Penanti=No; Manek Urai=Yes?

Providence has its own ways to allow true judgement. Or to reveal hypocrisy.

We have been given reasons as to why UMNO does not want to contest in Penanti. Even though in Penanti, the electorate consists of 70% Malay voters.

UMNO's political struggle was founded on one all consuming principle. That it existed to protect, fight for and expand Malay interests. It goes without saying, since this principle is all consuming, UMNO's refusal to go into battle in Penanti, is dubious and perplexing. The ramifications are profoundly impactful.

We are told this decision not to contest is grounded on pragmatism. Why waste money and effort, if you know you are going to loose anyway. Ye lah- why spend money and time, if we are going to lose?

We should have asked the many aspirants to the recent concluded UMNO elections, why should many of the vice presidential candidates decide to continue fighting, since they knew there were fighting a losing battle? The answer seemed simple. It was necessary for the preservation of their amour-propre.

This French term simply means self esteem. It is not self conceit. The weaker VP candidates continued to fight because of an acute sense of amour-propre. Failing to do so would have demoralise their supporters including those whom they have paid to secure nominations. Retreating would only contribute to their irrelevance and any UMNO leader will fight tooth and nail, just to retain relevance in the party.

Pray tell us then, is it logical to say that in Penanti, among the 70% Malay voters, there are no UMNO supporters? And if UMNO, by choosing to stay away from Penanti, creates this perception that it is abandoning its amour propre, why should it expect the Malays in Penanti and Malays elsewhere to humour UMNO by insisting, UMNO still has the principle of its very raison detre for existence still burning? It is as though, UMNO is abandoning its own legitimacy.

And because of that UMNO still expects Malays to rally behind the party when it is shooting itself in the foot?

On this reason alone, people will steer away from UMNO because it has lost its own self respect. Or even worse, it has lost its will to live.

UMNO says it will NOT go into by elections unless such vacancy is caused by either death or disqualification of the candidate therein. This is fine and acceptable proposition. It shall not go into battle for other than these two reasons because to do so, as the pragmatists say, is costly and foolhardy. To do so is not for reason of amour propre but for reason of self conceit. UMNO does not want to be known as a party made up of conceited sons of bitches.

By all reckoning, UMNO has a rat's ass of a chance of winning in the coming by election in Kelantan. The by election is caused by the death of the incumbent wakil rakyat. That is cause for UMNO to go in. It has two chances- slim and none of winning there. Since these are the only chances, if UMNO decides to go in there, it will be very costly and just foolhardy.

Where do these reasons lead us? They lead us to judge, that there are more and stronger reasons not to mix it up in Kelantan even though, the death of the wakil rakyat there, makes it mandatory for UMNO to go in. UMNO is caught out by its own defining qualifications for participating in by elections.

The Malays of Penanti will wait and want to know, why UMNO,if it decides to go to Manek Urai, does so, even when it knows, it will lose, it will be costly and it is foolhardy.

A strong sense of amour propre would have mandated UMNO to go into battle anywhere, any place and any time, as long as there is substantial number of Malay voters. This is necessary to send strong signals, UMNO is not abandoning the Malays on and for whose interests, it owes its raison detre for existence

If that is a powerful impetus to participate in Manek Urai, that same principle is expected by Malays in Penanti. In Penanti, the opposition is playing politics. In Manek Urai, is God doing the same thing?