SEPT 27 — A general observation brings to light one key factor why Umno, a party that has been around for a good 67 years, is not faring so well amongst the younger generation, as well as among the new breed of “thinkers” that exist in almost all age groups. The inability of certain political figures to let go and just retire is incurring the wrath of many.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad put in nicely: if Umno does not rejuvenate itself, it will eventually die.
The emergence of new “thinkers” in the society can be attributed to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Reformasi movement that began in 1998.
However, in my humble opinion, what triggered from that only happened sometime post-2000 particularly as the Internet grew and people found platforms to voice out what previously could only be said to family and friends over coffee. The growing resentment towards Umno may appear that people want to be rid of the party.
However, change does not necessarily mean something has to be abolished completely. In an idyllic world, Umno is still relevant. Afterall, Malaysia is made up predominantly of Malays. Should Umno be disbanded, what may come in its place will be another party for Malays. God forbid if one comes along spewing right-wing fire.
If one were to take into consideration the phrase “out of the frying pan and into the fire”, perhaps Umno will not come off as evil as it has been made out to be.
What Umno needs is, to echo Tun M, a change from within. Prior to the 13th general election (GE13), people were eager to see the departure of several Umno veterans, namely Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim and Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil.
The public was getting tired of “fatwa” about the entertainment industry put forth by Rais that became a big joke in the world of social networking, he was already regarded as a big joke, particularly on Twitter. This is not to say that the public is always right. Being someone who is active on Twitter myself, I realise that sometimes the 140-character allotted to us per tweet is enough to make us feel powerful.
Regardless of how many followers we have, be it 10 or 5,000, we feel that the fact we are able to put a statement out there, it has to be the truth. Even with that said, the general sentiment must not be ignored entirely.
In the case of Shahrizat, it is apparent that she is turning out to be quite an enigma in social media circles about her because of her “connection” to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), the fate befalling her political career and her insistence that she is the right person to helm Wanita Umno.
If Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is serious about winning back the hearts of those who have completely turned their backs on Umno, he should start by getting rid of the baggages that are weighing Umno down.
At the risk of sounding like an Umno apologist, I strongly believe that Umno is still relevant. It has been around for many years and to see it die because of the stubborness of a few is indeed a sad affair. Looking at Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, one can rest in the knowledge that there is hope for Umno yet. But one man can’t fix everything.
While Khairy may be able to bridge the great political divide he is still not spared from being criticised. Datuk Saifudin Abdullah who found himself out in the cold after being ousted from his Temerloh seat in GE13 is also a favourite on both sides of the political divide. Sadly, folks in Temerloh had other ideas.
However, the point here is that, citing these few as an example, it simply means that there are others out there just like them, who, if given a chance, may be able to turn Umno around. Afterall, a party is essentially just a party.
What makes or breaks it is the people. With an allegedly revamped-Umno elections looming, what’s on the surface is that it is now more open for members to contest top posts, but a two-cornered fight or an eight-cornered fight means nothing if clueless veterans or invisible hands are still very hard at work. This is not to say that once a person hits a certain age, they are no longer able to contribute.
On the contrary, I am a firm believer that it doesn’t matter how old you are, if you are able to stay relevant despite your age, by all means, work until you’re already a foot and a half in the grave.
The problem arises when a veteran politician who is no longer able to relate to the younger generation, even causing those of their own age group to keep a distance, refuses to retire and call it a day.
If one is sincere in fighting the great fight, not holding on to a post does not necessarily equate to the death of a fight. There comes a time when the baton has to be passed on to someone else.
A clear example is Anwar. Though he is no longer an Umno member, the mere fact that he is hanging on to his position despite having failed to take over the country after giving numerous dates in the past, shows that he is not so different from the Umno vets he has been attacking all this while.
A clear message that has been sent by the public is still one that the party refuses to acknowledge. As long as clueless vets and invisible hands are still at work, Umno will indeed die a violent death.
* Farah is assistant news editor of The Malay Mail
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
