Weekend reading

Excerpts from article titled "Umno must take the blame" by Zainon Ahmad (The Sun, 14th March 2008)

1. On who is to be blamed for the BN poor showing in PRU12 and why?

It is clear who or which party the leaders of the peninsula BN component parties blame for the punishment their parties received at the hands of voters. After all, which party leaders raised the keris, said that "we can go it alone as we are 60% of the population," spoke of the unfinished Malay agenda, shouted to non-Muslims to stay away from matters involving Islam, insisted that Allah is exclusive to Muslims, called for the extension of the NEP and rebuked a delegation of non-Malay ministers when they made representation to the prime minister to register their dissatisfaction? (It was Hishammuddin and Umno).

2. On neglecting the Chinese...

In fact even before Parliament was dissolved and while Umno leaders were going around the country distributing goodies among the rural people, MCA and Gerakan leaders were complaining that they and their people were neglected. "They seem to have forgotten that we are part of the BN too and need all the help we can get," complained one MCA minister.

3. On the state of readiness of Umno election machinery...

The once feared election machinery is no longer functioning. They say when Umno leaders said the party was 95% ready for the general election, nothing significant had been done to prepare. Was Umno a united force during the elections? Not really, said the downline leaders. In Perlis, for instance party leaders fought before the polls, and they were still fighting quite publicly a week after the last vote was counted.

4. On the state of Umno today...

Members have become so greedy, so obsessed with self-enrichment that perjuangan (struggle) has taken on a new meaning. It is no longer the party struggle for bangsa, agama dan tanahair (nation, religion and country), the party slogan of the early years - that has taken a back seat - but the narrow individual struggle to amass wealth. Thus the by-words among many party members these days are compensation, reward, contract, commission, projects and habuan (share). And always at the end of most transactions the question that is slyly asked - no longer shyly asked - is "what is there in it for me?"

5. On the struggle in Umno today...

These days, being mere branch leaders have its rewards and clout too. Rewards for division leaders are even much bigger. He may get contracts worth millions. This explains why even for the previously humble post of branch leader, there is intense fight for it. He also stands to gain more in this election year if he is chosen to be a delegate - and is wooed for his vote.

6. On why Umno will continue to struggle...

And hence the struggle among Umno leaders to be chosen as candidates and the frustration and anger they must have felt when they were not chosen, and it is known that some vindictive ones even undermined those contesting. No doubt some also lost because party workers refused to continue working when the allocation meant for them did not arrive. Thus, many campaign posts had to be abandoned. For Umno, volunteerism is long gone.

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