UMNO and its principles-1

I feel uplifted that Muhyidin as the number 2 man in Malaysia says that UMNO will not forgo its principles. But pray tell, what are the UMNO principles? It's not just 'fight for the Malay cause' simpliciter anymore. People want to know more because they want to be convinced and they want to believe in UMNO's cause.

The UMNO people I asked around don't seem able to lay down the principles other than muttering the usual stuff about Malay survival. Perhaps Muhyidin has read a book which no others have. I hope he will share his knowledge of the principles with the rest of us. Otherwise, as a blogger friend told me once, UMNO's principle is to have NO principles.

It's very important for Muhyidin and other thinking UMNO leaders to say what UMNO principles are. We know UMNO was formed as a vehicle to provide forceful political expression and representation to Malay causes. In the past, UMNO hasn't had a serious competitor to its claim as a representative of Malay causes. It could get away with almost anything. Then, it could just say we fight for Malay interests and every Malay would cling on to every word UMNO says. Not anymore.

Now it has serious competitors to the claim of representing Malay causes. Now, it has to show, why it can represent Malay causes BETTER that its competitors so that, upon judgment and reflection, it deserves more support from the people. It simply has to build a better mousetrap.

Just as people can't rest on their laurels of past achievements (most of them not debated anyway), so is UMNO subjected to the same reminder. Sure, everyone remembers it was UMNO which mobilized the Malay masses to rise up against the tendentious idea of a Malayan Union. Malayan Union wasn't just about bringing about more democratic principles, better governance, transparency, system of laws etc. I don't think Malays are averse to that. Malayan Union would have worked of Malays were given prominence right from the start.

The main problem back then was this. Malay leaders saw Malayan union more as an attempt to black-hole them into insignificance. The condescending perception that Malay leaders are good only at managing their own religious and cultural affairs, qualified only as peons and thambys consigned forever to go around with bowl in hand, pleading for succor and charity wasn't lost on the minds of Malays. Fears such as these were greatly amplified by the growing emergence to dominance of recently arrived ethnic groups. As these grew to prominence, Malays faded into insignificance.

Yes UMNO put a stop to Malayan Union. Malays are indebted to that. But you can't hold people captive to this idea for indeterminate time. People are gratified yes- but soon people realize that gratification doesn't feed families or put roofs over the heads and gratification doesn't mean unqualified surrender of rights to question or to chart a different course or take up causes different from UMNO.

People just don't buy unqualified statements and sloganeering anymore. If MUhyidin or anyone else says, UMNO will never abandon its principles and by that I understand to mean, the principles it lives by in giving political voice to Malay causes, then say so in explicit terms. Don't force us to fill in the gaps.

We have no unified document outlining the principles of UMNO. UMNO people say UMNO hasn't got an ideology. UMNO leaders make them up as they move along. Some people say there is a pattern in madness of things. We can almost also say, our principles are like case based laws. Judges makes new laws through cases.

Let me try though. Even though they are not codified, the UMNO principles can be culled up from UMNO's history. Our starting point must be 1946.

What moved the 1st generation UMNO leaders and people? The principles if I recall correctly are summed up by the alphabets Alif, Ba and Ta. These stand for Agama, Bangsa and Tanah Air.

They don't represent any racist supremacist idea at all. Let me begin with the imperative bangsa. It means UMNO must begin with charity at home. We don't mind sharing with others. But Malays must be given their dues.

In a way, UMNO stood for MalayLand Uber Alles. Malays before anyone else. When I say this, it doesn't in any way import any Nazi-like exhortations as western commentators are wont to say about the original anthem Deutschland uber alles.

The poet who wrote the anthem was himself a fugitive and when he wrote the lines Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt, he did not mean literally "over all," as in Germany "ruling over all in the world," but more of a "before all others."

The call for Agama, Bangsa dan Tanah Air was a rallying urging to the Malays in the 1940s to put national unity above local loyalties and petty rivalries over religion and regionalism. To stop thinking of themselves as Malays from different parts of the country and to start thinking as Malays one and all.

So let us remind Muhyidin what it means to put Malay before all others.

When leaders talk about Malay interests, their pronouncements will probably be met with sarcasm. Because people know they are just fudging the issue when in reality, they and big Chinese business interest are like the skin and nail. People now see the call for Malay before all others as a sham.

When UMNO talks about development, people no longer believe them because the portion of development enjoyed by the people is minuscule. So small that simple development needs such as decent roads to villages, provision of affordable housing, schooling facilities, CAN be provided by ANY government in power. People know UMNO leaders are more interested in milking the latest multi-billion projects and making hay while the sun shines.

Hence even while the PM speaks of his big business ideas- ETP, NEM, EPP, NKRA, PDP whatever, the ever so nameless and faceless people, but real people anyway, don't really give a dam. The JKKK if led by capable people bring and understand peoples' needs better than high handed government officers.

Will water supply be uninterrupted? Will the bridges be built and repaired? Can we get a multipurpose hall? Can we have new suraus and mosques? Can we get welfare assistance? Will our children get educational financial aid?

People know the PM is talking to big businesses. The business of small people can be tackled by ANY government.

So I hope, when Muhyidin offers a broad-brush description of UMNO principles, because he is Malay first and Malaysian second, he will be the first to understand what being Malay is all about. You can tolerate sham and hypocrisy up to a level only.

I hope Muhyidin will further remind himself about what Malayland uber alles means in light of what he went through when visiting China. See whether the claim Malays before everyone else apply or not.

Part of his itinerary to China was to negotiate with Chinese political and business leaders and decide the rules of the game as it were when selecting the contractors for a rail double tracking project to Johor. He found himself bushwhacked when a parallel negotiation of the project took place wheeled and dealt with by the honorable porn actor from MCA. The porn actor came highly recommended by the golfing buddy of the PM.

So the firs principle that Muhyidin must establish is to tell all UMNO leaders not to be duplicitous and double faced when they deal with people. Don't brag about fighting for Malay causes and interests when what you actually do is horse around with Chinese cukongs.