UMNO and its Rational Leader-2

The truth about journalists and NST.

Journalists have always prided themselves as the self-appointed spokesperson as what should be 'news' to the public. They basically have a high opinion of and about themselves believing, they are the only people, with the right to write about anything.

This was only true before the age of the internet and the rise of the citizen journalists. Now anyone with access to the internet can rival the self-appointed spokesperson to offer analyses, news and information. Most important, the public acquires the right of reply. This has been the single most important tool of empowerment which at once renders traditional journalists quacking in their boots.

Why is that so? Well, LKY puts it again:

Once you have the right of reply. Then the journalists no longer appear so clever. If they write something and the other side cannot reply, they sound very clever. But when the write and they get rebutted in a succinct and acerbic manners, then they look very small.

And we have been wondering why circulation of mainstream newspapers minus those that hawk sensational news about sex, scandals, murder and those kind of things, diminish. It's because now, suddenly journalists can appear stupid when the public has the right of reply. Nobody wants to appear stupid most of all journalists who grew up with this notion; they and they alone can pontificate about things.

It's like, suddenly their positions as the sole purveyor of what's newsworthy to the public is shattered. Their gut reaction is to flail out against anyone who can challenge their once impenetrable monopoly. Once their shallowness is exposed, everyone can realize, after all, they are just paper tigers.

There's more. I think those important people in NST in particular should comment on what LKY said about them. On page 88 of Hard Truths:-

You look at what happened to NST and at the ST. one has lost credibility, one has not. Whatever they say about the ST, why are people from all over the world looking at it? Because it's credible… we are not propagating untruths.

The gravest mistake is to assume the reading public is composed of dullards. They think they can slash and burn, carry out selective misinformation.

So I come back to this widely headlined- LKY says Najib is a rational leader. How so? You see any Malaysian patriotic enough will realize that this statement is both a compliment (maybe) and an imperative ( LKY telling Najib) about becoming rational.

You see, in order for Najib to qualify as a rational leader- Najib, must in LKY's understanding, reorganize the basis on which  Malaysia operates.

Number 1: Malaysia has to get rid of its Malay ultra-Malaysia. If he does that , Najib is a rational leader.

Number two: Malaysia must follow the Singapore way- get rid of its envy and pangs of separation.

Najib is rational if he can abandon this notion of a social balance that insists that Malays be on top.

How is Singapore organized according to Lee Kuan Yew? It's a multiracial, meritocracy with a balance between the races, social and economic classes. Of course the Chinese dominate but this LKY justifies by imputing the Chinese are superior in so many ways.

Najib is rational because he wants to work with Singapore, wants to cooperate with Singapore. The two countries do not have to live one another, but work together on convergent interests. That's how, according to LKY, rational and pragmatic countries work.

These things, the journalist never tell us. So when the blared about Najib being rational, they didn't elaborate.

Because in order for Najib to become rational, that would pit him against the prejudices that UMNO people have and

DS Najib will of course square off against the most recent Dr Mahathir's insistence that Malaysia is Tanah Melayu and UMNO is nothing but a party of contracts.

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UMNO and its rational leader

 

A friend who campaigned rigorously in Tenang for the BN told me he has to play host most of the times. I hope UMNO will not let this victory go to its head. They need to compare the votes they got in 2008 with what they got now. Its majority increased by a little more than 300 votes. That doesn't matter though because a victory is a victory by any other name.

But to read more into this marginal increase, is a big mistake. UMNO's support, despite the millions poured in, remained more or less the same. PAS of course, suffered more in the sense the deficit they got now has widened.

The flood was actually a godsend for UMNO. SPR needs to answer whether use of their facilities to transport flood victims was applied in a fair manner. But I think this aspect must be argued by the other side. As for me, I am more concerned not to let this minor victory be an excuse for UMNO to stop doing reforms.

