An Unknown Stakeholder's perception of UMNO Youth

Here are some of sakmongkol’s views on UMNO youth. In recent days, our focus have been more on the personalities vying for the post of leadership. Absent from the heat of the moment, is a clear articulation of the role and mission of UMNO youth. So, to provide a semblance of balance, sakmongkol offers his own two cents of a highly abridged and not meant to be definitive perception of UMNO youth.

Pergerakan pemuda UMNO is the youth wing of UMNO. Its members are below 40 years of age. A person ceases to be a member of the UMNO youth once he reaches the age of 40. This age limitation does not apply to the ketua pemuda. The youth head can be more than 40 years old.

In the past , we have had ketua pemudas very much beyond 40 years old. The late Syed Jaafar Albar who took over from Dato Harun Idris was in the 60s when he became the youth head. Dato Harun was youth head past 40 years.

The basic function of UMNO youth wing is to attract the younger generation into UMNO. They would be indoctrinated and imbibed with the UMNO spirit.

1. First, to believe that UMNO is the only credible voice giving effect to Malay interest.
2. Second to protect Malay interests.
3. 3^rd, to expand and further Malay interests.

How?

1. By being politically conscious of UMNO’s role and function as the leading pillar of the government.

2. By cultivating themselves with the UMNO spirit. Its mission, struggles, ideals and its role as guardian for legitimate Malay interests.

3. By projecting an image of what the Malay can be. Educated, well informed, polished, refined and successful. .

4. Ridding itself from the stigma of being seen as a roving band of hysterical mob.

Yes, please don’t be cynical about that.

As an UMNO member and a Malay, how does sakmongkol perceived the UMNO youth?

1. Its an organisation of emotionally charged and hysterical mob
2. It’s a club for the dandut brigade, the contract junkies, the BMW brigands.
3. Its articulation of Malay interests sound hollow. More shadow to the substance.

These make the present UMNO youth a far cry from the idealistic youth leadership of the past. The zeitgeist of the past provided the yeast for the emergence of more idealistic leaders, willing to endure personal sacrifices to emerge as leaders. Those climes are no longer present and if we were to leave to providence and happy accident to throw up natural leaders, we are in for a disappointing time.

This means the search for youth leadership as in the search for Malay leadership in general becomes a purposeful endeavour. It discounts off chance and providence and instead must create a culture that calls up good leadership.

The core responsibility of the youth leadership then is to create the culture that moulds good leadership for UMNO youth. It looks for the leader with education, wisdom and a sense of realistic balance. It demands leadership of character, that elusive quality that defines the good leader. The one with the presence of mind not to crack up under pressure.

We must have this kind of leadership. The stark truth is, the youth leadership is a responsibility and not a privilege. Sadly, position as UMNO youth leaders seemed to be treated as a privilege for personal aggrandisement. Whereas, UMNO youth functions as the voice of conscience for UMNO. It remains in the shadows buy never the shadow itself. These should be the ideal fit of UMNO youth.

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Being among peer group, sharing perhaps the same ideas can provide an incubatory phase for Malay youths. They learn the mechanics of organisation. They represent the views of the younger generation. A stint inside the youth factory is seen as necessary to imbue future leaders with the UMNO outlook.

The youth wing is supposed to be the preparatory hatchery for future UMNO leaders. It was also regarded as transit point for hot-headed and young but impatient UMNO leaders to let off steam. Securing the position of youth leader can prevent a direct challenge to the leadership of parent UMNO. In recent years, having the top post in the youth wing can also mean cabinet positions thereby giving youth leaders substantive participatory opportunities.

But UMNO youth has become less identified as the preparatory ground to inculcate values and infusion of UMNO ideals. It has become more visible as an almost separate organisation given to bellicose and many times, destabilising political signals. At every UMNO General Assembly, youth leaders never failed to accentuate Malay extremism by calling more pronounced Malay-nisation over many things.

KJ, the current contender for youth head was often as the forefront of many of UMNO youths’ more extreme manifestations of street politics. The brown shirted groups policing by elections, storming of embassies etc.

These theatrics designed more to strike an emotional chord among delegates have the unintended effect of creating intimidation among the wider and multi-racial population. To the politically untrained, the noisy demands and overt claims can heightened anxieties. The more astute political observer will dismiss all these as playing to the gallery. It happens in all political parties in the BN and should not be a cause for unnecessary worry. But then, image create negative impressions. More so of UMNO youth leadership because UMNO represents the power in Malaysia.

The youth leadership undertakes the responsibility of balancing unbridled demands and lending voice to legitimate concerns. It must earn legitimacy among UMNO faithfuls and general population and yet must yield concrete results for the Malay struggles.

It must reprise its role as a pressure group, acting as the voice of conscience of the Malay race. But it must remain mindful of its supporting role to the larger parent body. It must have balance between the more aggressive urges and the need to act responsibly. It provides the combustion to the UMNO organisation as a whole. Where the Malay ideals and agenda are often watered down by a mellowed and presumed to be a more mature parent organisation, the youth wing provides a check on unmitigated dilution. Seen from this angle, UMNO youth is regarded as the vanguard for the preservation of the core ideals of UMNO’s mission. To protect and further the interests of Malay race.

Often its more aggressive stance places it at variance with the parent organisation. During Jaafar Albar’s time, the youth wing crossed swords with Hussein Onn. And of course UMNO youth achieved its high point during the tenure of Harun Idris- the man most identified with militant tendencies in UMNO.

And so in the current battle of supremacy in UMNO youth, UMNO supporters and the Malay people are looking out for an UMNO youth leadership with an Agenda for UMNO as well as the nation.

So what are we looking for?

A clear articulation for a plan to re-invent UMNO youth so that it plays the role of keeping the UMNO mission alive and giving expression to legitimate interests. What happens to UMNO youth then is not a matter only for the youth delegates to mind. We, the outsiders are pinning our hopes of the future UMNO leadership. We therefore as equal stakeholders in determining our future leadership.