b. Do we have to set our religious principles aside in order to become successful?

We Malays have our set of principles, we have our way of life. At least in this country we could still create an environment where we can live the way we want to live.

So why are we dancing to the tune of others when it is we – who form 67% of the population – who should be the ones beating the gendang – not drum, ye Bapak Presiden, no need to get excited – for others to dance to?

This is UMNO’s role and responsibility. To create that environment for the majority of Malays. But it doesn’t want to do that. Instead it wants to become exotic little creatures that everyone would coo and ahh to, massive exercises of ego-massaging for people with low self esteem and such desperately low self confidence in their own capabilities that they need a battalion of advisors.

The question we majority Malays are left with at the end of the day is this:

If UMNO becomes “liberal dan progresif”, where are we majority Malays who are “tradisionalis dan konservatif” supposed to turn to? We already _have_ a traditionalist and conservative Malay party: it’s called UMNO.

Those who crave to be liberal and progressive should just decamp to PKR. Why are you still in UMNO?

END