Let's discuss another matter. Lee Kuan Yew's recent book, Hard Truths. In there, he said many bad things about Dr Mahathir, about Islam and about Malays in general. But these were not paid attention to by the MSM. They were more interested to extract any broad-brush by Lee Kuan Yew imputing some positiveness about Najib. Malaysians love to hate LKY but if you get some compliments from him, LKY is your hero.

Hence the hungry Press which holds no good feelings about Lee Kuan Yew, blared the headlines that LKY thinks Najib is a rational leader. I don't understand the MSM's love hate relationship with LKY. Undeniably they can't dismiss LKY because that man is acknowledged by the world. Malaysia will stand out as a prick, if it doesn't join in the general salutations of LKY.

The Press would love to needle LKY on any issues. But this time, its LKY's approval of Najib as a rational leader that is being headlined. That would have been met with universal nod, if not for the fact, the MSM failed to qualify in what context is Najib a rational leader?

I mean the MSM people are myopic to ignore the fact, that Najib's rationality as a leader is a qualified statement. That term used, needed to be expanded.

In what sense, can Najib be regarded as a rational leader? Unluckily for the MSM people, there are many of us who also read the book. By the way- I would love to see how the MSM would respond when LKY said- on page 86:-

.their press has lost credibility. The position of the media on television and print was so divorced from reality that people look for alternative channels. So bloggers, Malaysiakini, Harakah, opposition newspapers fill up the space.

These form 5 journalists think we the public don't read books or what?

Please wait for my next article on Najib, the rational leader.

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Benih keruntuhan

 

Semasa zaman Tun Razak dahulu, bila mencari bakat pimpinan, dia menggunakan satu prinsip utama. Dia tanya melalui rangkaian maklumat, bolehkah si fulan berkerja? Dia tak tanya bolehkah si fulan di percayai.

Bila dia bawak balik Dr Mahathir kedalam pangkuan UMNO dia tak tanya boleh tak kita percaya Mahathir? Ketika itu siapa nak percaya Mahathir? Tengku Abdul Rahman pun dia tibai. Tapi Tun Razak lebih berminat kepada kebolehan berkerja DR Mahathir. Demikian juga Musa Hitam. Masa itu dia berada dalam kem Dr Mahathir. Belum tentu boleh di percayai, tapi boleh berkerja. Dan berotak.

Tapi, bila prinsip ini di abandoned, UMNO mula menghadapi masaalah. Parti kita penuh dengan kaki pengampu dan pembodek. Inilah apa yang dikatakan oleh orang Melayu, penyokong pembawa rebah. Ini masaalah terbesar UMNO hari ini. Boleh tak di percayai di beri premium yang tertinggi mengenepikan ciri kepimpinan yang lebih penting- boleh tak kita berkerja?

Saya nak berdebat dengan orang yang tidak faham, saya letih. Saya telah menyatakan dalam artikel saya yang di tulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris, bahawa saya menggunakan ungkapan percaya dalam konteks yang spesifik. Dalam konteks politik kelompok, bila di gunakan ungkapan percaya bererti membisu atau merelakan apa yang pemimpin atasan buat.

Kalau pemimpin kita buat salah- kita bisu. Kalau pemimpin kita korap, kita diam. Kalau pemimpin kita lemah- kita juga membisu. Kalau pemimpin kita di dayuskan, kita terus juga membisu. Sindrom bisu lah yang menjahanamkan UMNO. Dan keengganan 'berkurang ajar' sedikit. Kurang ajar bermakna enggan menerima sesuatu secara lahiriah atau face value.

Benih keruntuhan UMNO bermula sekitar tahun 1980an. Prinsip ini di gunakan sebagai asas mengenal pasti bakat pemimpin semenjak tahun 1981. Ketika itu, kualiti yang paling utama sekali yang di gunakan oleh pimpinan UMNO ialah mencari siapa yang boleh di percayai dan mengikut kata.

