To rebuild, Umno must rid itself of its 'Jamals'

Still reeling from its humiliating defeat at the hands of voters last month, Umno, formed by some of Malaysia's founding fathers, and which held the major share of federal power for over six decades, now finds itself facing the test of another vote  – its internal party polls.

This double dose of election fear has led to varying degrees of soul searching, from its irate grassroots who have felt let down and ignored by their leaders, to its top echelon with more still left to lose.

In the days following the 14th general election defeat, many have acquired, it would seem, supernatural powers of hindsight – to them, it is now suddenly obvious where the party had gone wrong and who was to blame.

Many others have called for self-reflection and the need to either strip the party of excesses and focus on its core purpose of old – to be the bastion for Malay rights in the country – or restructure its very DNA and open it up to all races, becoming 'United Malaysians' instead of just 'United Malays'.

Several party veterans, too, have found that the battle scars from the general election ran too deep and opted out of contesting altogether, to make way for a new generation of leaders.

But there remain some who appear determined not to change, chief among them, at-large Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos.

Despite being on the run from authorities after fleeing from the hospital in the midst of bail proceedings for a criminal charge last month, Jamal has declared that he will run, this time for the post of party youth chief.

Disregard for rule of law

While some may see the humour in his announcement, the implications of his candidacy carry with it serious concerns for Umno. At this juncture, can the party really afford to have a leader with seeming disregard for the rule of law?

In his election manifesto for today's polls, Jamal is ironically contesting on a platform of "courage,” stressing that the struggle of Umno Youth must be one based on the principles of discipline and commitment to the party's cause. He stated that he was open to being critiqued by his fellow Youth members.

The firebrand politician, famous for such acts as appearing at the Selangor Menteri Besar's Office in his bathrobe, and for smashing beer bottles in front of the state secretariat building, has yet to return to face his charges.

If he is indeed open to being criticised, then perhaps he should first face his peers and then let the court decide on the legality of his actions.

However, Jamal has yet to do so, claiming he fears for his safety as that the new government is out to victimise him. He even appears to show little remorse for running away, continuing to send messages through his lawyers and releasing videos online.

And despite his safety concerns, the latter is now okay with turning himself in to authorities – should he win at the Umno elections, of course.

Aristotle teaches us that courage is a label which can only be used in a qualified manner, in that one who is deemed courageous fears only what is necessary and for the right reason. Does Jamal then qualify?

Jamal and his ilk would seem to epitomise the entitled, sheltered Umno of old, bloated with a misplaced sense of righteousness and self-importance after decades of non-competition and yaysayers – the very same Umno that the rakyat tried to get rid of on May 9.

Looking to the future

Whichever path Umno chooses to take in the coming polls and in the days and months that follow, it must select one which will make it a strong opposition.

After all, the party is not completely diminished on the national stage, having emerged from the rubble of GE14 with 54 parliament seats – more than any single party, even those in Pakatan Harapan.

So who its members pick as its youth chief would have a direct impact on the future of the party.

Do they want a leader who encourages the grassroots to act with believed impunity when at the height of power, only to flee when called to take accountability?

Do they want a leader who divides instead of unites, who does not challenge his opponents with facts and mature debate, but with childish tricks and racist rhetoric?

To rebuild, Umno should rid itself of such deadweight, and ensure such 'leaders' have no place in the opposition – still impressionable in its infancy – or within the public and political discourse of ‘Malaysia Baru’.

So what will Umno decide? The results from today's and of course, next week's ballots will tell us what shape the country's opposition will take for the next three years at least, and if the party is serious in embracing the rakyat's call for change, or if it chooses to retreat to the comforts of old habits.

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DARSHINI KANDASAMY is a member of Malaysiakini Team.