UMNO wants its members to behave like the Opposition.

 

UMNO wants its members to behave like the opposition while the opposition wants to behave like UMNO. We do indeed live in interesting times. actually Mr. DPM, it actually could be...
 

Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive

Today, UMNO Bahagian Pekan holds its annual Mesyuarat Perwakilan UMNO Bahagian Pekan.

In his opening speech the PM speaks about the usual normal things. He exhorts the UMNO loyalists to work harder and not take things for granted. He wants UMNO members to adopt the UMNO spirit as when it was formed in 1946 and as when it was during Tunku Abdul Rahman's time. You have UMNO members dedicated to a cause and committed to public service.

He says UMNO members must realize that even favorite football teams such as Brazil and Argentina can lose. By the way, while Brazil played Holland the other day, I, who is a kaki bangku when it comes to football, predicted that Brazil will lose. On the same day I predicted that Argentina will also lose. As I see it, Brazil and Argentina depend on the brilliance of a few individuals while European teams play total football depending on each team member to play his role.

It's the same with UMNO Pekan, Mr Prime Minister. You depend on one or two individuals you die. Your treasurer is busy at business enriching himself on behalf of UMNO Pekan he says. But what can I say- he is the son of an ustaz just like DR Mahathir can't say anything about Pak Lah initially because Pak Lah is the son of an ulamak.

In fact as I see it, you have nobody but yourself. PM Najib is also the ketua UMNO Bahagian Pekan. He was also complaining that when the issue of Felda was widely debated, not a single Pekan UMNO feller defended FELDA. Who Mr. PM do you think have the intellectual smarts and articulate enough to defend the Felda issue in Pekan? Most of the AJK UMNO Bahagian people are more interested n getting contracts. Ketua cawangans market your signature for RM 20,000 per endorsement.

Admittedly you have an ADUN who is a Felda settler himself. With due respect to this colleague of mine, I don't think he knows the Felda issue. In any case why should the PM be relying on his UMNO bahagian people to defend the FELDA issue when he has highly paid special officers who have the resources to defend the FELDA issue? The sad but true fact is, the PM is essentially a lone ranger with no majordomo. I hear Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram met the PM recently and told him more or less the same thing- that in carrying out his duties and vision, PM Najib is essentially a lone ranger.

The delegates will respond warmly. They do so in the normal Pavlovian way of responding. Because they know the PM is a Santa Claus who can offer them material rewards. The PM's presence induces the conditioned psychic responses in the UMNO members. His presence simply means, something can be gotten. Once this thinking sets in, what the PM articulates as his fears fall on deaf ears. Delegates will trip over each other in salivating, ululating and saying how good he is.

Everyone will get into an orgy of congratulatory and facilitations love fest. We love you and I love you kind of thing. A variation of lu tolong gua, gua tolong lu heady stuff. It will be intoxicating.

He exhorts the committee members to carry out activities. It's a sad case really- the committees he has established are hardly functioning at all. The Information committee is all but dead since 2004.

Yet, his scheming UMNO Bahagian number two says, only one or two cawangan did not carry out the required annual meetings. The nearer to the truth fact is that over 70% of the cawangans in his Bahagian held meetings on paper. This guy should be kicked out the next round.

In the meantime, what has the deputy UMNO president been saying? His deputy is on record sang that UMNO must now behave like an opposition. The opposition? How so?

By that I take it to mean to adopt a selfless sacrificing behavior, driven to a cause. UMNO doesn't know how to behave like this Mr. DPM if you have the same kind of leadership and the same structure that breeds mediocrity. Just look at how UMNO behaves in Selangor, Kedah, Kelantan, WP, and Penang? They ARE the opposition yet we don't see them behaving like how the DPM wants them to. UMNO is suffering from muscular dystrophy mein DPM. It's inherited from the leadership.

Just how does the opposition behave? Willing to make sacrifices, driven by ideals and a sense of justice? Work hard, select quality leadership? Be actively involved in society's affairs? Doing work all year round?

UMNO will have only done a small part in rescuing itself. It has widened the party voter base but it hasn't widened its leadership talent pool. It widens the voting base to select the same people in the party. Every 3 years, the same will vie for the top posts at divisions and national levels.

The Pemuda UMNO, the more active members at division and national levels are motivated by the overriding thought of what's in for me? Many are more interested to get contracts. Indeed the PM has just stated that contractors lot is with the BN government.

The PKR is not stupid alter all. Now, it reorganizes itself in Selangor to ensure as winner and the state government it too can channel enriching resources to its supporters. It needs to do this to save itself. The party supporters and party members look up to their government to distribute enriching resources. If Khalid Ibrahim doesn't understand this basic need, he deserves to be booted out.

So, actually we cannot behave like the opposition because the opposition will soon be behaving like UMNO. We have to behave like the original UMNO- dedicated to a cause and committed to public service.