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Sakmongkol ak 47

ariff.sabri@gmail.com

Friday 4 February 2011

Its UMNO, not PKR or PAS


 

The former UMNO president said the party struggle now was only about contracts, APs and licenses. He stressed that the party must return to its roots and help unite a divided Malay community.


 

"We can unite the Malays if we are willing to work hard and explain that UMNO's struggle is for religion, race and country," he told the audience during a talk on "Malay race and the future" at the Tun Hussein Onn Memorial here.


 

Finally it has to come out. Dr Mahathir is saying something that I have also been writing about. His voice is of course louder and more impactful. Mine is the voice of an interested observer and also a stakeholder in UMNO's future.

The problem is with UMNO. It's a party for contracts and APs. In other words, self-interests override everything else. It's a party that has lost its bearings. It has dislodged itself from the founding principles- to struggle and push the agenda for race, country and religion. Two, not only it has lost bearings on these founding principles, UMNO hasn't been successful in re casting the principles with the new realities. UMNO has to contend with other stakeholders in this country. These stakeholders have become emboldened partly because they dominate the economy (the Chinese) and because of a more assertive leadership as in the case of the Malaysian Indians. UMNO degenerates because it can't offer competent leadership to contend with these groups. Three, UMNO has retreated from its role as the principled and steadfast spokesman for Malay interests.

In a nutshell, the present UMNO has failed to distinguish itself in a positive way from the rest of the pack. Hence for example, a small but vociferous pressure group such as Perkasa can rattle UMNO. Other NGOs have proven to be persuasive enough to steal the thunder from UMNO in a number of issues such as fighting corruption, abuse of power, decadence of its leaders. UMNO hasn't been nimble enough to seize the initiative in dominating the alternative media. The media companies that it owns have lost credibility not because they churned out untruths, but because they have not been able to win people over to their causes.

Devoid of an appreciation and understanding of its principles, it has spawned a different breed of leadership. On the whole, the leadership is one that's more interested in harnessing the trappings pf power instead of applying that power for the greater good. Hence there is a continuous mad scramble for positions in UMNO.

But UMNO can't attribute its shortcomings to others. UMNO's problems must be sorted out by UMNO people.

Dr Mahathir's recent statements must also be viewed as open criticisms on the leadership of DS Najib. Lee Kuan Yew's characterization of Najib as a rational leader and the attributes that qualify Najib as a rational leader is not exactly placing Najib in a strong position to galvanize the Malay ground. Indeed it can serve to alienate Najib further as he will be seen, as part of the make-up of the rational leader, to compromise many things of interest to the Malays.

I differ slightly as to the causes of the waning influence of UMNO. Dr Mahathir and many other UMNO leaders are not able any longer, to lay claim that UMNO is the absolute and undisputed voice of Malays. As I have written many times, the wisdom of the many and in this case the majority of Malays can't be wrong. Out of the 5.7 million Malay votes in 2008, UMNO got about 2 million votes. Its own members were not convinced of the UMNO leadership.

First we put our own house in order. Second, we reach out directly to the majority of people. We cannot wish PKR or PAS to fade away being our competitors for the Malay ground. UMNO has to offer credible and competent leadership, sound policies, communicate them and win people over to UMNO's cause. UMNO has to distinguish itself from these two in more positive ways.

40 comments:

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 08:04  

The writer should catch Mahathir by his horns and hold him responsible for the pathetic state UMNO is in.
He 'dismantled' UMNO from its founding principles.
He ventured into populist policies and projects to make himself invincible and adored.
Remember one UMNO delegate even called him a prophet at one of the AGMs.
Mahathir is the root cause of all UMNO's problems.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 08:08  

Dato' Sak,
UMNO is as good as it's leaders. The members and the party will be shaped based on the thinking and lead provided by it's leaders. Tun Mahathir was the one who started to shape this party called UMNO (Baru) as the continuity to the original UMNO.
Pak Tua

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 08:25  

umno slides when tun mahathir becomes its president....tapi melayu mudah lupa....

