A King and his rooks, bishops? Knights?

 

In the last article, I placed a picture of a key with the Dollar sign. I narrated a true story about people who didn't know where the keys are located and also did not know how to identify the keys. Many are not happy about this story but I tell it as it is.

I wasn't joking about the ramifications. If you have people who not only do not know where they key is and do not know how the keys looked like, the objectives of the KRA's crucial to the transformation of Malaysia, will not be met.

If UMNO people treat this casually and regard any contrary opinions given to the achievement of KRA's and Transformation of society as undermining the efforts of the PM, they are wrong. UMNO people as direct stakeholders have an interest to ensure this KRA thing and transforming society must be successful. In doing so, their role is not necessarily as a compliant parrot.

Hence you need people qualified and reasonable to talk about the complex concept of 1 Malaysia.

Now it seems everyone is coming out to either support or condemn Nasir Safar. But no one asks the irritating question that needs to be asked- Is he qualified to speak about this vexed issue in the first place? Can you blame an inadequate person for talking about a weighty issue? That reflects how serious the PM's people are treating this issue.

That calls into question the issue of loyalty versus substance. One is loyal but not necessarily substantial. Nasir Safar is without doubt a loyal to the PM but we must not readily equate this trait with substance and quality.

Maybe its time for the PM to conduct a KPI on the credibility of his people. I am reminded of the opinion given me by the Oracle of Syed Putra- there are other ways for the PM to reward loyalty. That opinion suggests a reward not necessarily by being part of a policy making team.

All we know that he was a long time ago an exco of pergerakan pemuda, perhaps during the time when PM Najib was ketua Pemuda. He was at that time working in a Pasar somewhere in Johor and some people even say; he was just a penyembelih ayam. To have achieved a post as the PM's special officer and a Dato to boot is quite an accomplishment. It tells nothing however whether you have that intellectual capability and verve to speak on this matter.

He is free to talk about whatever he wants, but whether he is qualified to talk about a heavy issue as 1 Malaysia is another matter. You choose people who not only don't know where to locate the key area but also don't know how the keys looked like, you bear the damage. It's not opened for you now to disclaim his stupidity. His stupidity hurts you too. Perhaps what he spoke of was better said in a pasar somewhere in Johor.

Tweet

Read more...

NKRA- finding KEY people.

 

 Its fine and dandy, talking and publicizing the concept of national key result areas ( NKRA). The key areas are already identified. Very good indeed.

But the PM needs champions to champion his cause. Corruption, poverty, high income economy etc. the targets enumerated and described in the key areas demand good people, good politicians and good government to implement and execute them. The key to implementing NKRAs is finding the KEY people.

They first of all require good people to be at the helm. This is the biggest challenge faced by the PM- To place people with stout determination, verve and dedication and most important share the beliefs of the PM to make things right.

Finding the good people must be the priority of the PM. If you don't have the good and right people, they won't be able to identify the areas where the keys are located or worse still, they don't recognize the area and the keys when they see them.

Let me narrate a personal story. When I was a serving ADUN under the DPM (as the PM then was), I had the opportunity to bring about 160 people to Kuala Lumpur. One of the things to do, was to bring these people (UMNO members) to Sri Satria to meet up with the DPM (as he was then).

I had them put up at a leading hotel in the city (a 3 star hotel) with quite modern facilities. The rooms had touch pad buttons to switch on lights, air conditioners etc. we placed 3-4 persons to a room. These are located on the console of the night lamp desk at the side of the bed.

You have the 'keys' at the key area.

I kid you not- this incident happened to many of the participants who came. The next morning, we went to fetch some people from a particular room, I was surprised to see the aircond wasn't turned on, the lights were not on. The room was very warm, humid and I could see people perspiring. Windows were fixed types permanently fastened and were not opened. Even the ceiling fan wasn't witched on.

I asked- kenapa tak pasang lampu, air-cond, kipas? Apa pasal bilik air pun gelap? Semalam AWOK seme  tidor bergelap dan berpanas ke? Bilik hotel mahal, tapi kalau tak guna kemudahan, lagi tak berguna. Poh Paleh...wabe( Pekan Slang)

YB, hotel ini tak guna- takde kipas, aircond ada, tapi switch takde. Lampu ada kat celing, tepi dinding tapi punat nak tekan pun takde.

