Saving UMNO

You have to do two things:-

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  Replicate as much as possible the idealism driven climate of first generation leaders and
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  Put in place a system (not absolutely perfect , we know) that cultivates and seeks out capable and good leaders.

Our PM doesn't have the equivalent of Tun Razak's king Ghaz, orTun Razak's Tengku Razaleigh. He didn't have Tun Razak's Sardon Jubir for example who had the appearance of a pugilist ready to let go at any time. He doesn't have a Mahathir's Daim Zainudin or Mahathir's Sanusi. He has one minister whose outbursts are faster than Wyatt Earp's draw, an Easy Rider Minister who rides the big bikes living out some missing part of his adolescent life. He has a siren of an Information Minister. These are the qualities he has with which to champion his many agendas? Ayoyo!

Our PM may not even have a Tun Razak's Tun Dr. Ismail. Muhyidin was capable only of coming out with an uninspiring dismissive of Perkasa. The point is what is UMNO going to show the Malays that it can take the upper hand and become a better champion than Perkasa? Certainly not through giving out mere statements and claims. I think we have had enough of this hot air.

He has so many diffident ministers unsure and reluctant to exercise leadership. You have a minister in charge of religious matters deferring decision waiting signals from a PM not schooled in Islamic knowledge. You have a second finance minister who is afraid to assert given authority. A de facto 2^nd finance minister who heads the EPU is calling the shots. 

First and foremost it's a leadership issue. Let's leave the issue until later.

Other than leadership, UMNO is suffering from diminished credibility- that element which caused rejection by over 1 million of its members and over 3 million of Malay voters.

The immediate way for UMNO to make itself believable again and regain people's trust is to achieve a huge success at something immediately. That would inspire confidence and trust. This plus do something for long term and strategic importance which is cultivating leadership.

In a previous article, I have talked about the necessity of restructuring leadership structure or leadership structural components at branch levels. That's the technical part of it. The technicians can reconfigure that leadership structure. That does not ensure and guarantee the emergence of leadership. That would still depend on the intrinsic leadership values of the person chosen or elected. We shall talk about that later too.

What's of immediate significance is the loss of credibility. Credibility comes in many approximating forms- trustworthiness, reliability, integrity, authority, standing and even the indefinable sincerity. When the PM handed RM500, 000 to the church that was torched, that action may indeed be genuine sincerity but it is still disputed by distrusting minds with political axes to grind. As such it's indefinable but not absolutely worthless. The PM's 40 advisers should be writing on this instead of smirking with satisfaction and patting themselves on the backs.

But like I said, those are approximating forms- still open ended. The PM needs to offer tangible results. Right now, the PM needs to find an immediate project of social, political and economic value that immediately establishes UMNO and the government's believability.

The PM has come out with certain priorities- tackling urban poverty for example, ridding our politics of corruption for example, making UMNO a truly democratic party and all those.

Example: corruption. What are the desirable tangible results? Bringing to book the big fish? Of course. Ministers ke, deputy ministers ke, powerful financial bankroller ke. Make examples of them. Show the rakyat you mean business.

PM shouldn't shy away in showing his seriousness in dealing with this scourge. He must be willing to make sacrifices- meaning he must have that leadership mettle and iron resolve to see big names universally suspected of corruption to be charged. As an example simpliciter- is there any fundamental reason not to haul in Khir Toyo for example? That diminutive former dentist can make a home more expensive than Tun Mahathir's? He is a Croesus or what?

Or to haul in the big names behind the PKFZ scandal. This financial mess is man-made. So far we have seen minions charged, but where are the big kahunas? UMNO and the government become disbelievable when they refuse or are seen as foot dragging when it comes to who the public perceives are corrupt. What the public wants, the public must get. That should make PM, his party and government believable.

What is another topical issue that can immediately elevate UMNO's integrity? By acting bona fide in dealing with the oil royalty issue. If the state of Kelantan rightfully deserves to get the oil royalty, restore that right to receive royalty. The PM loses believability trying to do a shuffle in distorting terms here and there. Wang ehsan means simply what the term means- something given out of the goodness of the heart-now that's different from a right. Goodness of the heart is personal to holder, while a right is claimable against the whole world. If the federal government wants to give ehsan money to Kelantan- take it because that acceptance honours the goodness of the heart of the giver. But that doesn't cancel out the right to which the state is entitled to. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah yesterday spoke to a very large crowd about this issue.

How does UMNO respond to that? By braying for blood even asking for his expulsion from UMNO. These kichi mayungs better don't waste our time by loud noises. The people who should be answering what Tengku Razaleigh said is DR Mahathir. Only TDM has the stature to debate on what TRH said. 
Out of nowhere comes our Information 'Change Mode' Minister. Can you trust our Information Minister who was once hanging by the financial coattails of Tengku Razaleigh when he was with Semangat 46? Even his deposit to contest elections then was paid for by Tengku Razaleigh. Rais is rust. Like Negeri Sembilan people say- MULO DAH DIO NAIK JOBO TU!

Restore that right and give wang ehsan at the same time- that makes The PM, his party and his government believable. We will believe what you say.