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 09:20  

Should not you be looking for goodness? If someone you admire had turn corrupt should not you turn away and find goodness elsewhere.
It is absurd to wait and hope the devil will become good. To rationalise that this nature is temporary and could change if you wish and hope long enough!!
You are old enough now surely!

kee 4 February 2011 at 09:22  

Mahathir the former UMNO president said the UMNO party struggle now is only about contracts, APs and licenses. Really? And did he show annoyance, disapproval or disgust as he voiced his verdict? Ought to have been included in SAK's post.

All this time I thought he was mainly the one who made UMNO went the way of contracts, APs and licenses, and that his lucky successors were merely maintainiong the status quo created by him. I must have been mistaken! How ignorant have I been!

Hey! During the war he waged against Badawi, amongst the many tirades levelled against the latter, didn't he also complained that his son Mukhriz had to beg KJ to have the Opcom-Telekom Malaysia project contract reinstated? I must have been mistaken or perhaps the various news report on this matter was incorrect!

clearwater,  4 February 2011 at 09:46  

It is Umno Baru you are referring to as a party of the self interested and of contracts & APs. The old Umno is dead. Why then go back to its original narrow agenda? The world has evolved, why can't it be Malaysian unity and not Malay, Chinese, Indian & lain2 unity? Why continue the divisive politics? Why?

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 10:06  

I swore I'll never vote for UMNO anymore. But after reading your article I wish there are more influential people having the same mindset, and have BALLS, like you in UMNO.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 10:12  

Unmo is a party for contracts, APs and projects said Mahathir.

The truth is that he is the one who introduced this culture in Umno. He gave 'piratisation' contracts to his family members and cronies, encouraged corruption and abuse of power amongst his party colleagues who hold government position and split Umno into 3 factions. What is left in Umno now are the gravy( contracts, APs, etc) seekers.

Beats me there are people who go to listen to that hypocrite speaking.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 10:42  

Sak,
Sorry ! umno just don't not have that quality.It's a mater of time they disappear and become powerless just like the Congress of India.
Umno has that class act of being a fraudster for over 50 years!and the biggest one leading it is that kerala fellow.
People ait'nt going to be suckers a second time!Tunisia and Egypt has woken up so most muslim countries are following behind.....will Malaysia?????

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 11:51  

Dato Sak,

The current leadership in UMNO is also trapped by its own simplistic and short cut approach. To continue UMNO's grip on power, it is competing with PKR and PAS in giving concessions after concessions to the Chinese and Indians. Yet these non-Malays had not changed heir mindset in rejecting UMNO/BN, since the 2008 general election.

The voting record of TENANG is testimony of this rejection of BN/UMNO by non-Malays.

To the Malays, UMNO is also seen as taking their support for GRANTED. This may be UMNO's biggest undoing in the next GE.

Malays will either abstain from voting, of vote for Pakatan (meaning PAS and or PKR) as protest or even vote DAP out of genuine intention of creating a credible opposition to check on the excesses of the UMO/BN.

UMNO must think hard now and act fast. For the sake of Malaysia and the continued well being of its citizens, UMNO must realize its political folly and its illogical approach.

Good luck to all of us.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 12:12  

uneducated, unemployed, unsuccessful mazlan aliman could rattle umno.

it shows umno leadership at all level have too many idiots and corrupts.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 13:02  

The problem is Dr. M is also responsible for it being that way when he failed to understand that 'means to end' should be sparingly used not most of the time..

- Ikan Tongkol -,  4 February 2011 at 13:15  

Hard for Najib Razak to listen.

RM always insisting on them Hermes Birkin bag comes first before the party and rakyat (majority)

we're doomed as it is.

Najib Razak is merely merry gendering ala "lu tolong gua, wa tolong lu"

- Ikan Tongkol -

Rasputin Beliong,  4 February 2011 at 13:20  

But didn't this current UMNO culture (UMNO's struggle is about contracts, APs, and licences, concessionaires) start in a big way during Mahathir's own tenure?