Lain kali duduk hotel di Chow Kit Road sahaja lah. Tak guna punya hotel.

I said, mana takde. Tengok ni. Switch semua ada kat sini as I demonstrated by depressing the touch pad keys on the side table of the bed.

Awak orang dah datang Kuala Lumpur macam Kuantan Pekan berpuloh kali, tapi tak kenal rupa switch. Haha, Melayu Melayu, macam mana nak maju. Bikin Malu Dato Najib aje! Koman betul orang Pekan.

Translation:

You people didn't switch on the lights, air cond, fan? Why is the bathroom dark? Yesterday night, you people were sleeping in total darkness and humid discomfort?

YB, this hotel is useless. It looks fine on the outside. You have a fan but no switch, aircond with no starter, we see lights up the ceiling but no switches can be found.

Next time, put us up at the Chow Kit budget hotels- that would be better.

Who says no such things? I proceeded to the bed side table and demonstrated depressing the touch-pad keys. Voila! All of the amenities came around,

You see, you may have people, but do they recognise where they keys are in the first place? Announcing NKRAs is one thing, having good people, able to identify and recognise the keys is even more important.

You need KEY people to do the NKRAs.

 

Tweet

Read more...

Saving UMNO

You have to do two things:-

• 
  
  
  
  Replicate as much as possible the idealism driven climate of first generation leaders and
• 
  
  
  
  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.

Tweet

Read more...

Thinking Leadership

One day a friend of mine met with the late King Ghaz, the elder statesman said.

Young man, will you nominate me as the Ketua Pemuda?

My friend let out a howl of laughter.

Mana boleh Tun, you walk pun dengan tongkat, kaki pun dah tak daya. Hishamudin( then Ketua Pemuda) muda dan kuat.

Young man, said King Ghaz- I will lead using my head, not my legs.

This is exactly the chief malady crippling UMNO- the dearth of a thinking leadership.

Think of the difference between first generation and the present and succeeding generations.

What did the first generation of Malayan citizens think of? They were basically thinking of how to rid of the colonialist yolk. They fought for independence. Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and first generation leaders fought for displacing the colonial government. They had this external stimulus that brought out the best in them. In the course of ridding their society of the yoke of colonialism, men with leadership emerged naturally. You had many of them.

They got into politics. Politics to them was a means through which they could achieve an objective. Politics was a purposeful activity. Nowadays- people 'play' politics just to stay in power.

The second generation is different. In many aspects. This is our generation, and our successors'. They knew not very much about the ideals and motivation of the first. They have vague memory on this. Some may no longer know who Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak were. King Ghaz was almost forgotten and remembered only when he died last week. He has written a few books which I think many have not heard of. The man, who took over from him as Kuala Lipis UMNO division the last time, did not even know  where he lived. You know, UMNO leadership can be so hypocritical most of the times- they don't know how to treat previous leaders. They are full of crap sometimes.

This generation knows not of past struggles and the object of previous struggles- displacing colonial powers. They now know of these- poverty (rural or urban), ignorance, ineptitude, corruption and bad governance. These issues are more relevant to them.

So what kind of leadership is required first and foremost? It's the leadership that governs using their heads and not the legs. You need this kind of leadership that tackles poverty, bad governance, corruption and so forth.

Tweet

Read more...

Allah-watered down version, Sufi masters and the strange case of Aduka.

The National Fatwa Council should be more assertive in this issue. The fatwa council is the highest body to determine vexed issues concerning the religion of Islam. Even the PM is bounded to agree to the pronouncements of the national fatwa council. Thus far, the edicts that it issued on the Allah issue seem to have vanished into the black hole of indecision.

It acted with mercurial speed over a simple matter like certifying that Yoga was haram. But whenever political interests are involved, it displayed uncharacteristic indolence. Take for example, the issue on the canning of the model who was convicted by the shariah court for drinking alcohol. Until today, the canning hasn't been enforced.

It is therefore not surprising that the credibility of Islam in Malaysia is being disputed day by day. The very institutions tasked for safeguarding the sanctity of the religion are being undermined.

The PM even has a religious adviser and he should be accountable too. Instead he appears to wait for signals from the chief. The chief needs advice upon which he decides. You have a religious expert seemingly surrendering his assigned role waiting a decision on religion to be made by a person dependent on his advice in the first place.

