The time for soul-searching in Umno is overdue, and it must be said that outgoing president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi met the challenge in his final speech as its leader yesterday by spelling out the worst threats the 63-year-old party faces.
To the question, what went wrong for the party in the 12th general election last year, Abdullah’s response is “We have failed to manage our own success.” Umno, he tells its members, has become intoxicated by its own achievements. “We believed that we had become all powerful. We have put our own positions within the party first, instead of being concerned over Umno’s position in the eyes of our citizens and the nation,” Abdullah says with a candidness that surfaces in times of crisis.
Abdullah, who will hand over the premiership to Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, is clearly mindful that Umno must give an exemplary account of itself in order to retain the support of all Malaysians. He reminds his party that if Umno continues in its current path, it will erode the spirit of cooperation and destroy the unity that has been built among its partners.
“We must sincerely endeavour with open hearts to rediscover the cooperation and mutual understanding that have formed the basis of our national unity, so that we may ensure a future that is peaceful, stable and prosperous for the coming generation,” says Abdullah. These are poignant ideas that all citizens surely cherish.
It is encouraging that Abdullah does not entertain any illusions about the treacherous nature of the journey that lies ahead. “If we revert to the old path I believe we are choosing the wrong path; one that will take us to regression and decay,” he admonishes. “It is a path that I fear will hasten our demise. If we do not take courageous steps to reform in the face of this dynamic transformation of society and the radical global changes taking place, then we shall live to witness the end of our beloved Umno.”
It is also abundantly clear that the process of reforming Umno must begin from its most basic levels. This will involve democratising the party’s representative processes by, among other things, enabling all its members to choose their key leaders. It will also require the party to confront the Hydra-headed problem of corruption, which is universally acknowledged by the euphemistic term “money politics”.
The time has come, however, to act decisively and fearlessly on this front. Abdullah also warned about returning to its high-handed ways. “Sadly, there are still those who feel that we do not need to pursue reforms. They believe that Umno will regain its glory if we revert to the old ways – the old order, by restricting the freedoms of our citizens and by silencing their criticism,” he said in obvious reference to fears that the new Umno leadership will return to the “Mahathirism” style of government.
Perhaps it is just as important for Umno to acknowledge, as Abdullah has done, that it is ultimately damaging to the party itself to perpetuate the divide between the Malays and non-Malays. “Umno must never practice discrimination to the extent that non-Malays view it as a racist party,” says Abdullah. “The rights of every citizen must always be protected, guaranteed and respected, as provided by the Constitution and as encapsulated in the Rukun Negara. The loyalty of every Malaysian citizen irrespective of race must always be appreciated in the spirit of power sharing and friendship. We must be conscious to the fact that a long time ago, we had already reached an agreement that we would together bear the responsibilities of building our nation; that we would sink or swim together.”
Abdullah’s frank parting words sum up all the things he believed in and wanted to do, but failed. The only question that remains is, will Umno listen to its outgoing president?
The Edge
29/03/09
To the question, what went wrong for the party in the 12th general election last year, Abdullah’s response is “We have failed to manage our own success.” Umno, he tells its members, has become intoxicated by its own achievements. “We believed that we had become all powerful. We have put our own positions within the party first, instead of being concerned over Umno’s position in the eyes of our citizens and the nation,” Abdullah says with a candidness that surfaces in times of crisis.
Abdullah, who will hand over the premiership to Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, is clearly mindful that Umno must give an exemplary account of itself in order to retain the support of all Malaysians. He reminds his party that if Umno continues in its current path, it will erode the spirit of cooperation and destroy the unity that has been built among its partners.
“We must sincerely endeavour with open hearts to rediscover the cooperation and mutual understanding that have formed the basis of our national unity, so that we may ensure a future that is peaceful, stable and prosperous for the coming generation,” says Abdullah. These are poignant ideas that all citizens surely cherish.
It is encouraging that Abdullah does not entertain any illusions about the treacherous nature of the journey that lies ahead. “If we revert to the old path I believe we are choosing the wrong path; one that will take us to regression and decay,” he admonishes. “It is a path that I fear will hasten our demise. If we do not take courageous steps to reform in the face of this dynamic transformation of society and the radical global changes taking place, then we shall live to witness the end of our beloved Umno.”
It is also abundantly clear that the process of reforming Umno must begin from its most basic levels. This will involve democratising the party’s representative processes by, among other things, enabling all its members to choose their key leaders. It will also require the party to confront the Hydra-headed problem of corruption, which is universally acknowledged by the euphemistic term “money politics”.
The time has come, however, to act decisively and fearlessly on this front. Abdullah also warned about returning to its high-handed ways. “Sadly, there are still those who feel that we do not need to pursue reforms. They believe that Umno will regain its glory if we revert to the old ways – the old order, by restricting the freedoms of our citizens and by silencing their criticism,” he said in obvious reference to fears that the new Umno leadership will return to the “Mahathirism” style of government.
Perhaps it is just as important for Umno to acknowledge, as Abdullah has done, that it is ultimately damaging to the party itself to perpetuate the divide between the Malays and non-Malays. “Umno must never practice discrimination to the extent that non-Malays view it as a racist party,” says Abdullah. “The rights of every citizen must always be protected, guaranteed and respected, as provided by the Constitution and as encapsulated in the Rukun Negara. The loyalty of every Malaysian citizen irrespective of race must always be appreciated in the spirit of power sharing and friendship. We must be conscious to the fact that a long time ago, we had already reached an agreement that we would together bear the responsibilities of building our nation; that we would sink or swim together.”
Abdullah’s frank parting words sum up all the things he believed in and wanted to do, but failed. The only question that remains is, will Umno listen to its outgoing president?
The Edge
29/03/09
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