And what a venue to pick for Mahathir to voice that concern: the memorial in tribute to his predecessor who went strictly by the books of selfless national service, and who could not tolerate corruption of any form.

M.Perry 4 February 2011 at 16:16  

Dato, your comments are fair and surely potray the reality.If you ask any member of the public, regardless of race, they will not hesitate to express their opinion instantly that a position in UMNO is get rich.But, Najib's administration is slowly but surely tranforming the UMNO image in peoples mind.Najib is asking the BN leaders, including UMNO leaders to give importance to people's needs, otherwise they will loose everything as pointed out by Tun Dr.Mahathir Mohamad recently.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 16:28  

aye, aye sir ... I've just noticed that bugis is a different category from malays in the spa website!

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 16:55  

Umno stop taking bribes ??????
Stop telling lies ????
creating history???

Fat hope
as long want to eat free drink free sleep free house free divorce free job free

wat u expect?

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 17:05  

Dato Sakm,
Baru-baru nie, saya dan isteri ada la pergi ke senaman areobik anjuran puteri/ngo sokong UMNO. Masa nak pi, pun dah nampak machik-machik dok pi dengan kereta hebat mereka, kami pi naik basikat saja. Acara dah nak mula dah, tapi machik-machik sibuk nak bagitau depa dah pi seluruh M'sia buat senaman areobik. Sibuk nak menunjuk pandai, chegu areobik belum sampai. Chegu areobik sampai, sambil beri penerangan, dia pesan kat semua kalau nak mai areobik yang paling baik, mai jalan kaki klau tak pun naik la basikat. Naik kereta habis dwet minyak, lemak bertambah.
Lu pikir la sendiri..Rakyat..He3..
-sender Rakyat Penang lo.

George Choo 4 February 2011 at 17:31  

Dear Sak, I must admit that Najib is working hard to put UMNO house in order.I have a umno friend who together with his group of friends did not vote in the last election but they HAVE come back to umno. But I do not agree that UMNO have recapture the MALAY ground as currently only its members are coming back to support the party.

You are right to say that UMNO have not reach out to the other malays who are not Umno members. Recently, I spoke to a young malay businessman and he told me Umno have not reach out to him and his group of Bumiputra friends. This group of young professionals are voters in Selangor.

This friend of mine said that "Tiap tiap tahun dalam perhimpunan agung, Umno kata ia akan MEMBELA ORANG MELAYU. Tetapi, tiap tiap tahun KECUALI Umnoputra,ORANG MELAYU SEMAKIN MISKIN.

From this,even though Khalid is a weak MB, Umno and BN will LOSE AGAIN in SELANGOR.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 21:23  

Dato Sak in 2008 GE many UMNO members protested to vote for PR.

In 2008 most of those "atas pagar" will finally swing to PR.

The above happened becoz of Pak Lah leadership...the nation is fl;ip-flopping.

The first phase that is to put the house in order is nearing it completion.

The 2nd phase and the 3rd phases seem to take ages.

We need a new cabinet line up to replace dinosaurs in the present cabinet.

drmuz

Quiet Despair,  4 February 2011 at 21:51  

If I am reading Mahathir right, I think the message is for Najib and not UMNO.
I think he's sending a subtle signal to our PM not to be overly rational.
Not to be too accomodating, or too giving, too pleasing.
Maybe he sees Najib weighing too much on issues that could be solved by him alone.
Najib is seen to know-tow too much to the demands of the MCA. Notice how Uncle Chua is simpering away.
And Palani is not an aggressive leader at all. But in the Interlock issue, MIC is the winner.
Palani put in his disagreement aganist Interlock so much later and that too after Gobalan of DAP made noise.
Many Malays feel Najib 'dah sujud' kepada kaum India about a text-book which the critics don't even read.
And not many nons take Malay Literature!
In his transformation programmes, it looks as though only the rich and mostly Chinese tycoons will benefit.
Not much is in store so far to level the playing field of the Bumis in all fields.
You can link this with Dr M's earlier statement about this country being formerly Tanah Melayu and belong to the Malays.
I think if Najib is assertive enough, Tun will not want to share the limelight with Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa.
Mahatir really loves Najib and do not want him to go Dollah's way.
I think Tun M is also disappointed that Najib did not pursue the cooperation with PAS after the dinner hosted by the Agong for the two top leaders of PAS and UMNO.
I think he sees the death of Keadilan once Anwar is sent to jail.
This is second guessing, and I may be wrong.