The PM shouldn't be dragged into this issue at all had the Fatwa Council came out forcefully. Secondly, the person in charge directly over this issue is the minister in the PM's department in charge of Islam. He should have exercised leadership in this issue. Instead he has behaved like a eunuch.

If everything has to be decided by the PM, then he might as well run the country alone.

But, don't ask Khalid Samad- on Al Jazeera 101 East, he refused to accept the authority of the NFC alleging that it's the mouthpiece of UMNO. The edicts or fatwas declared are not UMNO edicts- they are edicts of Islam. There is only one Islam, NO PAS's Islam or UMNO's Islam. The people in UMNO and PAS pray to the same Allah. He is invested with the tauhid properties.

Susah lah itu macam- you dispute the legitimacy of the NFC on the flimsiest excuse that it hawks the views of the government. On that reckoning, if the Pakatan comes into power, Khalid Samad will reconstitute the NFC and thereafter, it will be opened for any UMNO politician to reject the pronouncement of the Pakatan NFC. Yes? It will also be opened for them to reject the edicts from the NFC because they are edicts of Pakatan. This is the same line of argument per Khalid Samad.

In this case, the NFC becomes a circus and there will be no finality. It's grossly unfair to imply the NFC is but a stooge to UMNO religious values. It insults the righteousness of Allah fearing individuals sitting in the NFC. By his condemnations, Khalid Samad has assigned the members of the NFC as religious trash.

Can Khalid Samad tell us, of the countless number of cases and issues decided upon by the NFC, how many in his opinion, were the extended 'religious' views of the ruling class? It's difficult to agree with an anarchist.

This issue has resolved into a credibility issue- the credibility of Muslims to defend their own religion. If Muslims here in Malaysia have forsaken their religion, who shall defend it?

What is being hawked here, promoted even by those remotely linked to this issue is a watered down version of Allah. The reasoning is akin to saying that it's ok for Muslims to drink wine because in essence wine is processed grape juice. It's the application of the same line of thinking on the Allah issue.

That's a watered down reasoning that justifies a position taken. It chucks out principles and is expediency-driven. Hence to justify drinking of wine, consider it processed grape juice.

The watered down Allah is the Allah that exists in all things. Allah exists everywhere- His Essence that is. You therefore have the Pantheism of Allah- his essence is invested into all beings ( makhluk). So to the enlightened and select few, they see Allah everywhere and hence have no problem in allowing Allah used by anyone or anything. The mountains and hills all worship Allah, so do the animals dispersed on this earth. You ask a goat and it can talk, the goat says it worships Allah. In all things ( makhluk) there is the essence of Allah.

Everybody it seems is a Sufi master able to see through their minds eye, the essence of Allah in everything. Here is the problem with many Muslims, they trivialize everything and thus Allah becomes commoditized. The majority of Muslims here are not the ascetic hermits able to comprehend the essence of Allah at the highest levels ( tasawwuf for instance). They submit to the edicts of shariah or Islamic jurisprudence. Not for them the luxury of philosophical contemplations or the luxury of disinterested and dispassionate interpretation of Allah. Islamic jurisprudence regulates the conduct and beliefs of the common Muslim man, not the lofty constructs of the Sufi master.

The second class of the select few, outside the circle of Tasawwuf masters has counterparts in our modern times. They are those who enjoy the luxury of disinterested and dispassionate interpretation of Allah. You can even say, they talk about Allah with an air of nonchalance.

Where do you find such special specie in these modern times? Look no farther. They are probably all the Muslims inducted in this year's little black book of Malaysia Tatler's society aka The List Issue. Ask any of the Muslim inducted there, whether they care whether Allah is used by non Muslims, the likeliest answer will be- they don't give a damn. Give us a merry time, anytime or so we die, is all that matters. Allah? The question probably begets the question, what Allah?

THE STRANGE CASE OF ADUKA TARUNA( OR WHATEVER HE CALLS HIMSELF).

Has Rais Yatim done a volte face? A few days ago, he was insistent and voluble asking the government to arrest this bloke Aduka and punish him. Now, he is reversing himself by saying that a formal apology is sufficient.

I don't mean to offend our non Malay friends- but Aduka deserved to be punished for despoiling the institution of our Monarchy. If a Malay condemns his own cultural emblem, who then shall defend his race?

