Q&A on Bagan Pinang

To one of my articles, I got this comment from a reader. He goes by the name Tohkong Mosjid. He must be a student of dialectical materialism- tohkong and mosjid are two contradictions. He solves them by synthesizing them into tohkong mosjid.

TohkongMosjid said...

Sakmongkol:

Just a few questions:

1. What's yr take on the impact of an UMNO win to the country and S'gor?

2. In your honest heart, at what what should be the majority number you prefer to see; sufficient to wake up UMNO but not to the point of being arrogant.

3. Do u think a UMNO win here will be better for the country?

4. Malaysia or UMNO, who first in your priority?

5. The purpose of writing to ask UMNO to select Isa Samad as candidate; despite PM's statement in P.Pasir "We understand why we lost.." without elaborating much."

6. Which matters to u more, a honesty candidate, or a candidate who is not honest but capable of leading if u r voting in B.Pinang?

7. If u r not an UMNO member, and a voter for B.Pinang, what kind of results are u hoping and expecting?

11 September 2009 00:44

My frank answer is as follows:-

Like my fictional hero, Sherlock Holmes, I sometimes need some jolt to the mind. So that I can say, the game is afoot. Thank you for the questions Tohkong Mosjid.

If UMNO wins in Bagan Pinang, it's a tactical win that is morale boosting and beneficial to a longer term strategy. UMNO's mission is to undertake structural reforms on itself. If UMNO chooses Isa Samad, a less than sanguine character, how do you reconcile this decision, with UMNO's resolve to change?

It's the adoption of a short term solution to implement long term interests. UMNO needs this win to keep its faithfuls. The timid souls will look for greener pastures when the going is down. This is not worrying – it's a form of bloodletting to ease the pressure and also discharge contaminated blood. A morale booster is the shot in the arm that is looked for. A win here, is imperative in order to stem the slide.

Once this is won, the longer term interests of the party can be tackled.

The immediate interest is essential to stop the PR momentum and send a signal, that they can lose. UMNO has already lost many times and humbled. It is interesting to see how the PR people rationalize their loss if it comes.

This win is necessary to expose the chink in PR's armor. If UMNO can win, despite besieging UMNO candidate, it will show that the PR machinery can be beaten. Once it is done, UMNO will be ready to carry out its domino effect.

UMNO needs to win this in order to say, it can retain and come to power through the due process of open elections. This win will crumble the allegations that UMNO can win only though extra constitutional ways.

What this win is Bagan Pinang does, is to show the UMNO people in Selangor that it is possible to win again. It will reinforce the idea, that in order to win, the personal considerations must be suppressed in order to serve long term interests of the party. We all have our personalized views and feelings about the possible candidature of Isa Samad's of this world- but if a win by such a character is essential to serve the party's longer term goals, UMNO people must do it.

Any majority is welcomed. UMNO has already been humbled by a series of losses. It has paid the costs of being arrogant and being out of touch with the people. A small majority doesn't necessarily mean UMNO will be less arrogant or that it becomes more arrogant if it wins by a bigger majority. Transforming UMNO is not conditional on UMNO getting a small or big majority. It must be carried out and not contingent on getting small or big majority. That it (transformation of UMNO) must be carried out without being tied to this Bagan Pinang by election reinforces the argument that Bagan Pinang is a tactical maneuver. On the other hand, transformation of UMNO is long term, a strategic issue.

If UMNO wins on account of postal votes, it must learn the implications of that. What do postal votes represent? They represent an electoral mass that is disciplined and whose minds are conditioned to support the ways of UMNO. UMNO must embed these lessons in its operating culture from now on. Discipline the voters, condition their minds. The opposition has been doing this for some time now.

Honesty. It's a prized ideal and a highly personalized and specific human quality. Good for the self esteem and spiritually rewarding. But the honest person, who is incapable, becomes a liability to society. His honesty earns him points for spiritual uplift and whatever dividends whether temporal or hereafter benefits him alone. But his incapability more so if he holds public office, affects many more people even for whole societies. I want a capable person because this characteristic affects me and others.