Anonymous,  4 February 2011 at 23:40  

'Beats me there are people who go to listen to that hypocrite speaking.' - Anon 10:12

Why do people visit museums of antiquity? He3

-MAKORANG-

Anonymous,  5 February 2011 at 08:39  

Quiet Despair,

Here as usual a a correction on your post.

"I think he's sending a subtle signal to our PM not to be overly rational.
Not to be too accomodating, or too giving, too pleasing."


Which part has he been too accomodating or too giving ? As far as we are concerned, it is all hot air on 1Malaysia and nothing more. Tell us which part on ACTION.
You seems to be one of the old old pre-2008 UMNO members who were soooo very arrogant kind. Now even with rheotorics to bluff, you cannot stand.

"In his transformation programmes, it looks as though only the rich and mostly Chinese tycoons will benefit.
Not much is in store so far to level the playing field of the Bumis in all fields."


With all the goodies given you still dare to make such a statement. If I am going to list out all the unfair goodies given it would fill an enclopedia.

We know why the Malays generally fail to reach their goals.

But to say it out , would inflame all of you. So it benefits us none to even mention it, so that you can really compete and be independent.

Meanwhile, we know, no matter how hard you try, you will not succeed.
It in not a coincidence why Indonesians are not advanced generally and their economy is controlled by a very small minority.

The most advanced countries in the world do not follow your ways.

If a population judges and votes for a government based on how much ringgit they can "sumbang" or "give you" individually, I tell you , it has no future at all. Malaysia is one such country and she is doomed to fail (as is happening right now) to compete with others.

We NONs tried to correct it, but get bashed left and right. Now, we say, so be it. Let us have another 50 years of UMNO rule and see what happens.

We do not lose, for the world is our market place in this globalised world , while the likes of you still fighting foot and nails for the small piece of the market called Malaysia refusing to seem your own weaknesses but rather wish to blame on others.

Now many of our kins are overseas having settled there and will provide contacts to advance a lot of International businesses.

We do see the next development phase of the Chinese in the decades to come especially with the rise of China's economy.

Anonymous,  5 February 2011 at 10:07  

Dato'

"These stakeholders have become emboldened partly because they dominate the economy (the Chinese) ..."

I do not agree with your comments above. Chinese no longer dominate the economy especially corporation. Banks and transportation are just two sectors that are now totally dominated by Malays. There are others either directly or indirectly through GLCs that are essentially run by Malays.

SME and small retailers may still have significant Chinese presence but if you add up the activities and transactions indeed the Malays are dominating the economy.

Let the facts speak for themselves rather than an-off-the-cuff comments and simplified comments that our exPM love to make.

Salam
Robbo

Anonymous,  5 February 2011 at 14:06  

As of recent, after many hours sipping tea with grassroot UMNO members i have come to a decision.I have to join them.Not to get that fat juicy contracts but to contribute in a field i am most well versed in.Dato Sak knows why i made that decision.My frens say that i am nuts.Nevermind.
AS for those who dont enjoy the comments by quiet despair,just ignore and dont respond.You dont get anything solved by replying to comments which are unjustified.
As in all organisation there will be some suckers, eggheads and bad apples.Just ignore.

walla 5 February 2011 at 18:02  

A: 'Sir, if I take a step back, i can understand why Mahathir said what he said. If we see things from the angle of our Malays, the things he said have resonance.'

B: 'Sofea, it appears your step back isn't far back enough. Take one more step back but do be careful of that longkang behind.

It's not what he said which interests me. It is his thought process when he was saying it.'

A: 'How do you mean, Sir?'