Please charge and punish him. The more severe, the better. We want to know the offence for which a legal remedy is now sought to bear on him. Legislate the punishable offence and have it applied retrospectively. That would mean, everyone, most notably Tun Mahathir Mohamad for carrying out the 'guillotinization' of the Monarchy must also be punished under the same offence. The damage done to the Malay monarchy during that time was far more irreparable.

Perhaps Herr Rais suddenly becomes aware of the implications of punishing Aduka? Or has he changed his mode?

Tweet

Read more...

Judicial discretions and the rule of law

You can't shut off your mind from these things.

A mere statement by the 1st Respondent that the exercise of power was Necessary on the ground of national security without adequate supporting evidence is not sufficient in law....

Two mosques in Muar were torched. A number of churches were already burned down. Public anger is building up. The silent majority speaks in a language outside the comprehension of Mr Lim Kit Siang. The silent majority doesn't want to speak in M r. Lim's language.

Unfortunately for Mr Lim the silent majority of Muslims are not confident as imagined or as desired by the former daughter number one. We don't have to qualify our confidence level or our self assuredness in terms defined by daughter number one. We defined our confidence by not compromising on the fundamental elements of our faith.

So what about those burnings and torching here and there?

This is not possible. They can't be happening. The violence is simply indefinable in law. All the burning of churches, torching of suraus and mosques cannot be happening. How can these be happening when they are not within the contemplation of the laws by which the learned judge guided herself? Mere statements are not sufficient in law. The defendants' lawyers have failed to prove that the usage can lead to security problems.

The facts have since overtaken the neat premises of what is or what is not in law.

You must have evidence. Bad things, mayhem must take place first to support statements to qualify as sufficient law to exact the relevant remedy. Otherwise it's all worthless. It's the same as a murder must first take place, before a murder charge can be made.

Two mistakes took place here.

• 
  
  First the defendants stated their case in a very simplified manner- merely alluding to the possibility that public security can be breached. Malaysians you see, are not clever enough to stage an avatar requiring firmer legal redress.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Second, the court underestimated foundations of faith. It's not founded on logic or artful manipulation of arguments and so forth.
  
  
  

Now we heard pig heads were hurled into mosque compounds. To Muslims, this is sacrilege and is abound to stir up unbridled passions. The opposition parties are quick to point out that these are scare tactics used by unscrupulous politicians (read UMNO politicians of course). That's the same logic used in Anwar did a self injury.

That's utter nonsense! Just as the torching of the churches, using the perverted logic and reasoning accustomed by the opposition, the pig heads throwing must have been planned by Pakatan people.

It must be them. They need this issue to stay alive. Anwar needs this issue to divert attention.

How does it feel now, if these kind of perverted accusations are levied against you?

Just as the torching of the churches, the pig head throwing incidents were caused by common thugs.

But then, these things cannot be happening within the scheme of things that formed the basis of Justice Lau's judgment, can they? They can and already did.

Nik (and Pakatan) would replace NEP with a race-blind, need-based policy. I appreciate this sense of social justice but we must remind ourselves that good intentions alone do not make for effective policies. There are realities to consider.

IF IT WERE A CHOICE BETWEEN ELIMINATING NEP AND RIOTING ON THE STREETS, MOST WOULD MAKE A RATIONAL CHOICE: KEEP THE DAMN THING!

Question: if this commonsensical advice can be urged upon such a mundane thing as doing away with the NEP, why couldn't the same reasoning be applied to a more explosive issue? Funny how that kind of thinking is treated as amendable to an economic and purely rational issue, but disingenuously abandoned when needed on a rather irrational issue as religion.

But you CAN make a rational choice. Keep the damn thing!

Tweet

Read more...

Can UMNO be saved?-1

Can UMNO be saved? Of course it can, the answer lies with the members and the leadership at the basic unit of UMNO organisation- the UMNO branch or cawangan. A party with a 64 year history just simply can't fade away because of shenanigans at the apex. It will definitely not whistle away because the opposition wish and fictionalise its demise. They have to also win the electorate.

