As Hishamuddin Onn pandered to the crowd during the recent Umno assembly, I cannot but help think of his late grandfather, Onn Jaafar.

The founder of Umno realised that Umno had an opportunity to define its role in the future of the country. With independence round the corner, Onn looked ahead and decided that Umno should take a broader view of its struggle and move beyond its narrow parochial existence.

He saw the dangers of racial polarisation in politics and he was acutely aware of the greater mission of nation building that awaited. He said and to quote (Ramlah Adam, 1994, p.213);

'It is absolutely important for the Malays to obtain closer relations with other people in this country. It is time for us to take the new wider than the kampung view. Let it not be said that Malays are narrow-minded and suspicious.

'We in Malaya today are witnessing an epoch of transition and changes. If we (the Malays) do not take heed of the changes around us, we shall be the losers.- Malay Mail, May 30, 1949.'

On Nov 20, 1950, he proposed that Umno membership be opened to non-Malays with full voting rights and equal opportunity for leadership roles. He suggested that Umno be renamed the United Malayan National Organisation.

However, Umno members and non-Malay community leaders were largely silent on the issue. Only Parti Buruh showed some positive support and suspended its nationwide campaigns to give Onn a chance to work out his idea.

We all know the rest of the story, and the subsequent demise of the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP) and Parti Negara. Surely, Onn was also a mortal and he has his own shortcomings. But in retrospect, we know why he failed. He was a man ahead of his time. Just how far ahead, we are still counting the years.

Today, if no Barisan Nasional leaders (specifically Umno's) share the vision of the late Onn, perhaps others will. The BN is no longer a coalition the younger generation wants or needs. We can no longer be fazed or satisfied by the hollow multiracial make-up and the elite bargaining system.

We want Malaysians under the same assembly roof to be treated as equals, consulted as peers and negotiated with as partners. This is the new manifesto of a rekindled flame of old. It is nothing original and certainly not novel, as it was first proposed more than fifty years ago.

Today, we have various parties that try to revisit this theme - DAP, Keadilan, Gerakan, PPP etc, but they, in one way or the other, succumb to a race/ethnic-based identity.

Perhaps it is a reflection of Malaysians in general. And perhaps a deep long look in the mirror and some soul searching is in order.