COMMENT With Umno celebrating its 69th anniversary today, the Malay nationalist party is in a precarious position of keeping the people’s support following the difficult circumstances plaguing party president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
This follows the flak and criticism Najib received, not only from the people but also from party members and leaders following the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and his brainchild, 1Malaysia Development Bhd, besides other factors.
The latest controversy surrounding Lembaga Tabung Haji’s (TH) purchase of a one-and-a-half acre plot of land at the Tun Razak Exchange, which is owned by 1MDB, for RM188.5 million with the intention to build high-end residences has further dipped Najib's dwindling support.
This is despite 40,000 people allegedly turning up to support the PM in Tawau, Sabah, yesterday, where Najib, who is also finance minister, defended TH's purchase , saying the pilgrimage fund would make millions and insisted the purchase was not a bailout for his troubled 1MDB.
New Straits Times group editor-in-chief, Abdul Jalil Hamid, had also, in the daily’s editorial yesterday, defended TH's purchase and blamed it on hysteria and an uproar by depositors, leading to the pilgrimage fund’s decision to selling off the property. Jalil also claimed that the deal if it would be allowed to progress, would benefit the pilgrimage fund.
For sure TH, will get a return but isn't the NST top editor avoiding the bigger question as to who will be able to purchase the high-end condo units - will they be the depositors, who are mostly Malay Muslims and largely from the rural communities?.
Isn't there a glut of such luxurious condominiums in the Kuala Lumpur city centre and will such an investment turn bad?
The other question concerns the cost of the land. When TRX bought the land from the government in 2012, it was at a price of RM194.1 million for 70 acres. Has its value gone up that much within three years, with a 1.5-acre plot there now costing RM188.5 million?
These are pertinent questions that every Malay, Umno member, and members of the public should ask! Is the purchase price right or is it a bailout , as claimed by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
I am not saying that Mahathir is 100 percent perfect, for he too has been accused of bailouts during his leadership of the government, especially the Perwaja deal. But these are valid questions, since Najib has not thoroughly explained the 1MDB deals.
The culture in Umno
Najib in his speech before a 40,000 crowd in Tawau, Sabah, was reported to have told his mentor Mahathir to shut up because he had remained behind Mahathir when he almost lost the Umno presidency in 1987, and also telling Mahathir that he should now return the favour .
"In 1987, I was among the ones who supported him. Why did he remain as PM? Because we stood together in difficult times. When he was in trouble, we supported him to stay on. If we did not support our leader in a time of trial, he (Mahathir) would not have lasted for 22 years as the PM.
"So, do not forget, when he (Mahathir) became PM, we gave him full support. Now, when he is no longer prime minister, support us in return. If (he) cannot support, then don’t make so much noise," Najib is quoted as saying.
We also know that Najib was married to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's niece, and had divorced her to go with Rosmah Mansor.
History and political analyst from Universiti Malaya, Professor Dr Mohd Redzuan Othman, told Malaysiakini this is the culture in Umno where subordinates would cium tangan (kiss the hands) of the Umno leaders and give them a false impression of a huge crowd that represents support.
“There is no more idealism in Umno and this becomes a challenge. People now join Umno not to change the Malays but to gain titles or projects. It is not about changing the people.
“This has resulted in Umno leaders striving to remain at the pinnacle of their power at whatever the cost,” he said on Najib's fixation on power and retaining it.
This, Redzuan said, also took place during Mahathir's time and now it is happening with Najib.
However, the UM professor warned that people are smarter now, with the advent of technology and social media.
Using the TH issue as an example, Redzuan ( left ) said the people are not able to accept the reasons given by TH and the prime minister.
“The explanation of making profit to hide the real facts (behind the transaction) is clearly penjelasan pembodohan (stupid explanation) to the people. It only encourages stupidity in the society.
“There is no need for having high education to see this (an explanation that fails to address the issue),” he told Malaysiakini .
Redzuan said following the clampdown on dissenting voices by the authorities, people are looking to Mahathir to bring up the issues, firstly because he is brave in voicing issues and the authorities are not likely to take action on the 90-year-old former prime minister.
He said this is why we see civil servants also relying on “the old man” to voice these issues and not upon leaders within Umno.
“What is raised by Mahathir, especially on the 1MDB issues, have not been answered by Najib,” he said, adding that the economy of the country is not as it is claimed.
Redzuan predicts that in the coming days, the hulubalang (warriors) for Najib and Muhyiddin within Umno may appear to possibly challenge the party presidency posts, as reported in some blogs, and as what had happened to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Party discipline and confession
In any political party, political scientists say, party discipline is vital for the stability of the party.
However, as we observe among political parties worldwide, and some in Malaysia as well, it does not mean that party members must blindly support a leader if he is found not to be capable and have damaging issues in hand.
Before being a journalist, I taught for two years at Yayasan Pelajaran Mara in Kuantan, Pahang, a centre that prepares students going to the United States.
That was more than 20 years ago and some of those whom I had thought may remember me and have better jobs and salaries than I do now.
I was teaching Malaysian studies and American Politics, where we do not only rely on books or lecture notes but also encourage the students to think.
At that time, in the 1990s, it was the height of the political scandals involving former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik and as a lecturer, this matter was one of the issues I discussed with the students.
At one point of time, one of my students asked:“My father asked me to ask you this: are you an Umno member or are you with the opposition?”
My reply was that this was a class in Malaysian studies where one of the topics is certainly about current affairs. I also told the class that they are going to the United States to study under a Mara scholarship, and they have to open up their minds on certain issues as they will be travelling overseas.
I further added that they could become engineers, business people, accountants, or computer scientists, which are all noble pursuits but politics is something that will affect their daily lives. I added to the class that I am encouraging them to think, not to follow blindly.
On my father's call...
I rounded off by telling my students that I am an Umno member, that I was registered with the Umno Taman Dahlia branch in Kempas, under the Pulai parliamentary constituency of Johor, and despite being a member, it does not stop me to think or to be critical.
What I did not tell my students was that my father asked me to register as an Umno member when I returned from studying overseas, since we lived in Johor and Umno was formed in Johor, a state which is also the bastion of BN.
I attended only one branch meeting where I found the discussions were not on national or state level issues but about gaining power and influence. I was disillusioned after that. I am not sure whether I am still a member or not since 1992.
I have not attended any Umno meeting since then, but have covered various Umno assemblies over the years.
What I would like to say to Umno members now is that they should emulate the founder, Onn Jaafar, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein's grandfather and have ideals and not be blind followers. You may call me an idealist, but that is how I feel politics should be.
For those who don't know, Onn was instrumental in setting up Umno and he left Umno because he wanted to open up the party to other races, an idea that was revolutionary during the 1940s and was rejected by the majority of the members.
As a result, Onn left and formed Parti Negara.