There must first of all be a genuine desire to transform UMNO and it must begin at the basic level. The top at the superstructure is less relevant because it essentially feeds off the base. It is to the base that we need to pay attention. Forget the top- why should we bother to reform people like Rais Yatim for example or the large numbers of UMNO divisional heads who are more interested in hobnobbing with ministers whispering sweet nothings into their ears, spending evenings listening to concerts?

Why must transformation take place at the bottom of the UMNO structure? Because it's the foundation upon which the superstructure rests. Change the foundation, the superstructure will change accordingly. The UMNO branch is the cell that is the basic structure and functional unit of the UMNO living organism.

It is a simple concept. We create them; we should be able to de-create them. The leadership at the superstructure I mean. The 25 elected supreme council members, the president, the deputy president, the 6 vice presidents, the information chief, the secretary general, the treasurer and the 12 others appointed by the president. I don't think this contradicts the popular adage that the fish rots first in the head that translates into if you want to make changes, start at the top. We are, that is why we are starting with the branch heads. They are the real top cats. Why do we have to limit our thinking of believing the top has to be the top at the superstructure? Look at the top of the basic unit, i.e. the branch.

Revolution doesn't start from the conventional top. It doesn't start with the status quo. It begins with resentment and disillusionment with the status quo by the broad masses. The status quo simply doesn't have the consciousness nor the political will to change itself. Transformation and revolution must come from elsewhere and they don't come in refined and chaste manner. Demanding change in the quality of leadership at the basic UMNO unit is violent in nature because, just as those entrenched in power at the top at higher levels, leaders at the basic unit will also resist being forced out of power. The clash between two opposing forces can't be anything but violent.

You call for a revolution; you must know that revolution is not like a dinner party or making crotchet. You know the saying; "Revolution is not a dinner party, not an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be advanced softly, gradually, carefully, considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly and modestly."

When the UMNO president calls for some form of direct elections by more some 140,000 delegates to the divisional meetings, that's a revolution by UMNO standard. It hasn't reached a real revolution yet, because the agenda set forth by the UMNO president is a qualified revolution. It's still fettered by rules here and there.

The question of having to transform UMNO would have been unheard of before 2008. UMNO won a big majority at the 11^th general election. That was in 2004. Tun Abdullah had succeeded Tun Mahathir a year earlier. There was euphoria for a moment and a lot of hope was pinned on Abdullah. Within 4 years, the euphoria turned to disillusionment. We got rid of the illusion that Abdullah could make a difference. He was wanting in most departments. His leadership resulted in the biggest loss UMNO had in its history.

UMNO wasn't paying attention to its front liners- the branch leadership. UMNO's leadership was more besotted with esoteric ideas. Islam Hadhari, inter-faith dialogues, Economic corridors which by the way are fast turning into nothing more that economic boundary markings by predatory economic players. .

UMNO leadership (not just Pak Lah alone) sent the message of an Utopian-esque future. Pak Lah and UMNO wasn't paying attention to the UMNO front liners who bear the burden of translating the ideas into practice. All Pak Lah was able to muster later, was to come out with a limped whimper blaming the little napoleons. In order to translate and implement, members must first understand the agenda. The little napoleons didn't understand Pak Lah. They still don't about PM Najib's agenda.

Either you make them understand or have them replaced with those who can understand and share your enthusiasm. Problem is, PM Najib is surrounded with eager to please the leader people. People who continue to blindly say, it's ok boss, it's ok until it reaches a point when the OK turns into KO.

The little napoleons were in the form of UMNO branch leaders – he wasn't paying attention to them. He lost the message war. Where was he bringing the country to? How do we get there? The other leaders too made the same error. The future of a country rests in the hands of over 100,000 branch leaders who elect 191 division heads who in turn elect an even smaller number to manage the country.

Just take a look at a typical branch leader- he may be a school gardener, a watchman somewhere, the village bully and loafer, the local strongman. With due respect, these people are hardly the material on which to build a great nation. Would these people have the required presence of mind to choose leaders with capabilities, intelligence and probably dissimilar thinking at variance with what they have been accustomed to?

What was needed wasn't Islam Hadhari. What we could have profited from, was an UMNO hadhari- a pursuit to make UMNO leadership relevant.

The question then is, how does the UMNO leadership ensure UMNO stays relevant? It can't retain relevance by retaining a leadership at odds with the new mood of the electorate. How has the profile of the electorate changed?

Tweet

Read more...