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Sakmongkol ak 47

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Tuesday 3 March 2009

Winning and Winnable Team

A few months back, I started blogging about KJ. He has announced his intention to go for the ketua pemuda post. It was a logical step considering he is the Naib Ketua Pemuda. It's not good for a young man to stifle his ambitions. A few years serving as deputy head of Pemuda has allowed him to gain firsthand knowledge and experience.

Can anyone deny that for better or for worse, KJ has been at the forefront of many Pemuda outings that were required to show its existence? UMNO consented to whatever Pemuda was doing at that moment. Those were necessary for UMNO's armour propre. Can anyone imagine, UMNO without the rambunctiousness of Pemuda? Otherwise, what is it? Is it just an organisation headed by the very much subdued Hishamudin Hussein?

That reality is, UMNO youth would not be UMNO youth without some characteristics associated with the recklessness of youth. So, I will just dismiss these Johnny-come-lately censorships of what should have been done right. We are burdened with what is. These criticisms which were mostly directed of course at KJ are just noises from the chisel after the house is already completed. The point is, no one UMNO youth leaders, KJ or non KJ need apologise for UMNO youth being UMNO youth.

I started with my own apprehension of KJ. He has been pictured as an ogre whose ambitions know no bounds. To worsen things, he has been the centre of the Khairy chronicles. The author of the KJ chronicles is none other than the notorious RPK. I use the term notorious to signify an open ended reputation. When he is politically gone, you may wish to assign him any epitaph you desire. It is similar to the prefix of notorious BIG, the rap singer.

I have written well over 40 articles on why I support KJ. I have received criticisms on my stand. Some even questioned my moral compass. One very virulent commentator even said KJ and I have no business to be in UMNO. I am saddened by this kind of attitude. Just what kind of people is fit to be in UMNO? The docile and muted kind who never question the basis of power held by the UMNO leadership? Are they the unquestioning ever trusting 'digits' that will forever be used as fodder to the political canons in UMNO? Used when needed and glorified when intended to be used as shield? For too long the majority in UMNO have been dead in their loyalty. Now it is time for the majority to be alive even though in rebellion.

What is the basis of UMNO's power? Islam has never been its raison d'être. Please don't insult our intelligence by insisting it is so. Have you been to any of the UMNO General Assemblies? If you have, then the behaviour of the rambunctious UMNO delegates would dispel any notions that UMNO's raison d'être is Islam.

The basis of UMNO's power is power itself couched in the concept of nationalism. The basis of UMNO's power is economic patronage. To me these are the twin pillars on which the foundation of UMNO power rests.

So when one commentator recently asked-UMNO needs a winning team, or dream team, which team does she want to lead UMNO? Is that the team that perpetuates the traditional basis of UMNO's power- which is power itself and economic patronage? The problem of such a foundation is that it is hollow and lacks legitimacy.

By the first pillar, UMNO imposes its power by using the instruments of power itself. It legislates its will through. Perhaps the more appropriate term is it bulldozes its way through. As a result, such attitude fails to instil conviction. A belief without conviction is hollow.

Power through economic patronage fails to secure legitimacy because such power is not supported by the merits of the recipient. Because it is not funded on intrinsic strengths, it suffers from lack of legitimacy and that makes power that is achieved through that way, weakly defensible.

What we actually need is a winnable team, not a winning team. The concept of winnable suggests that you win because of something you can achieve and do. You win people over by the force of reasoned arguments and not the application of physical force or the coercive instruments of power. The concept of winning team suggests that UMNO leadership is given. That at once places us as the mute and docile majority.

It is back to my old argument of ascriptive and achieving norms. The subscribers to ascriptive norms will want a team held together by clubbish instincts. You are inducted into its fraternity because of who you are. You are inducted into the club because of your status. Emphasis on this belonging-ness therefore disqualifies others who challenge the age-old system. More worrisome is that a team founded on ascriptive norms, legitimizes itself through the instruments of power and economic patronage. Because it is founded on these pillars, it perpetuates the system in which UMNO presently finds itself in troubled waters.

The attempt to link UMNO's winnable prospects to KJ or specifically to the EXCLUSION of KJ is a flawed argument. What more when the basis of exclusion is based on private perception that KJ is young and impatient etc.etc. That renders such arguments, unconvincing. I can use other unflattering description of such an argument but will exercise restraint in the name of civility.

In UMNO, the dominant power source is always the party- never its wings. The pemuda or any other wings play a supportive role only and their relative prominence depends on the earnest endeavours of their respective leaders. If you have a docile and meek leader, his organisation will reflect his timidity.

The traits of a winnable team consist of those features associated with achieving norms. You are chosen because of what you can achieve and contribute. Included in the features should be the ability to appeal to the broadest spectrum of Malaysians as possible.

