Warning signals for UMNO

At 69% approval rating, that is good. I have no doubt that PM Najib enjoys widespread acceptance. I agree that he has done not bad too considering that he inherits a cabinet entrusted upon him by Pak Lah. By and by, there have been no major changes in UMNO leadership structure across the states and bahagians and no major changes in cabinet composition. Old faces serving Pak Lah are still around and faces that we are not sure of being in there in the first place are still around. Especially those wet behind the ears ministers and deputy ministers.

Shaziman Abu Mansor for instance as full minister who seems more adept at antagonizing the civil servants at KKR. Behind the boyish innocence, there lurk some more basic instincts. Its difficult to stay pristine supervising a ministry in charge of million ringgit contracts. Of what useful purpose for example is the deputy youth head of Pemuda UMNO in the team? A more sensible replacement for this fellow is the present head of UDA- Norjazlan Mohamed Rahmat. He has the right values and capabilities to represent UMNO.

But have we looked at UMNO's approval rating? If PM Najib's rating is higher than UMNO which I believe it is, then there is something inherently wrong in UMNO. Thus the only salable product in UMNO now is Dato Najib.

So we have ONLY one salable product. But this product can be sullied by the eager-to-please kitchen advisers. As Najib becomes more imperial and not easily accessible, he is also blocked from receiving reality checks. The only information going to him is filtered by a coterie of advisors. Asked why he is not replacing them with a new team, Najib answered these boys are utterly loyal to him.

Big mistake. That however doesn't necessarily translate into winning votes. He has to get a new team simply because of being in an altogether different position. He is now number One. Loyalty can be rewarded by other means. Retire them off with sustainable business for instance.

We can't win the country riding on the coattails of one fellow. Approval ratings based on a person makes our destiny dependent on that person. What happens if the ratings go down next month?

We are faced with the question- is Najib the time teller or the clock builder? The approval ratings seem to point out he is the former. This spells problems for UMNO. It means UMNO lacks the elements to make it an enduring and lasting organization.

The divide between Najib's ratings with that of UMNO offers no comfort and respite for UMNO.

Is the 6 months suspension of Anwar Ibrahim a strategic move in the sense that it improves the standing of Najib and the government? I think not. PM Najib must have been ill advised by his coterie of eager- to- please advisors. Damn those advisors. They must have been thinking suspending Anwar is a boon to Najib. Or they are doing a favour to Najib.

What it has done immediately is to cancel out the recent internal problems within PKR. Those disillusioned suddenly found common grounds to rally behind Anwar. Anwar will be able to weave a story that this is another of those inventions manufactured by those in power to destroy him. Unfortunately for Najib and the government, this story line resonates well with the people.

Two, you have actually given Anwar a 6 months head start to campaign for elections. He and his people are now able to go around the country to explain their side of the story. What will the UMNO machinery do? It does nothing much to answer the Anwar juggernaut.

Unanswered, what Anwar and his people say will only bring misery on UMNO. Remember the black eye episode? People, even UMNO mid-level leaders in Najib's own Bahagian went around distributing Anwar's blackened eye incident. But his eager to please local leaders kept telling Najib everything was under control. They could have gotten away with their glib lies except for the 241 majority verdict. The same lies are being presented to Najib at the moment.

What about UMNO being accused of abandoning its role as voice of the Malay people? That role has been surrendered by default to Perkasa. It never was nor will it be about Ibrahim Ali. But what Ibrahim Ali has done is to steal the thunder that has been the domain of UMNO since 1946. To articulate about Malay interests as intelligent as it can. In the hands of Ibrahim Ali, the Malay interest which could have been packaged as rational politics is being presented in the raw sewage form- spurning and scaring people.

Who is at fault there? We can't expect Najib to do everything. The fault lies with the other top leaders and ketua bahagians and the information chiefs.