Datuk Seri Najib Razak has a huge and crucial task ahead – reclaiming Umno to serve Malaysians of all races and creed, and not just the right-wingers who believe they will inherit the earth.
Over the last 48 hours, the Umno president has told his party to adopt a new paradigm shift to win over the non-Malays who deserted the Barisan Nasional in Election 2008 and to stop ridiculing the Pakatan Rakyat that has benefitted from the party’s chauvinism.
The Prime Minister also asked the Chinese community to give Barisan Nasional another chance to prove itself. He had to do this himself as the Chinese-based peninsula allies MCA and Gerakan have been too preoccupied with wallowing in infighting and self-pity from the massive electoral defeats of 2008 to provide any direction or attraction to the community.
Asking the Chinese or the Indians in the peninsula for their continued support is the easy part. Even keeping the support of Sabah and Sarawak electorate is not too difficult as Barisan Nasional has the power of incumbency and influence in those states.
But righting his own Malay nationalist party to keep it centrist, like it was in the days of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, or even his father Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, might prove trickier.
His special officer Datuk Nasir Safar had spewed derogatory remarks about the Chinese and Indians, ironically at a 1 Malaysia event, while an Umno official maintained such talk was not unusual if spoken behind closed doors, underlining the fact that most party members believe they are the only rightful citizens of Malaysia.
Other members are flirting with the Malay rights group Perkasa, which believes the rights of the country’s dominant ethnic group is under threat from others. They have put forth the view that even discussing Islam and a court ruling on the usage of the term “Allah” is a threat to the Malay race, religion and royalty.
Perkasa president, the outspoken Independent MP for Pasir Mas Datuk Ibrahim Ali, is a regular fixture in Umno programmes, leaving nothing to the imagination that there is a nexus between the party and the right-wing group.
For Ibrahim and his ilk, and frighteningly a number of Umno members and its supporters, Najib’s inclusive 1 Malaysia is a threat and should be just 1 Malay. Anything that stands in their way is not kosher.
In that sense, the party president must walk the talk to make Umno right, not keep it right. He must continuously stress that government policies are for all, not just a section of Malaysians, specifically the Malays. Poverty is colour-blind, and policies must be too.
It is no use to talk about a New Economic Model based on innovation and creativity for a high-income economy when an Umno deputy minister says it will conform to the New Economic Policy (NEP).
The NEP has been so much abused that corruption, cronyism and nepotism are its hallmarks. Any new economic model that follows that is not new but more of the same old, same old. It is to Najib’s advantage to ensure reforms will lead to a prosperous Malaysia for all, not just any one community.
For now, it appears that Najib is the only one in Umno who believes in 1 Malaysia. For the other Umno leaders and members, it’s just a label to stick to a forum or a nasi lemak-making contest.
For all his plans to succeed, Najib needs the full support and help of his Cabinet and more so, Umno. He can talk the walk but Umno must walk the talk or remain a party only for a section of Malays and not for those who believe they are Malaysians in 1 Malaysia.
MI
21/02/10
Over the last 48 hours, the Umno president has told his party to adopt a new paradigm shift to win over the non-Malays who deserted the Barisan Nasional in Election 2008 and to stop ridiculing the Pakatan Rakyat that has benefitted from the party’s chauvinism.
The Prime Minister also asked the Chinese community to give Barisan Nasional another chance to prove itself. He had to do this himself as the Chinese-based peninsula allies MCA and Gerakan have been too preoccupied with wallowing in infighting and self-pity from the massive electoral defeats of 2008 to provide any direction or attraction to the community.
Asking the Chinese or the Indians in the peninsula for their continued support is the easy part. Even keeping the support of Sabah and Sarawak electorate is not too difficult as Barisan Nasional has the power of incumbency and influence in those states.
But righting his own Malay nationalist party to keep it centrist, like it was in the days of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, or even his father Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, might prove trickier.
His special officer Datuk Nasir Safar had spewed derogatory remarks about the Chinese and Indians, ironically at a 1 Malaysia event, while an Umno official maintained such talk was not unusual if spoken behind closed doors, underlining the fact that most party members believe they are the only rightful citizens of Malaysia.
Other members are flirting with the Malay rights group Perkasa, which believes the rights of the country’s dominant ethnic group is under threat from others. They have put forth the view that even discussing Islam and a court ruling on the usage of the term “Allah” is a threat to the Malay race, religion and royalty.
Perkasa president, the outspoken Independent MP for Pasir Mas Datuk Ibrahim Ali, is a regular fixture in Umno programmes, leaving nothing to the imagination that there is a nexus between the party and the right-wing group.
For Ibrahim and his ilk, and frighteningly a number of Umno members and its supporters, Najib’s inclusive 1 Malaysia is a threat and should be just 1 Malay. Anything that stands in their way is not kosher.
In that sense, the party president must walk the talk to make Umno right, not keep it right. He must continuously stress that government policies are for all, not just a section of Malaysians, specifically the Malays. Poverty is colour-blind, and policies must be too.
It is no use to talk about a New Economic Model based on innovation and creativity for a high-income economy when an Umno deputy minister says it will conform to the New Economic Policy (NEP).
The NEP has been so much abused that corruption, cronyism and nepotism are its hallmarks. Any new economic model that follows that is not new but more of the same old, same old. It is to Najib’s advantage to ensure reforms will lead to a prosperous Malaysia for all, not just any one community.
For now, it appears that Najib is the only one in Umno who believes in 1 Malaysia. For the other Umno leaders and members, it’s just a label to stick to a forum or a nasi lemak-making contest.
For all his plans to succeed, Najib needs the full support and help of his Cabinet and more so, Umno. He can talk the walk but Umno must walk the talk or remain a party only for a section of Malays and not for those who believe they are Malaysians in 1 Malaysia.
MI
21/02/10
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