The just-concluded Umno assembly over the weekend must surely have renewed excitement in the coming 15th general election.
Whether the party will hold firm to its strong, resolute and very jantan resolutions adopted at the meeting or not, my gut feeling tells me that events likely to take place over the next few weeks and months will be more interesting and thrilling than GE15 itself.
It didn’t have to take long for things to unfold. In fact, there were reactions aplenty, right from the night the assembly ended on Sunday to the following morning till today. It seems that anyone with even the slightest interest in politics is unable to avoid the Umno topic.
We can expect more roars and thunder in the days ahead as many will surely be interested to partake in the debate on the new “unchartered territory” Umno is plunging into – that is, going solo.
What does that tell us about Umno, yet again? Like it or not, love or hate Umno, the party will always remain relevant in Malaysian politics.
In an article here in December 2019, I had pointed out why I think the party will never fade away. Umno today might be a pale shadow of its former self, but don’t expect it to be completely vanquished. That will never happen.
Umno has been likened to being the most beautiful maiden around, being courted by many suitors. It has been playing the role of kingmaker. But that was yesterday.
Today, Umno desires to return to its glorious days of might and splendour of the past six decades – the dominant party and supremo of the government in power.
Well, isn’t being in politics also about dreaming dreams and who is to say that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his seemingly extremely revitalised team will only be dreaming impossible dreams? Isn’t this game also the art of the possible?
Now, just compare Umno with its arch-nemesis, Bersatu. Ask me, a non-bumiputera and a non-politician, whether I think Bersatu will last as long as Umno and my answer will be obvious.
If I were a Malay and a pro-establishment voter, Umno will get my vote over Bersatu. At least, I am voting for the devil I know. Bersatu will never ever get my vote because it is a party that does not deserve to exist, let alone head a government, to put it straight up.
We know that in any party, leaders come and go. Some Umno leaders today might be tainted with scandals but the party’s 3.2 million members are no fools. They know what to do when that day dawns and punitive action is warranted and demanded. Previous Umno presidents had left the scene because party members no longer supported them.
To this day, few really understand Bersatu’s ideologies and founding principles and objectives. After dethroning (former prime minister) Najib Abdul Razak, then what? At best, Bersatu is just a pretender for the coveted Malay throne.
Seriously, a glance at the Bersatu line-up does not give one much confidence, moving forward. Apart from its president, Muhyiddin Yassin, who are the other notable figures in Bersatu?
No, not Azmin Ali – he was a PKR turncoat and never a Bersatu original. This man, now considered the most vilified politician in the country, only parked himself and his team of frogs in Bersatu out of convenience. Azmin is just fighting for his own reformasi, as his opponents had repeatedly alleged.
The overly ambitious Azmin is a man who wants to lead a party; he has to be president. Don’t expect him to play second fiddle to anyone for long. Aaha, Muyhiddin could learn a thing or two from (opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim about Azmin.
The names of others in Bersatu are not even worth mentioning. Up till now, I do not bother to know the names of the health and education ministers from Bersatu. That shows how much respect I have for such characters in politics these days. I consider them passers-by, nothing more.
At times, I have wondered whether they themselves knew why they were appointed to the cabinet in the first place. Or were they prepared for the heavy tasks associated with running such important ministries? Anyway, I don’t expect them to be around after GE15. Good riddance too!
To cut the story short, Bersatu is a group of political frogs, backstabbers, parasites and traitors who came together for a singular purpose – their selfish interests and political survival.
Muhyiddin himself is also classified as a pengkhianat (traitor). Support him at your own peril, folks. By the way, I doubt he will be prime minister after GE15. A nasi kandar lunch wager, anyone?
As for Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, he should bask in his moment of triumph as he emerged from the assembly last Sunday night.
The majority in Umno have been able to accept the illuminating and credible picture Zahid had painted of Umno going into the GE15 battle. And it appeared the assembly were in favour of the “do or die” and “winner takes all” mission ahead.
To his credit, Zahid has been open with his members because, at this stage of the game, being vague is not an option.
Neither should the Umno president be seen to be engaged in a conspiracy of silence. From now on, Umno must continue to beat its war drums, the noisier the better.
Will I ever vote for Umno? For now, I don’t think I will vote for any party.
Will I support Umno over Bersatu? The answer is “Yes” and the reasons are obvious. - Mkini
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is the author of “Hijack in Malaysia: The Fall of Pakatan Harapan”. Obtain autographed copies from sirsiah@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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