The only candidate among the three (not the thousands of UMNO youths) who has an appeal broad enough to make UMNO a winnable party is KJ.

The elevation of KJ as ketua pemuda represents our best chance to break the glass ceiling. It will be the singular signal that anyone can become a leader in his organisation. Otherwise, UMNO leadership will forever vests with the genetic elite. It will forever rest with the groups most identified with the nebulous concept of tradition. Which in reality simply means, you are in the inner circle, enjoying close proximity with the existing powers that be, patiently waiting for your turn, don't rock the boat types. Well, this type of leadership is good for yesterday's setting.

This kind of thinking finds resonance in today's call for KJ to be patient. Why can't he wait his turn? UMNO needs a winning team? So I ask, what is UMNO's dream team? Your dream team might be a nightmare team for me. Why should KJ wait?

In my estimation, this kind of passivity driven thinking is more likely to be linked closely to people who depend on fortuitous events and on providence to shore up the leadership that we badly need. If UMNO rejects a more deterministic and purpose-driven search for its leadership and instead fall back on chance and providence, hoping willy-nilly, the right leaders will emerge, then I believe UMNO will be doomed. A new UMNO needs a conscious process to seek leadership.

The elevation of KJ represents a part of that conscious and purposeful effort and deterministic one to define what kind of leadership UMNO requires. It represents the first serious UMNO effort to foist a conscious system to find the leadership it needs.

11 comments:

Anonymous,  3 March 2009 at 18:38  

"The elevation of KJ as ketua pemuda represents our best chance to break the glass ceiling. It will be the singular signal that anyone can become a leader in his organisation."

KJ is not actually outside the circle or outside the boat. He actually potong Q because the captain of the boat is related to him.

So the message that most young aspiring future leaders get is " ngorat najib's daughter now"

Anonymous,  3 March 2009 at 19:53  

So the only "independent" candidate is MKT?
He has the most "hands on" govt and political experience...streets ahead of the other two.
he is a likeable guy,very intelligent and has the charisma to be our next PM.

KJ is all talk and will be transited to the backseat..where the likes of him are a dime a dozen.MM will be a middling politician..good for Sports and Culture portfolio..

Yes...only MKT has the content and street credibility...MKT ur the man

kuldeep 3 March 2009 at 19:56  

KJ used to be Kamaruddin Jaafar...and that particular KJ has found his calling in PAS.

Where is the current KJ rightful slot?

Quantum Metal Consultant 3 March 2009 at 21:22  

Jika dilihat keseluruhan, bukan sahaja KJ, Najib sendiri sudah tidak diyakini.

Membincang, mempertahankannya atau menolaknya sudah tidak begitu penting jika Najib sendiri dilihat akan mewarisi 'masalah' yang dimulakan oleh Paklah.

UMNO akan hanyut.

Anonymous,  3 March 2009 at 21:41  

"The Defence Ministry spent a total of RM4.392 billion on 100 purchases which were made through direct negotiations, representing 20.95 per cent of the total of 477 acquisitions worth RM8.116 billion made last year."...50% by value is NEGOTIATED purchasing???How big are the profit margins when it is DIRECT...and this was under DPM's watch at Mindef?

PR hv ruled Selangor for 1 year..and even with a smart MB they can't find any case for the alleged corrupted practises of MKT..if they hv they would be rushing to MACC >>isn't that enough to prove MKT is clean???All they can pin on him is on some insignificant tax issue..

I dunno if KJ's activities can stand the same scrutiny?

MKT Macai

Raison D'etre 3 March 2009 at 22:29  

"The basis of UMNO's power is power itself couched in the concept of nationalism. The basis of UMNO's power is economic patronage."

SM,
I am somewhat perplexed with your second pillar for Umno.

The term itself comes with some particularly derogatory meaning; in fact it's almost similar to the much hollered Ketuanan Melayu rallying call.

Where is this so-called economic patronage of Umno?

The party (No, correction: The party leaders) have played patrons, but never (I stand to be corrected) in economic, but more so political patronage with the ensuing economic benefits that supposedly come with it.

This is different from economic patronage, I daresay, as the second is more like an umbrella where all and sundry can reap economic benefits from being in its shade.

Enrich thy neighbor, and you too shall be rich.

How can Umno be an economic patron when its members (all those year ago) were from 'Rakyat Kebiasaan" with hardly any political clout.

Economic patronage is more a trait of whole countries. Malaysia has had ample economic opportunities which, alas, fail in its enriching whole population from this practice of political patronage where "air liur" and connections matters more, and pushes the economic cost by 20%.

I was speaking to my grocerer today when he complained of enforcement officer asking for coffee money.

He said he would mind paying if they had asked for RM50, but RM300 is a lot for a grocery store.

To do what? To store LPG containers in from of his shop.

Imagine how much more he'd have to charge his customers (me being one of them) to recoup this loss.