Apa yang salah dan silap dengan pendekatan sebegini? Kesilapan asas ialah pendekatan sebegini hanya berminat untuk self perpetuate pimpinan yang ada. Erti self perpetuate ialah melangsungkan jenis kepimpinan yang serupa. Dan kerugian terbesar dengan cara ini ialah, self perpetuity bermakna, kita bergantung kepada seorang pemimpin agung. Jika pemimpin seperti ini berundur, jika pengganti nya tidak seacuan, pemimpin berikut nya akan di kacau. Sebab, kita hanya berminat kepada self perpetuation- memastikan benih dan cara kita berterusan.

Walhal yang terbaik ialah kita wajib meletakkan landasan supaya negara ini di letak di bawah system yang self continuous. Yang bererti kalau kita takde pun( dan terror manalah sangat kita ini) negara ini tetap akan berkembang maju.

Cara self perpetituty ialah cara memilih pemimpin yang di amalkan oleh mereka yang mirip kepada membina dinasti. Ianya sama seperti ssitem feudal dimanana kedudukan kita dalam hairaki social di tentukan oleh kemalangan kelahiran( accident of birth).

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Tenang: we want KFC too.

It has been raining the past few days. All over Johor it seems. Labis and Segamat are also affected. Lembah Bakti area is particularly affected. These areas would have earned cursory mentions during normal times. Flooded areas are flooded areas. Houses get flooded, physical communications get cut off, food supplies are difficult to reach for.

But these are not normal times. These areas happen to be in Segamat where a by election is going on. Two contestants and their parties are locked in combat. The floods, during normal times would be regarded just a natural calamity now become a battle ground to show who is more caring. Or who can pretend more and who catches the attention of the media more.

As a person who has been in the thick of floods and who actually went on small fiber glass boats into deep waters so to speak, who had to physically carry the boat on our shoulders- let me tell you a bit about the psychology of flood victims and their expectations.

What do you need during floods? You need most of all relief help- food, medicine, money, whatever kind of help. If houses get flooded, victims are evacuated and transported to flood relief centers.

During these times, flood victims become a totally dependent lot. At relief centers, they wait for the food to be cooked, they wait for the food to be served and all their needs attended to by relief workers. They become an easily irritable pampered lot.

When they become these, they assumed a different personality. They become easily irritable, short-tempered, and quick to attach blame to no one and anyone. If relief help comes late- authorities are to be blamed. If they don't see the faces of the YBs, these are the people they blamed. They also expect, as victims of the flood, to be compensated for their losses. Fully and more I may add.

Although everyone knows, flooding is a natural disaster, victims expect nothing less, but complete restitution for their losses. Properties damaged, animals lost, crops damaged and so on so forth.

The two potential YBs will become very conscious of these facts. They will now understand the meaning of the words responsibility and the feeling of haplessness, dependence and everything in the world sucks. They will understand, a lot more than just sitting pretty manning relief centers administering the distribution of food items.

I know of one person who later became a YB who bragged about sleeping at the central command, administering the distribution of food items. In between times he would play serious poker and gamble. The actual YB was on his daily and sometimes nightly rounds, physically visiting flood victims, distributing food supplies which he bought with his own resources.

The point I am making is, the floods present an opportunity for the potential YBs to show the world who care more for the people. It's also an opportunity to do some serious playacting. Its more important to show you are doing something than actually doing it.

Wading through flood waters become a publicized public spectacle. Actually you have done nothing other than getting wet and pretending getting so, to show your dedication and caring for the victims.

The flood victims will dismiss such antics as nothing more than play acting and conferring future bragging rights. Victims are more interested to see whether their daily needs are attended to, they are pampered at relief centers; they are more interested to eat not just the daily rations of sardines cop ayam. The victims at Tenang want to eat KFC too. They expect to be completely compensated for their losses too later.

In short, both the potential YBs can make a public spectacle of braving the floods, wading waters, getting wet and so forth. Flood victims ignore these, they just want help. Who does better or pretend they care more will earn their gratitude and perhaps votes.

In the meantime, please pass the KFC.Dont matter none if the KFC boxes have the dacing symbol or the moon symbol.

