ADUN SPEAKS | Former minister Annuar Musa is “cursing” Umno for being irrelevant after the party’s home ground of World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) held the historic Unity Government Convention.
Annuar was expelled by Umno in December last year, for making the party suffer disrepute.
He was not there in WTCKL on Sunday, obviously imagining Umno’s doomsday as that is what he wants to see.
But, as a participant in the convention on Sunday, I walked out of the WTCKL full of hope and optimism for Malaysia, not just for the political parties in the unity government.
As a DAP member who campaigned and voted against the BN lynchpin party since 2008, in the beginning, I was reluctant to be in Dewan Merdeka.
But as the event progressed, I came out with the conviction that the current government pact is the best thing that happened for Malaysia in the past three decades.
In the morning session, Youth wings of the coalitions gathered in Dewan Tun Dr Ismail to share our perspectives on the current political reality. Umno Youth Chief Dr Akmal Salleh’s speech impressed me the most.
For the uninitiated, Umno Youth used to be one of the most aggressive wings of the party in the past. In the past three decades, the aggressiveness took a ‘racial’ turn.
Now being labelled as a “moderate” by some, its former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin was no exception to that.
I remember his speech at one of the Umno general assemblies held a day after Deepavali. Khairy made a sarcastic remark about newspaper vendors in the country, who were largely Indians, and celebrating Deepavali.
Tamil newspapers condemned the speech at the time.
Back to Akmal, he made a strong statement saying: “Malaysia belongs to every race in the country and we shall preserve the harmony of our beloved country.”
Younger politicians making progress
He made it clear that the days of racial rhetoric will be gone, with the younger generation taking over the country’s politics. It is indeed promising to see the younger generation of politicians moving towards progress.
In the main convention, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi explained why his party chose to support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership post-GE15.
Among others, he hoped that Anwar’s leadership will help make Malaysia a leading force in Asean.
For Zahid and Umno leaders to host the convention at their headquarters was a bold move that would surprise their enemies - and even new friends.
The opposition would not have imagined this government consisting of 19 political parties to remain intact within half a year.
Everything the leaders were talking about at the convention was about Malaysia. We put away our differences for the sake of our country.
And Anwar summed it up perfectly: “Without Zahid and Umno, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Umno’s move during the political impasse post-GE15 was based on “who causes lesser problems” for them, as the president mentioned in his speech.
But the move would benefit Malaysia in the long run. It’s so refreshing to listen to the speeches that centred on harmony, diversity and the Federal Constitution.
I took these three points as the core of Zahid’s speech on Sunday. For us to be here at this point and commit ourselves to the very foundation of our nation’s ideals is a defining moment.
Whatever the sceptics say, it is indeed worth having Umno onboard to build this nation again when we thought polarisation would widen further.
Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg’s speech outlined why it is crucial for Malaysia to rise again.
He said we need to be competitive to keep up with our neighbouring countries’ rise in this region. With polarising politics dividing Malaysians, there will be no winner. Malaysia will lose immensely.
That’s why it is important for all of us to come together to rebuild this nation again. That’s the message from across the South China Sea.
The commitment of Borneo parties to make this government stay intact is evident and they’re getting the respect they deserve, finally.
Malaysians from all backgrounds are on board the mission. Just that people like Annuar can’t accept it.
For people like him, unity with PAS and Bersatu is crucial for their own survival, not the country’s.
Debates and discussions about race and religion might not disappear overnight but celebrating unity in diversity is what makes us unique.
Malaysia’s diversity is an advantage, not a handicap. People who want to see this unity government fail are those who can’t appreciate Malaysia’s uniqueness.
I never thought I will say this but Umno’s survival is essential to make Malaysia a great nation again.
And the narrative of inclusiveness started with the convention in Dewan Merdeka. We shall appreciate the parties and leaders who had put aside past differences to unite in the name of Malaysia. - Mkini
SATEES MUNIANDY is state assemblyperson for Bagan Dalam.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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