The recently concluded and highly-choreographed 66th UMNO General Assembly has only served to underline one inescapable fact of Malaysian political life – that UMNO is incapable of change unless it is sent to the Opposition benches in the 13th General Elections.
Malaysian voters will do UMNO and the country a great national service by dispatching UMNO to the Opposition benches for they will not only be creating the necessary conditions before any “transformation” can be effected in UMNO, but also laying a firmer and more solid basis for greater maturity of the parliamentary democratic process by institutionalizing the two-coalition system and the peaceful alternation and transition of power through the democratic process.
Without these “building blocks”, Malaysia cannot even talk about wanting to be the “world’s best democracy” as had been claimed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
In his Umno presidential address, Najib said:
“This election will shape the Malaysia of tomorrow to be inherited by our children. It will be a toss between a developed Malaysia based on shared values and goals or a backward Malaysia separated by invisible barriers compounded with suspicion and prejudice.”
Najib is right in the first sentence but wrong in the second when he implied that Malaysian voters in the next general elections must support UMNO/Barisan Nasional.
The question all Malaysians must be asking is what credentials and legitimacy have UMNO/BN to appeal for Malaysian support to promote “shared values and goals” when there are no “shared values and goals” in BN, with UMNO and MCA for instance openly inciting hatred and conflict with diametrically contradictory messages – UMNO telling the Malays that a vote for DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Malays while MCA warning the Chinese that a vote for the DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Chinese!
The Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, PAS and DAP do not hide our ideological differences whether on the question of Islamic state or hudud laws, but we are committed to put our differences aside and promote the PR Common Policy Framework to uphold the fundamental features of the Malaysian constitution, foster greater national unity, restore democracy and justice, and ensure good governance.
Pakatan Rakyat is also bound by the principle that there must be consensus among the three PR component parties before there could be any change in any agreed PR policy.
It is taboo for Pakatan Rakyat parties to campaign in the dishonest and unprincipled fashion like what UMNO and MCA are doing – UMNO blatantly lying that a vote for DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Malays while MCA shamelessly lying that a vote for the DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Chinese.
The lasting impression of the 66th UMNO General Assembly is not UMNO Wanita Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil’s raising of the “May 13” spectre; the subtle but irresponsible talk by the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin about “chaos” if UMNO is defeated by PR; Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob’s promise to cut off his ears if MCA loses Bentong to DAP or the claim by a Penang UMNO delegate that UMNO is “the party chosen by God”.
The dubious honour must go to Najib for providing the categorical testimony that he is incapable of implementing the whole raft of his “transformation” promises, starting with his 1Malaysia signature policy and slogan, and explaining why neither Najib nor any UMNO delegate said a word about the No. 1 problem in the country – the problem of corruption and cronyism which is even worse today under Najib than under the previous Prime Ministers as well as when compared to other countries, whether in ASEAN, Asia-Pacific or Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) which are chalking up progress in their anti-corruption efforts in recent years.
If UMNO is really to change and transform, it needs a spell in the Opposition!
UMNO is badly infested with worms, parasites and termites. It is no longer viable and needs to be put down, like some trees in George Town.
The people should realise that they should not vote for a party with a ‘No’ in it. It is a strong hint isn’t it ?
Agreed. We need to change them before they can change.
Relegate UM-NO to the opposition?
Oh, no…that would be too magnanimous for a rotten apple and foul rubbish. The right thing to do is to consign UM-NO to the rubbish heaps of history.
AMEN and amen. Yes, Najib and Muhyiddin inclusive. Nothing wrong, I think, if Nik Aziz and the whole of PAS prays for this dream to reach fruition. After all, the whole of Malaysia is praying for this miracle too.
With Mahathir stil playing real defacto chairman of the party, they not only won’t change, they DON’T EVEN WANT TO and many in fact INSIST THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE TO APPEAR TO BE SO..
For 22 he was the star actor. In 2003 he resigned and he then became the director. He is still directing today.
Change? What change?
The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded. It is made easier when the people become inattentive to the public affairs, thus allowing those who rule us to become wolves in sheep clothings, and not doing anything about them when they matter.
The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men ~ Plato.
Admitting the mistake made in the past without actions taken to rectify or merely oral promises which have been plentiful being made are not enough, but even being perceive as being mere lies in an effort to win over the voters who has abandon BN in the last 308 GE.
What we and me myself wish to see happen is such as, let no more writing from Nades in the SUN paper. Who has being written too much and has revealed many abuses of power and corrupt practises, but none seem sound alarm but the authorities concern. The reason that I have been making references to the Nades writings was that his stories are not empty thunders from the sky but all have been well documented and he himself has personally call upon the authority to come to him to verify on what he has been written. Unfortunately none happen. Are this what we call BN will transform and will changed? Need changed or being changed? All what they have shout out are nothing but empty promises and simply lies through their teeth.
Before talking transformations and changing for the better…Najib should get all rouges and thieves haul to court for trials…starting with himself and Rosmah.
It’s totally impossible…and so….he got it right…the 13th GE will be… Patriots Vs Traitors.
Half his brain wants to do the right thing…the other half tells him.”Don’t be stupid, You will go to jail.”
And so…..Najib is actually Malaysia’s two face PM…being successfully converted by the adopted father..the Devil.
That is not change!, that is Karma.