B: 'What did he say? He said that Umno can unite the Malays if Umno is willing to explain that Umno's struggle is for religion, race and country. Then he added that Umno's struggle so far was only about contracts. Correct, so far?

Let's then animate his slide. Imagine i am now an Umno supremo and having listened to our great former helmsman, i am willing to do exactly that.

I am going to explain to our Malays that our Umno is for religion, race and country.

I step onto the stage, the lights come on, and I declare to our Malays that 'Umno is for our religion.'

The crowd asks back:

- does the religion split people by race?

- does the religion condone corruption and cronyism?

- does the religion allow political leaders to abuse their power not just publicly but also privately?

- does the religion give license to lie to the rakyat just for political expediency?

I go and take a leak and return to the stage to declare to the crowd: 'Umno is for our race."

The crowd asks back again:

- what race are you? what roots are the races of all your Umno leaders?

- does the religion differentiate believers by race?

- does the race in turn differentiate the good elements of other faiths?

- does race have anything to do with ability and performance, hardwork and sacrifice, perseverance and virtues which are pillars of the religion and common characteristics of those who succeed sustainably anywhere in the world? Or are there some special success factors unique to our country only? If yes, what are they?

I go behind the curtains and sip some coconut water, then return to the stage and declare: 'Umno is for our country.'

The crowd tiresomely asks back again:

- if Umno is for our race and country, and our country is made of other races as well, are you saying outright that Umno is just for our Malay race only and the other races are not for our country?

- if yes, should our non-Malay non-muslim voters supporting Barisan now not vote for Umno when contesting Pakatan?

- if no, how do you reconcile with what you had just said that Umno is for our religion and race?

I get hot under the collar and answer back:

No, you all don't get it! What i meant was our Umno has forgotten its roots and instead of working for religion, race and country, we have instead been working to make contracts while the sun shone. We must therefore stop all this hay-making and go back to religion, race and country.

The crowd now looks agitated and asks back:

- well and good, then please tell all your Umno leaders to immediately return to the country their irreligious ill-gotten gains with interest, and all your cronies to cancel their irreligious concessions immediately and return their excessive non-halal profits, otherwise how can we understand what you mean when you also said Umno is for our country?

I blast back - but it was all for our race!

The crowd also blast back - but was it also for our religion and country? Are you saying anything for our race is better than anything for our religion and/or country?

I make a quick call on my mobile to Raiz and say: 'Oi, how come you never arranged a better behaved crowd this time? Do i have to shed some tears again to bring them to a boil against those recalcitrant immigrants? Look, they are now boiling at me instead!'.'

walla 5 February 2011 at 18:03  

2

A: 'I see what you mean, Sir. His thought process must have excluded those salient points you have just raised. His motive was to raise the ire of our Malays so that they can unite to counteract what he perceives to be the erosion of Umno power.'

B: 'Sofea, what is unity for? To do good or to do bad? Let's take the thought process right to the end.

Say, I am a Malay with some asset. I want to commercialize it but when i raise my price, there are no Malay takers. How can i help myself or my race then? Meanwhile a non-Malay appears willing to buy up my asset, furthermore to take big risks to develop it which will end up providing spinoffs for our country and all races. If i go by what our helmsman says, i will shoo him away like how non-Malay journalists were disbarred from attending a national memorial lecture in memory of his predecessor who was as fair to all races as HIS predecessor. So, let's say i shoo him away. What happens next? Nothing. I sit on my asset in order to contribute to some number that will comfort our Umno right wings in their call for our Tanah Melayu to be the tanah of for and by our Melayu. After a while, the other races have achieved their success because they constantly worked towards it. When that happens, i lambast them for my own lack of activity. At the same time, i conveniently ignore all the other numbers which spell the dominance of our race in government-linked enterprises and policy-monopolized industries. Can i say i have been fair and just to my race, other races, my faith, other faiths, my country, our country?'

A: 'But, Sir, they don't see it like that. They are saying it was their country first and they have an unalienable right to all its fruits by fiat.'