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Tenang. Buck up please.

A few days ago, I was optimistic of BN chances. It can win Tenang I opined. As days go by, my optimism is reduced. Chua Soi lek is not making many inroads into Chinese voters. He remains a discredited figure and his party, the MCA labeled an Uncle Tom to UMNO. Where does he get the basis to make the audacious claim that BN will win big the next time around?

As a diversion let me say this. The natives in Sabah are not going to take things lying down any longer. Revolt seems to be in the air in Sarawak too, prompting Taib Mahmud to use the charm of his sister to push Najib through Rosmah, to carry out concurrent general elections. Sarawak has 31 parliamentary seats. Taib Mahmud is telling Najib unless the opposition's focus is divided by having national elections, Sarawak may lose a large number of those 31 seats. If that happens, the overall majority of BN will be greatly reduced and may even result in the exit of BN as government. Najib is mindful of this and he doesn't want to lose Putrajaya.

So, how come Chua Soi Lek dare make an audacious claim? Probably, his claim is more of a nervous outburst. MCA is about to become a political appendix.

There is so much negativity surrounding BN that such a claim can only arise out of a moment of hallucination. The UMNO machinery is not primed. UMNO local foot soldiers are not giving their all out. The soft approach isn't working in Tenang. The Tenang UMNO boys are out of sync.

Tenang is not Galas. There the soft strategy worked precisely, because it was the culture cultivated by Tengku Razaleigh. In Tenang, you can't change the force of habit overnight.

What's the habit? UMNO Labis is more accustomed to the boisterous and noisy way of campaigning. Intimidation, shouting matches here and there, jeering here and there. You know UMNO Johor and Johoreans in general- humility and understated style are not their way. Johore- the first modern state, its King uses sword while the other Malay rulers use kerises. He gets to stab first. They play with sailboats, other Malay brethren play gasing. So how can you contain the Johore over exuberance? You can't. By forcing them to take the soft approach, you nullify and dull their senses.

The soft approach seems to be out of sync. The ANAK gathering at one FELDA scheme was heckled by the Pemuda UMNO under its ketua Pemuda Labis. They thought they scored points there, but their black-shirt style of harassment serves to reinforce UMNO's detachment from reality.

You will need to reorganize UMNO for new purposes. For now, hope for the best that the recipient's mindset hasn't changed that far. The UMNO machinery seems at ease with the soft approach. If they are unaccustomed, better to stick to the old methods.

And have you seen Ghani Osman?

Now, Ghani Osman was my lecturer in Welfare Economics at University Malaya. If he is still the person he was then, then Ghani will project the image of a diffident person, portraying the bewildered look. Perhaps he doesn't know how to handle a by election such as in Tenang. This is a very hard indictment on an UMNO leader, but I have to tell it as it is. Ghani may be a good person. But he is wanting as a field general.

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A potential rude awakening

Tenang can potentially be a rude awakening.

Who wins Tenang will depend on who can muster the support of the Malays in Tenang. There's about 7000 of them and 3000 are Felda settlers. The BN can more or less forget about getting Chinese votes. Most of the votes will go to the DAP. If DAP can secure 80% of the Chinese votes the PAS candidate stands a real fighting chance.

It's commendable that UMNO will try to shore up MCA, its traditional partner in the BN, by giving concessions to the beleaguered party. That will improve somewhat the tarred image of the MCA. But frankly speaking, MCA needs to get used to growing public perception , that it's just a token ornament in the BN. its influence is waning.

Chua Soi Lek must be delusory. Perhaps he is blind to the massive buildup of attendees to DAP's ceramahs in Tenang. And most of them are Chinese. Chinese voters are not exactly enamored by the charm offensive of the Chua father and son team.

