Zan Azlee
The Malaysian Insider
September 20, 2013
My colleague, Dzulfitri Yusop, a fellow journalist, asked me yesterday if I could make one positive statement about Umno or name one positive member of Umno.
I laughed. Too many people like to assume that I am anti-establishment just for the sake of being anti-establishment all of the time without being rational.
So I thought really hard to come up with a positive statement to show that I was not one of those ABU (Asalkan Bukan Umno, or Anything But Umno) people. We have to always keep an open mind, right?
Quite some time passed by and I still could not think of anything positive to say about the party aside from it being formed in my home state of Johor.
All jokes aside, I do know that Umno was formed with the best intentions in mind to help the Malays have political and authoritative powers in Malaya (and later Malaysia).
It was a party that was meant to protect the rights of the Malays and be a voice for them so that they will not be oppressed. Quite noble, I agree.
But the very fact that it was to protect a particular race makes it, in my opinion, totally unsuitable to be a political party because no one country consists of only one race.
If that particular party were to win the right to govern the country, common sense would come to the conclusion that their priority when governing is to protect the interests of that one particular race.
That does no sound too appealing, does it? No wonder Dato’ Onn Jaafar, the founding father of Umno, decided to leave the party when his suggestion to make the party multi-racial was rejected.
Aside from Dato’ Onn, there were many other attempts by other rational and forward thinking Umno members who wanted to change the party for the better.
Tunku Abdul Rahman was one. But even he failed and ended up being ousted and deposed by his deputy, Tun Abdul Razak, following the May 13, 1969 incident.
And even today, it would not be fair to say that all Umno members are racists, backward thinking and archaic. Because that would be too generalising.
People like Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah are very forward thinking and, in my opinion, non-racist. But even he fell short of calling for Umno to be multi-racial.
Instead, he only suggested that people of any race can apply to be direct members of Barisan Nasional instead of being forced to join the racial-based component parties.
But these people are few and far between. I can probably count their numbers with just one of my hands. In fact, I actually can.
And when it comes to Umno, the saying that a drop of blue can taint the whole pot of milk does not exactly apply since everyone has to toe the party line.
At best, a party like Umno, with such specific interests as their objective would only qualify to be a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or even a lobbying organisation.
Then at least our suffering would just be limited to listening to or reading their ridiculous and atrocious statements instead of actually seeing them passed and becoming policy. – September 20, 2013.
1Positive Statement: “The chicken sh*t has to stop somewhere.”
curtsey Outsyed the box.
of course, would I be complaining if the RM700 million for 831 aes cameras come to me?
no, I am not so dirty-lah.
Quite a number of those idiots in umno are actually ok, I believe.
But unfortunately they were inevitably overwhelmed and then consumed by the big fat umno culture of greed and corruption; and power craze.
And worse. Only champions and upholders of that culture can rise up the party rank. So in other words, with only greedy and power crazy leaders in charge, the party is as good as hopeless.
“Hid_up OMNO! Hid_up OMNO! Hid_up OMNO”!
‘One positive statement regarding Umno please.’
Well, UMNO is, is … hhmm, you know, ah, hmmm, well, its, hhhh, apanama, mmmm, er, well, scratch, scratch …. gee its a tough one.
Maybe it is a good question for the coming SPM examinations? Those who can come up with one positive statement will get an UMNO scholarship to UiTM.
When push comes to shove, not even Tengku Razaleigh or Saiffuddin Abdullah would ever condemn or criticise the recent bumiputra empowerment plan. The nature of the beast is racist, and nothing can change it except for its extinction.
OK, ok,…. 1Positive Statement for UMNO:
“U must sapu kow-kow.”
Well, if after a ne’er do well become PM is followed by a mama’s boy having a chance at it, then many indulgents mothers and fathers in this country need not worry their unqualified children may not have a great future..
The only sane person in the now Umno is Ku Li.
In USA, they have the American Dream.
In Malaysia, you have the UMNO Dream: “Technical-Know-Who”.
Why else do you think the VC of UiTM can say we don’t care if UiTM is 700th in the world!
Maybe Uitm specialises in courses to teach networking with UMNO-ites.
1malaysia
Umnoputra didahulukan pencapaian wang ringgit diutamakan
The only positive; UMNO was deregistered in 1988
Unfortunately it has been reincarnated as UMNO Baru which was then transformed into UMNO again.
Zan Azlee,
“…Umno was formed with the best intentions in mind …”
The road to Hell is paved with the best of intentions.
But you already know that and you wanted just one single solitary positive statement about UMNO.
How about TWO positive statements about UMNO? :)
1/ UMNO is POSITIVEly the most corrupt and unjust political party in Malaysia.
2/ I am POSITIVE UMNO will fall in GE14.
So, there you go, mate. Don’t say I never said anything positive about UMNO :)
Okay DAP, “You Asked for It!”
Here’s the positive statement: UMNO Bahru can count votes properly (no technical glitches like wholesale cutting and pasting).
Time for me to take cover.
UMNO itself is a positive party. UMNO+
All members only know how to keep adding their wealth, never a minus.