B: 'Why stop there? If they are inadmissable as our orang asli's, then they cannot be the first so what unalienable rights are we talking about?'

A:'Rights signed when the constitution was framed, Sir.'

B: 'Between immigrants, then, lanuns if we must. So what kind of a contract is that?

Sofea, even if there is such a thing which can be defended, what has been done is to distort it until it has become a crutchy right when it was to be a time-based privilege. But the worst thing is not even that. It was the sheer scale of a scam propagated by Umno elites and Malay racists for over thirty years that have destroyed this country, the race and all the good nature inherent in all our races.

Let us finish that thought process. Say it is tomorrow tanah melayu. What are you going to do with it? Confiscate the properties and properties of anyone who doesn't subscribe to your stand? On what legal grounds? Throw people behind bars if they protest your dictatorial and unsupportable policies? Tell the millions of non-Malays born here to pack up and go? Tell me which of these they can do? Tell me how our Malays will be looked on by the whole world as the first so-called race to practice racial status genocide.'

walla 5 February 2011 at 18:04  

3

A: 'Sir, some have already packed up and left. Unfortunately for our economy and industry, the ones who have left are the ones needed to make a global success of our country because they are the ones who have been global in their standards and performance from the very beginning. And that's what investors bringing knowhow, capital and jobs need - people who can deliver without lunatic polemics. And that's what they are no longer getting anymore.'

B: 'So we go back to the thought process. What is the final objective of Malay unity? So as to have economic independence. It cannot be political power. Marcos, Mugabe, Mubarak, Suharto and Ben-Ali had political power. Tell me what are their legacies. Tell me why Obama has just asked Mubarak to think about what will be his legacy to his country. Tell me what millions of race-fair citizens of this country would be telling Mahathir Mohammad to think about HIS legacy to this country.

Is one's legacy to be a fractious society where brothers and sisters pit against one another over the use of the race card to subjugate honest growth needed to meet the onslaught of globalization so that our country can be better served with more jobs and revenues that will provide the very things which will help any race, not just one, to come up and therefore abandon preferential policies?

Is one's legacy a tall tower here, a bridge there, a struggling middle class here, an income gap there that is widening alarmingly within our own race alone while our elites have already parceled their best cut of the cake paid for with the money of our blinkered rakyat whose household debt has also risen astronomically without any possible relief?'

A: 'I hear you, Sir. The best legacy of a true statesman is to bring about sustainable and relevant progress.'

B: 'Exactly, Sofea. The key words are sustainable and relevant. Anyone can throw a chunk of money he doesn't own and build an edifice here, a monument there. But at what costs that could have been rendered less and at what opportunity costs that would not have been foregone but for the easy-street decision making cosmetized by political sleights-of-hand and siphonage?

Look back at all the things Umno have done and tell me there isn't a strong element of race-based spin behind them. The biggest blindspot is they spun the projects until the race card became the only factor.

Tell me - how do you sustain a project when it was overpaid, the management was not picked on ability, the processes were corrupted, the leakages were the reason rather than the exceptions for the project, and the defense for subsequent bailouts was to maintain racial quota already reached long ago?

And then put the blame on the taxpayers whose national contributions were what had made the funds for the project possible in the first place?

Keep all this up and the legacy will be riots on the street.'

A: 'Maybe he just want to undo all that he had done, Sir? Some achievers are like that. At the end of their road, they want to test fate by subconsciously creating ripples. He mentioned Umno is all about contracts. As if chiding himself subconsciously for starting and then entrenching it like weeds in the first place!'

B: 'So what if he is screwing himself up, Sofea? I see an eclipse. You want the sun to shine again for Malaysia? It's not all those projects and acronyms alone. They are just conveyors of thought. There must be meat and beef behind the words. Which means there must be resources in place to make those things work, and let me repeat, sustainably. Tell me one single Umno-emanated project which has been sustainable. Go ahead, make my day. Name one.'