Except that it can take comfort that UMNO's influence is also waning. I have pointed this out in several of my articles. UMNO is losing touch on younger voters and building disillusionment in more mature voters. This sad state of affairs does not come about because the founding principles of UMNO were inherently defective. It comes about because UMNO sowed its own seeds of destruction when it generally adopts a culture hostile to the emergence of people who can work selflessly in UMNO. As I said in an earlier article, UMNO now adopts the principle, can I trust this person rather than can this person work?

If UMNO loses this by election, it's due to its own stupidity (for want of a better word). I have long thought that allegiance and loyalty to its causes must be worked at, need to be cultivated continuously and assiduously. What do you see? UMNO people are behaving as though they are God's gift to Malaysia. They behave as though there's nothing worrisome and as though things are back to normal.

For UMNO things are NEVER getting back to normal, unless the UMNO leadership rids itself of this mentality that it can get things gratuitously without working for it. That negative NEP mentality that you think you get things as of right has sadly infected the UMNO body politic. The UMNO leadership thinks it can get Malay support as of right without having to prove credibility and without having to further prove you are worth others' support.

UMNO's vital internal organs are crumbling. The first thing that strikes me, is UMNO undergoing a draught or famine? With bountiful membership, we couldn't find a winnable candidate from those UMNO people who have slogged and slaved for umpteen years? Surely, this will raise disillusionment within the UMNO ranks. This will make being an UMNO member not a passport to becoming holders of public office.

As a person versed in UMNOthink, what do you think UMNO foot soldiers will do? They will likely go out of their way to disprove the top leadership. Lets thump their noses for belittling us. Already that is taking place. Support from within UMNO is slowing. Indeed just to prove their point, the UMNO locals may even be wishing for UMNO to lose if only to remind the UMNO leadership, it needs to play ball with UMNO locals.

That is a clear sign that bad culture has already permeated UMNO's structure to dangerous levels. The party is full of sycophants and ululating cheerleaders who are making UMNO into a party for blind flowers. It has none of that positive vibrancy that promotes internal competition so that the best come forward. Instead it practises the bully and stifling culture that only self-interested individuals work around the system, deter the more able and the less unscrupulous.

Let me state this bluntly. UMNO is feudal by nature. It doesn't have a system that nurtures talent. I am very sorry to say this- what DS Najib proclaims about nurturing talent isn't exactly practiced in UMNO. In UMNO you arrive at the pecking order as a result of accident of birth.

So what do you find? Suddenly you find, there's not enough talent of leadership up there. The feudal fixed deposit has dwindled. The lower reaches of UMNO are filled with less desirables. You can't get talented leadership from down there. So what do you do? You have to cast your net outside.

This is exactly what UMNO does in Tenang. It has selected a former PTD officer over the heads of the party faithfuls. That can yield disastrous results.

In the old days, PTD was known as the MCS. It represented the epitome of career achievement. The desire of many Malays then was to be a civil servant and eventually a District Officer (DO). Our MCS was styled essentially after the Indian Civil Service. Many of the people in these services went on to become political leaders.

The rationale for the choice among others, it's said that the candidate is an experienced government officer. He knows how to deal with government agencies and all that stuff. The PTD badge is the giveaway passport into the green lane of political office. Plus he has some traces of politics being a son of a former ADUN, served as ketua cawangan and treasurer. Nothing to shout about, but enough to have some semblance of political pedigree on his CV. Enough also for wizened and panicky party elders to choose him over party stalwarts.

Unfortunately, that would also suggest that among the UMNO hoi poloi, there isn't sufficient leadership material or potential winnable candidates. This will be looked as a slap in the face for UMNO Labis Division.

The fact that UMNO has to cast its net beyond its own turf suggests there is a dearth of talent within UMNO. Uncharacteristically UMNO is facing the problem faced by the opposition parties in the 2008 elections. There weren't sufficient number of credible people to take up the mantle. Hence the opposition parties took the step of grab and offer for contest.

I hope UMNO hasn't reached this draught in leadership material.

