The Future for UMNO-1

The UMNO leadership must first establish what kind of future they want? Is the kind of future clearly articulated down the line? The field marshal may devise fantastic plans, but if the field commanders don't understand the vision, the whole vision crumbles. Field commanders don't understand what you want and even worse, they don't have the resources and capabilities to accomplish their mission.

The long term objective is to evolve UMNO into an enduring organisation serving as the backbone of an enduring government of the day. In simple terms, what must it do to stay in power? What it must do is to execute a series of tactics that support the long term objective. Empowering ketua cawangans, ketua bahagans, forming them into effective teams is surely tactical. So is re-engineering: or doing it right first time which is ultimately a function of quality people, or creating partnerships with people looking in from outside, or altering the voter offer on discovering that the customers or voters want changes in the goods( quality of people serving them) services( capabilities) they have been receiving. Accordingly, the series of tactical moves carried out must be consistent with the principal of 'what' of objectives going hand-in-hand with the 'how' of execution. That to me, simply means, the ends justify the dedication, meanness and intensity. You have objectives (which are vital) that depend on masterly execution. To execute you must have capable field commanders and resources. Kalau tidak you mati.

Actually it's worrying. Take the concept of 1 Malaysia. Generally speaking, many people don't know what it is. Past leaders such as Tun Mahathir and even Tun Daim have doubts about its true meaning. Tun Daim for example is particularly pointed asking UMNO leaders- what is it that you want?

The people around the PM like to go around saying, they are toiling day in and day out, trying to establish methods to capture loyalty to the concept. They spend hours cracking heads and brainstorming. They are baffled as to why the reception to the idea is lukewarm and distant. Certainly they have amassed a lot of knowledge and gained insights. They must, unless they are retards. But it is also shocking to hear some of the people around the PM saying, because 'we' have been cracking our heads and are not able to find the answers, what can others not in our circle accomplish?

The same mental block identified with the 4^th Floor boys of the previous administration is still alive and kicking. Perhaps it comes along with the illusion of grandeur. As long as the people around the PM have this attitude of 'what's best is ONLY thought out on here'- concept loyalty can never be achieved. For one simple reason-you have exposed your basic distrust in common intelligence. Also, because you fail to understand, that the 'what of objectives' must be supported by the how of execution. You can't achieve that by intellectual inbreeding on the 4^th or 5^th Floors of the PM's office.

The more crucial question is in order to achieve whatever objectives you have set under the 1 Malaysia idea, UMNO must first survive and endure. The immediate step then is to ensure UMNO remains an enduring organisation. The PM should be reading-Built to Last instead of Blue Ocean Strategy. Or at the very least, people around him must do so.

Adaptation is the key word here. Failure to adapt, you suffer the fate of dinosaurs. Whether UMNO likes it not, it too is subject to the principle of natural selection. That the creature which survives is the one which adapts quickly to the changing external environment by having traits which allow it to do so. UMNO must imbibe itself with traits heritable within an enduring organisation that allow the organisation (UMNO) to survive.

UMNO is full of valiant people. Some of them highly spirited. During the UMNO Assembles some may wave krises in the air. Some gave stirring incendiary speeches- all aimed at inflaming others. The language of Old UMNO is usually couched in militaristic tones in keeping with its valiant spirit. Under the new environment, the militaristic conditioning of the UMNO mind might no longer be relevant.

Consider this. What are the parameters of the changed environment? You have UMNO members who themselves are sceptics, you have the customers who are getting critical and choosy about the products and service quality they get from UMNO, you have demolished walls allowing free flow of ideas and information. Now, if UMNO cocoons itself stubbornly to old ways of carrying out its business, it will go under.

The old UMNO way at looking at others as 'the enemy' and therefore what UMNO needs is to devise ways to annihilate the 'enemy' may no longer suitable in this age. With this development and trend, those UMNO warlords who failed to adapt and insist on clinging to the past will perish and with them, UMNO too. Hence, clear articulation of the kind of future the UMNO leadership wants must go down the line. That's needed to allow those best able to acquire the traits to adapt emerge and ensure UMNO's longevity.

In terms of military language for example, there's no point in generals plotting to outmanoeuvre the enemy unless they're sure that they have the necessary resources and that field commanders have the capacity to deploy those forces to the required purposes. The military analogy is apposite in this instance - but as we have averred, is it really appropriate to think of the competition as the 'enemy'? The results can be highly counter-productive. The new way is, you have to compete and cooperate at the same time.