A: 'Heehee. I am glad your friends are not named Mr Smith and Mr Wesson.'

walla 5 February 2011 at 18:04  

4

B: 'No, Sofea. These days, just Herr Heckler and Herr Koch.

If a tanah Melayu comes back in any form you can make out, it will be a tanah Umno Elite. Even if we are not cantonese, that's tue.

The thought process we have examined is actually saying there is something special about being a Malay which will lead to economic and political success - otherwise why are some people saying an NGO like Perkasa is louder in defending Malay interests than Umno? If this were so, then why is it an NGO? Why not become a political party and compete with Umno? Then let's see what happens when the hydrocarbon spigots run dry and so too the treasury. Then where are the sources of funds to continue the Malay-first policy? From the tax revenues of the non-Malay enterprises which are the bogeymen targets? Suharto did it in Jakarta. Riots nosedived the economy,thousands of innocents were cruelly killed, capital flew out of the country and thousands were thrown out of work. How did they get back? Resources contracts from China and India, more probusiness policies for investments and some reforms against corruption.'

A: 'Nevertheless, Sir, the sentiments of some of our Malays goes something like this: 'you're already doing better, give chance, share-lah.'

B: 'I know that. Yet we have some looking at those who have succeeded like they are competitors in not just the economic field but also the political and social fields. How does that then jive with your perception?

Let me blunt. It's all about Newton's third law. You create an adverse action and you will automatically get a reverse asymmetric reaction. Let's get this over with. Say Mahathir's tanah melayu is created. The actions are next stacked for the Malays even if there are many deserving and underprivileged in the other races. The reaction of those who have succeeded in their midst will be to do the same as done onto their race. Everybody loses in the end. First, our Malays, then our country, then the others. That chain reaction has been happening all these years and yet that joker is replaying his broken record. It's like banging on the wall for a different door to open. As was said to the Aussies, you will only get a bloody nose, Sofea.'

A: 'Touche, Sir. We need to have a good template for all our races to come together and work as one.'

walla 5 February 2011 at 18:05  

5/5

B: 'First you need to clean out the corruption and cronyism. All of it. Get the money back.

Then you need to really walk the talk. Every bit of it. Including stemming the bastardization of our federal institutions.

Then you need to spruce up the administrations.

Take IRB. It says if we don't call you in two weeks, please call us. Hello there kitty, they never do but they will send you a letter claiming more taxes than they can explain after you have taken five days leave to submit all required documents again and again and again that confirm nothing has ever been owed. Take a poll and see how many rakyat kena such crap and have to do their work for them, furthermore to absolutely no avail.'

A: 'What do you think our Malays should do, Sir?'

B: 'Reaffirm their commitment to a two-party system. I don't give a damn anymore how the other side is. So long it exists, the rakyat will have an insurance against the excesses of Umno. What am i saying? Even that is not happening too well - but what other avenues do the rakyat have? Riot on the streets, ke?

Change the frigging education system. Anything which makes our human resource more relevant to the global markets get supported. Anything which makes it more screwed up gets thrown out, and you can include their little napoleons.

Stop using the word national or rights anymore. Right now it's like the word proton, his pet project, the rakyats' pet peeve.'

A: 'What about religions, Sir?'

B: 'Faith in a human being is enhanced when it is tested in the real world, not when it is based on minds locked by fear leading to loss of rationale and moderation.

Incidentally, all that is suggested will be no different anywhere else. Including that small state which can easily fit into our Selangor. Rational?'

A: 'Is there anything else you care to share, Sir?'

B: 'My c3 and c4.'

A: '?!'

B: 'Actually two pieces of the neck bone. They were piercing a nerve that tells the brain where spinal pain is. And it said backache. So as a warga emas you sit there and there's an old Malay couple. Definitely Umno, you can tell. Suddenly the old lady strikes up a conversation. She's nice in a grandmotherly way. Smart too. Banters, jokes and then her old man shows the photos of the scans. Her hip has four screws inserted to hold it up.

Sofea, pain is universal. Suffering is the lot of all mankind. Race has nothing to do with anything. Why divide and fight when one can unite and be compassionate?