The Umno economic patronage bred the same kind of added cost in doing business.

You're right in that Umno is and was never about Islam.

Spot on here despite any protestations from your fellow compatriots on this subject.

Its only from the Malay must be Muslim conundrum that there remains - tenuous at best - a link between Umno and Islam.

God bless, SM.

Anonymous,  4 March 2009 at 01:51  

Pakatan has long sensed that the biggest Umno hope who will help strengthen Najib as Prime Minister in the next 15 to 18 years is Khairy Jamaluddin. So take him out of the equation, fast. That's how you weaken Najib. Simple.

You see, the state of flux gripping the nation is premeditated. Out of the utter confusion shall emerge the saviour - Anwar. That was the script anyway. It has blurred.

Politics does not tiptoe to the brink; it surges, swept by super-spin, Anwar, Karpal and Kit Siang. Their collective labour the last four decades has yielded glorious results. They cannot bring us to safety now as this is a mess they created. How?

Study them. Simple tricks. Rage at the Establishment. Baling. Campus Rebelllion. Watch Karpal. Trigger something. Flush out the Umno activists. Put them on Page One and Malaysia Kini in an unflattering manner. Deploy political snipers, some sighted in our vicinity. Cast aspersions. Keep things ajar, so that doubts will rush in. Build those huge reservoirs of disgust and despair. Lock up objectivity. Throw away the keys.

Karpal and Kit Siang have lunged, studs showing, all day. Hard not to discern a racialist streak here; it is combustible. Police, well, trustworthy? Bit by bit, shake the public confidence. Civil service. Government. Umno. Judiciary. Saleh Abas came along. Hail Saleh Abas!! Hail Raja Azlan Shah!! Down with Mahathir!! Well, our Mantan brawled with the Rulers, didn't he?

By 1993 Anwar had presided over the coffers and patronage. Stifle the media. Enrich Umno operatives. Network more. 1998 was a vast conspiracy, he said, which brought him to his knees. Did he fall on his sword? Pak Lah soothed frayed nerves. Dr Mahathir barely made it.

Now, can Anwar tell us what is so dreadful about Malaysian Police, Judiciary, enforcement arms? What guarantee can Anwar Camp give us that he will not stuff Police, Military, Judiciary with his appointees. The deceit insults us so.

Can Anwar, Kit Siang and Karpal build reservoirs of goodwill, trust, dedication, honest work, integrity instead? I hope the Opposition supporters will impose a tight deadline on these three. Deliver or walk. Enough of this politics of despair. Show us hope!!

The snippers bent on scandalising the brightest Umno hopes are not Umno activists. They are the brethrens of Anwar, Karpal and Kit Siang.

Khairy Jamaluddin? Better kick him out! Toss in venom, more poison please.

The innocent souls, the babies born in the post-Mahathir Era, are not allowed the freedom to breathe, participate and nourish inspiring politics. This is dictatorial. Tyranny.

Hello! Karpal, Kit Siang, Anwar, why don't you go home and write something great. Tell us exactly what you aspire for this country. The kind of Police Force who should patrol our consciousness. The teachers. Judges. How do we pay them. Think, don't just demolish..

Are you guys, Anwar, Karpal and Kit Siang any better than Khairy Jamaluddin? Why shudder at the prospect of Khairy Jamaluddin being elected as Ketua Pemuda Umno? Go and embellish talents within your ranks. Give us someone better than Khairy Jamaluddin. Debate him? Don't savage him. Or just in one lazy brush, dismiss him as "juvenile".

Never ridicule your Malay support-base. Don't just parade them with Elizabeth Wong, those kakak with tudung, condoning what?

In the meantime, Khairy Jamaluddin will nurture tens of thousands of bright talents; the nimble personalities who could go on scowling encounters with Karpal one minute, and appear in the same talkshow with Bill Clinton the next. Work non-stop. Run faster. Inspire, not destroy.

Anonymous,  4 March 2009 at 02:15  

Bahtera Malam,

wow....you knew all this been going on...KJ knew about this too....and other people didnt know about this..

so why did't you do something bout it. Why wait until jadi KP. Do it while he is the TKP la..while his father In law is still the PM...

at least wake-up his f.i.l if he saw him falling asleep..

Okay...KJ will be the next best thing after KLCC...no doubt about it...but do it la...not just talk talk talk...

Wah Al-Subangi 4 March 2009 at 02:31  

Dato,

1. He has announced his intention to go for the ketua pemuda post. It was a logical step considering he is the Naib Ketua Pemuda.It's not good for a young man to stifle his ambitions.

KJ Naib KP UMNO job was as good as shoved down the Pemuda throat by Pak Lah. Pak Lah is taking a lot of liberty on the Malay nature that accord a lot of respect to elders and by doing this he shows his total lack of culture and class, not to mention his nepotism and lack of transparency. And of coz there are the ever existing apple polishers ready willing and able to rocket KJ to the stratosphere for obvious reason. Norza stumbling all over himself to give way to KJ and what fat cat he has become.