Knowing the UMNO mindset, this choice of candidate will certainly be met with silent protest. That would make the by election in Tenang not so tenang after all. Surely, the UMNO grassroots and foot soldiers will be asking- haven't we fought hard in previous battles? Haven't we earned at least some modicum of appreciation and acknowledgement? We were the ones who fought hard to ensure our candidates won. Most important, all previous candidates were one of us. This candidate isn't one of us. We have gone through the mill and have chosen to remain steadfast to our struggles. These points would certainly surface in the minds of the UMNO foot soldiers.

If UMNO from now on, casts its net outside the UMNO heartland to scour for candidates, to my mind, this raises a bigger issue. How can this strategy promote the big idea of the PM in wanting to usher in political transformation?

What do you need first of all? You need the talent to be change agents. My question is, can a candidate plucked out from our civil service be looked upon as change agents in Najib's quest for the holy grail of political transformation?

I may be convinced of the correctness of such a rationale, if the civil service is the cradle of super talented individuals and the standard of excellence of our civil service is the measure of competence. Unfortunately, the various measure of excellence imputed into such 'qualifications' are debatable. But it isn't about the quality of our civil service that we are now going to discuss.

I am apprehensive of the trends regarding UMNO. And here are my reasons for being nervous.

How does the public feel about UMNO and BN? To be more specific how does the Malay public feel about UMNO?

Some days ago, UMNO Setiawangsa convened a meeting. It is preparing a list of election speakers to campaign for the next parliamentary candidate. They are speculating that Zulhasnan will be replaced by the anak mami from Penang but now residing mostly in KL. Shahrizat's name is being mentioned as a possible replacement for Zulhasnan, because she stands no chance at all in Lembah Pantai.

How was the response to that meeting? It was lackluster said my source. I think I know the reasons said i. was there any mention of money? Allocations? None said my source. There you are. UMNO people I general respond in a Maslow like behavior. They respond favorably when there are financial incentives. Of course, that kind of response isn't a crime or inherently wrong. But is shows one thing. UMNO can lose because it depends mainly on mercenary-like behavior. Rome fell because it entrusted its defences to paid mercenaries. Mercenaries fight with dedication as long as they get paid.

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More than just a pretty face

 

I like this argument because of its endless variations; cikgu Mala will not sacrifice religious principles in order to please voters. Suppose now, after the results are out, she doesn't win. Will those who didn't vote her be labeled as heathens?

Islam to the Malays is a sensitive issue. No one Malay likes to be labeled irreligious. Muslim People drink, they fornicate, but they don't eat pork. A Muslim Malay can do all sorts of wrongs, but there a limit.

On an overall basis, the limit is reached when it comes to differentiating Malays in terms of religion. Differentiating Malays according to their religious quotient is a double edged sword. Cikgu Mala now has presented herself as a very observant Muslim. I say this without cynicism, this is good. But my argument earlier stays- her goodness benefits herself as an individual. But is it relevant to society?

Society demands more than just having a demure personality and a heart fluttering trait. You will need a feisty, robust, balanced individual. There are many more elements to a good leader than just a face on the shoulders.

UMNO before 1981 practised a principle that stood the test of time for a while. When Tun Razak did a talent scout, the first element he looked for was, can this person work. DS Najib, please take note ok.

After 1981, the principle was and has been since- can this person be trusted. Many of the ills which UMNO currently faces is the result of adopting the principle of can this person be trusted.

Here I use the term trust in a specific sense- the leader chooses his subordinates on the basis of being able to trust the chosen one. That the chosen one stays loyal even as the leader strays from the founding principles of the cause. The corrupt leader chooses his subordinates confident that they will keep quiet, wont rock the boat, join in the looting.

We encourage PAS to extol and overrate this trait found on Cikgu Mala. Because it's the principle of choosing whether we can trust rather than can work which right thinking people in UMNO are fighting to reject.

You don't choose leadership material based on submissiveness, compliance and honor among thieves. What PAS wants the people of Tenang do, is to choose on the basis, this is a face we can trust. No sir, we want the people of Tenang to choose on the basis, this is the face who can work and deliver.

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