Now, what she said was vintage Umno. She said, "you can say i am screwed." '

Anonymous,  5 February 2011 at 18:20  

The Kerala man is the source of the problems faced by Malays today, period

Anonymous,  5 February 2011 at 19:37  

Sir,
Frankly even as an outsider I can tell you who started the rot in UMNO. For all the supposed criticism on the leadership, I have yet to read anything specifically on this. Many reasons excuses were given but NEVER on him. Is it because the matter is out of bound or even untouchable?

Anonymous,  6 February 2011 at 10:24  

Yang Amat Ariff Tun is indirectly telling us that in the short term he can fool some of the people some of the time but in the long run he can fool all the people all the time.

Anonymous,  6 February 2011 at 14:27  

For Dato and the few UMNO reformists, we will have to leave them to grapple with the problem.

For others, RM889 billions, illicitly taken out, could sure have helped us all to restore better semblance of dignity to all Malaysians.

Another RM889 billions might well be lost if we don't change the government and the failed system. Maintaining UMNO as Malaysia's political lead will only bring further definite ruin.

We have to live up to the dignity that all have a stake in life anywhere, and for us, it's Malaysia. All Malaysians have this universal endowment. If you forsake this of others, you might lose that right.

If we can protect others' rights in all respects we will be further strengthening our very own.

Further delaying actions for reforms will just leave the pregnant Orang Aslis, Dayaks, Malays and all other mothers their children's right to be born as rightfully endowed without being denied the fundamentals of health and education. Delay this, and we will further imperil ourselves.

Anonymous,  6 February 2011 at 14:28  

sak sak

you know, the problem with UMNO is embodied in one person kj your hero

a rich unemployed chap parachuted into halls of power, proven to practise money politics and yet looked up by you

kj is the icon of UMNO's demise - work NOT for agama, bangsa dan neagra but work for own pockets

he not only continued the money rewards culture started by ai, but refined it to an art form

that is whu both kj and ai hates the guts of Tun Dr M, seen by them as an obstacle to their continual pursuit of wealth and power

justicenequality 6 February 2011 at 17:52  

Syabas "walla". The way you write your pieces is just like "The Prophet@ by Kahlik Gibran.

Anonymous,  6 February 2011 at 22:58  

Dato',

The only solution is to have the Tun taking over again as the President of UMNO to bring back the glory days of a clean and uncorrupted UMNO party where there will be overwhelming support from all the UMNO members and all malays. Better still if UMNO makes the Tun their life president for time immemorial.

Anonymous,  7 February 2011 at 11:50  

Dato,

As a well-educated Malay M’sian intelligentsia, a question;

Why the continue theme on the relevancy of umno toward Malay?

Why NOT towards M’sia?

Does the truth lies here(???) –

‘Malays will feel less threatened if the country adopts the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. Former Philippine President Corazon Cory Aquino is Chinese but she identified herself as a Filipino. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is Chinese but he speaks the Thai language and lives the Thai culture.

R u those that still think that Malay M’sian must be the ‘pivotal’ race of the nation, even when there r better others M’sian?

Who's threatening who?

If people of yr calibre thinks like that, rest assure that M'sia Maru is going down & fast.

And who r the major passengers on that sinking ship, who CANNOT swim on the global sea?

Blame the Others, again for not teaching them how to swim, while letting the elites picnicking on the launched liftboats far away from the sinking site?

Anonymous,  7 February 2011 at 16:13  

It's and not Its.

Ditesh 8 February 2011 at 11:13  

Here is an honest question:

Is equitable distribution of the economic pie actually possible? Has it happened anywhere in the world? What economic models predict and deliver such a distribution?

Not advocating for any form of artificial division of the economic pie. Just wondering if any form of equitable distribution is, in fact, possible.

Intuition indicates that a purely capitalist system coupled to a world class education system accessible by all citizens offers best shot for the said citizens to strive towards equitable distribution. But even so, intuition also points to the inescapable fact that wealth will aggregate in the hands of a few.

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