Contrast this with TDM disallowing any of his sons standing for political position while he is in power. MM have said with the 20 odd years TDM is in power if he was allowed KJ's way he would have been DPM by now.



2. KJ has been at the forefront of many Pemuda outings that were required to show its existence?

Where, when, what? In recent TV9 Hujjah he talk a lot about Pemuda need to do this and that but when countered by Prof Agus that he can do those things now in his current position as Naib KP you notice the few odd seconds mouth agape, his Oxford mind searching for answers, could not find any, he goes into gibberish.

The only thing substantial that Pemuda have done in a long time is via his lowly exco MM when he in no uncertain terms ask for resignation of Pak Lah.

You said no one need to apologise for UMNO Youth being UMNO Youth? Yes! if being UMNO Youth means having an exco that have the chutzpah to ask an incompetent PM to resign. No! if being UMNO Youth means having a leader that play to the gallery, pander to everyone whims and wishes, that's what 'setiakawan' is, talk too much but actually achieve nothing.




3. To worsen things, he has been the centre of the Khairy chronicles. The author of the KJ chronicles is none other than the notorious RPK. I use the term notorious to signify an open ended reputation.

Ppl have forgotten the chronicles, his sullied reputation is not a fairy tale written by RPK, this is his biggest stumbling block at the moment and then get on Najib good side as TDZ mentioned.



4. Now it is time for the majority to be alive even though in rebellion.

Yes the silent majority has successfully rebel against Pak Lah due to a lone voice that initially speaks up and still rebelling against KJ for the KP UMNO post.

When does KJ ever rebel?



5. The basis of UMNO's power is power itself couched in the concept of nationalism. The basis of UMNO's power is economic patronage. To me these are the twin pillars on which the foundation of UMNO power rests.

Afaik, UMNO was formed after a series of Congress organized by concerned Malay leaders at the time when the British tried to shove the Malayan Union whose constitutional framework does not consider the Malay soverignty to the land at all, down their throat. Yes UMNO is a nationalist then but it is pragmatic enough to accept independence with a more suitable constitutional framework that we have now and in return allowing full citizenship to the pendatang. To me the basis of UMNO power is that it is a Malay party and its pragmatism. It is from the Malay that they derive power and leveraging on this affords them the pragmatism to share power with other community, thus creating the fine balance that is peaceful and posperous Malaysia. Following the great success of this formula somewhat later comes the economic patronage capitalizing on the huge economic success of TDM administration when there is a lot of money flying around. This is the bane of a party that have been a huge success over the years, excesses and complacency. But is economic patronage the basis of UMNO strength? NO! Rather it is the basis of its weakness and got to be corrected, pronto!

UMNO got to rediscover its real self.



6. It is back to my old argument of ascriptive and achieving norms.

What spectacular height have KJ reach for UMNO that he have made norms. Those half baked liberalization and openess policy without any inkling of the fine balance that I mentioned earlier that let the dogs out? Yes this must be it, attacking the Malay rights safeguarded by the constitution is the norms now. Yes Hindraf is also a fact of life now.



7. The subscribers to ascriptive norms will want a team held together by clubbish instincts. You are inducted into its fraternity because of who you are. You are inducted into the club because of your status.

This eerily describe how KJ got rocketed to UMNO stratosphere by virtue of legally sleeping with Pak Lah daughter.


8. The attempt to link UMNO's winnable prospects to KJ or specifically to the EXCLUSION of KJ is a flawed argument. What more when the basis of exclusion is based on private perception that KJ is young and impatient etc.etc.

I think it is not a flawed argument. His young and impatient is not a real issue.



9. The elevation of KJ as ketua pemuda represents our best chance to break the glass ceiling.

What glass ceiling? Like those in 6. no tq.








Winnable team?

One that's 'Berani Berubah' to rediscover the lost UMNO 'self'

Anonymous,  4 March 2009 at 09:26  

I like the part about ascriptive and achieving norms and the flawed argument that by excluding KJ, UMNO will somehow mysteriousluy become strong again.

Its surprising sometimes to what extent people believe shallow arguments. I mean, one does not need to look far to find evidences of this, what with all these black money and mediums scamming Joe and Jane public.

Anonymous,  4 March 2009 at 23:40  

AK47, we have to choose the 3. best of 3,a true malay, mamak n indon, i prefer KJ. a malay with top class degree fm top 10 uni. FIL is a failure but i think he is a better choice than other 2.after all not easy for umno to go down the next 50 years even though they lose their next coming election. think carefully. at least we will have true malay championing the really poor malays and others(little bitlah).give a vote to KJ even though i'm with pakatan all my life. cheers. wake up malaysians

UncleJason

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