Umno is not the Malays, the Malays are not Umno

Every politician always claims to speak for the Malays. At Umno’s 73rd anniversary celebration at the PWTC in Kuala Lumpur, its acting president Mohamad Hasan told the crowd that Umno must be mindful of how to act and speak because the party represents the Malays.

Mat Hasan, as Mohamad is widely known as, told the crowd that included the infamous duo: Najib Abdul Razak and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, that “anything bad about Umno will reflect on the Malays”. The description implies that Umno and the Malay race are one and the same.

This is strange because Umno is not the Malays; the Malays are not Umno.

We all know that politicians love to ride on the Malay interest rhetoric as a political tool. The main ideological balance in this country tilts towards the ideology of representing the Malay race.

But if you think clearly, you’d realise that it is odd for a select few elites on the top to claim to represent the entire Malay race. As though the history of the entire race could be reduced to a few political ploys played as a central theme in the comparatively short history of a political party.

The Malay race has existed for centuries, whereas the political party Umno has existed for only 73 years - how could Umno be a direct reflection of the entire race?

Malays rejected Umno

Further, it is hard to argue that the Malays accept such conflation today. In the last general election, the Malay voters were split three ways: Umno, PAS and Pakatan Harapan.

What this means is that nearly three-quarters of Malays in Malaysia have rejected Umno, thus rejecting any attempt of conflating the political misgivings of the political party to the race.

As Umno moves further to the right by tapping into a country’s worst fears while flirting with fascist fantasies, more and more Malays are rejecting Umno with disgust. Even if we assume there was no direct and demonstrable rejection from the Malays, we could at least surmise that this version of Umno has deviated further from the day-to-day Malays on the ground.

Politics is politics. Most votes are cast as a democratic exercise to serve my interest. They are not cast to represent my entire life, lineage and legacy.

It’s not possible for a single political party led by a few “special ones” to absorb all the good and bad of an entire race; nor will everything these few “special ones” do have a tremendous consequence on how others perceive the entire race.

Notwithstanding this, I agree that Umno has to be mindful of how they speak and act because they do command substantial influence in certain communities. The difference, however, is that Umno should speak and act properly not because they are the guardians of the Malay race, but because of national interest.

The politics of identity that centres on race and religion has not yielded societal benefits in Malaysia and around the world. The formula has been tested multiple times only to see it bring a country to its darkest hours.

Mat Hasan (photo, above) also mentioned that the public perceives Malays in terms of Umno.

Seeing Malays in terms of everyday

This is once again untrue. The public has long detached Umno and the Malays because one is purely a political entity that wrestles for power and another is a race that has been defined by its centuries of character and inclination.

Most people understand the Malays not through what they read about Umno. When Najib was caught in a series of unscrupulous criminal charges, the first reaction by the masses wasn’t that all Malays are like that. Because Najib (photo, below), no matter how powerful he thinks he is, doesn’t command that much strength and influence to determine the fate of an entire race.

Most people understand the Malays through their day-to-day interactions with them - friends, co-workers, neighbours, family members, and acquaintances. What most Malaysians understand is that most Malays are not corrupt, ruthless or cruel like the Umno politicians in the last regime.

Most Malays have a clear moral compass of right and wrong, and they know that the responsibility of a public office is a heavy responsibility. To have squandered and siphoned money is a morally detestable act deserving of proportionate punishments to correct an evil.

Most Malays know this clearly and share a vicarious sense of shame and humiliation over those who ran afoul.

Most Malays also understand that there is no longer a need for them to seek a feudal lord to tell them what is best for them. The political awakening through the decades has changed the way all Malaysians interacted with democracy and politics.

The ability to change government to one that is better than the last was the primary takeaway for the country. The Malays are not an exception to this rule. There are no blind loyalty and indebtedness towards any single political entity. The choice is within the hands of the people, and the Malays have long had the confidence to determine the fate of their own race.

Most Malays are also generally accepting of other people. The history of how Malays welcomed every sojourner to the land for commerce and culture is well documented. To have politics that prioritises the unity agenda of Umno and PAS does not fit well into what kind of future the Malays want to have.

That is why Umno doesn’t have to worry: they don’t carry the burden of carrying the entire race on their shoulders. They’re just another political party.

JAMES CHAI works at a law firm. E-mail him at jameschai.mpuk@gmail.com - Mkini