It is now about 4 weeks since the 12th General Election which has really changed the political landscape of Malaysia. If you are a keen follower of Malaysiakini, you would have noticed that the past 3 weeks, so much unexpected have occurred.
The question in most people mind now is that will UMNO change for the better. One question everyone is asking: if UMNO wants reform, what is Mike T doing there?
I think the PM knows that he has to reform UMNO otherwise people will abandon UMNO. Already there are voices in some of the component parties such as PPP and Gerakan and even MCA that they should opt out of BN if UMNO does not reform. The question is : will he be strong and firm enough to institute a total revamp, including doing away with money politics, cronyism, nepotism and corruption?
For these component parties, there are 3 options to choose from:
(graphic courtesy of inmagine.com)
1. Remain in BN, where their fate will be decided by whether UMNO reforms or not. Their fate will be in the hand of UMNO. If UMNO does not reform radically, these parties will probably be wiped off the next round. Any reform taken by these parties without similar reform being instituted in UMNO will not endear them to the people.
2. Opt out of BN and join the Barisan Rakyat. But some of the parties are so weak now, they will be in no position to bargain for better terms to join Barisan Rakyat. In the reality of politics, do not expect PKR or DAP to give up seats for these parties to contest. They will probably be absorbed and disappeared from national political scene. So this might not be a viable option from the political point of view.
3. These small component parties can opt out of BN and remain independent and be a vigilant watchdog over both Barsian National and Barisan Rakyat. They can act as a consciense for the people and give constructive criticism for both sides. They can play the role like the Liberals in UK, which has thrived between 2 giants, the Conservatives and the Labour. Come the next election, they could probably opt to join force with either one of Barisan or Pakatan, depending on which is more closer to the people. They could then bargain from a position of strength, and not from a position of weakness, during any seat negotiation.
In any case, they will have to reform and be closer to the people, feel the pulse of the people and speak out on behalf of good governance.
April 9, 2008 at 3:38 am |
The question of selecting one of the three options does not arise. It is more crucial for each component party to study its own strengths and weaknesses before any action is taken. It is always the easiest way to put the blam on others and run away from own responsibilities. As the opposition parties are already forming a coalition called the Pakatan Rakyat, I do not see why the BN coalition cannot work if one is willing to change in its approach and attitude. If the opposition parties find it easier to work by forming the alternative coalition , why are the component parties thinking of breaking away from it? All it takes is for all component parties to put aside own interest and talk through with mutual respect and compassion given to each other irrespective of race, gender, or age . All elected and appointed leaders in the parties and governments (federal and state) should put aside self interest (or to be more accurate personal interest and importance) and act according to people’s interest and party’s interest. Holding an elected or appointed Government post is not an occupation but a sacrifice towards peace and good governance. By forgetting the self or the “I’ syndrome one would be more objective in thinking and decision making. What is pertinent to the party now is to think of what and how reforms can be introduced. With the increase of young voters attention should be given to issues pertaining to this young voters. Issues to be provided attention should include cheap access to University education especially the private institutions, availability of a wide range of practical relevant courses, convenient transportation, reasonable food outlets for young working people, day care centres for children and old parents, investment incentives, five minutes speaking corners at strategic places to educate the public on the latest development of the state/nation and to allow voters to voice out thier dissatisfaction , free publications to inform the public about salient progress achieved by the BN component parties and government, more interactive TV programmes to cater to the women voters on RTM 1 & 2, etc. The government may take care of the policies but the public in general are more concerned about the delivery. Hence stringent monitoring should be implemented on the government officers when they implement the policies to ensure that there is no deviation from the objectives and intentions as agreed upon by the BN government. We need a blue print on the reforms for the party ; not just hearsay.
April 10, 2008 at 11:42 am |
Gerakan had tried to reform the BN from within, and what has it got to show – that it has, instead, been transformed by UMNO !
In it deliberations now, it should ponder, very carefully the options opened. The scenarios Dr. Toh and Dr. Choong have painted for its deliberations are very near to the truth. They may not be pretty but they are the hard realities facing Gerakan.
To stay in the BN and to have more of the same, is like buying a one-way ticket to “Doomsday’.
To stay and to seek reform from within, trying to get all the parties in the BN to merge to form a multi-racial BN doesn’t seem feasible. UMNO, is still bent on fighting for the the rights and honor of the Malays. There are still many self-proclaimed ‘defenders’ in UMNO (Haishammuddin, Khairy J, Nazir A, Aziz, Ali Rustam Mohd. Ali, M2 Taib) and now, waiting in the wings, are, Mohamad Hasan, Azhar Ibrahim.
It leaves Gerakan not much of a choice, but to seriously consider leaving the coalition. All the parties in the BN had been too long mired in racial politics, to be able to make a clean break from it. Gerakan cannot hope to survive in the same environment!
April 11, 2008 at 5:18 pm |
I would like to add that BN is different from PR as a coalition in that PR comprises of 3 components who are roughly equal in strength whereas in BN, only 1 component dominates the rest.
Furthermore all parties in PR cuts across racial lines, even PAS (its just that there are more Malays than other races who are Muslims).
Gerakan must leave the BN and its race based component parties if it seriously wants to play a role in nation building. Race based politics is in its ‘death throes’ if not already dead.
As more and more Malaysians become educated and exposed to the rest of the world, they are finding that politics as practiced in Malaysia over the last 50 years is not what they want for themselves and their children.
The sooner Gerakan can distance itself from those who practice communal politics, the greater its chance of survival.
April 13, 2008 at 9:55 am |
“Already there are voices in some of the component parties such as PPP and Gerakan and even MCA that they should opt out of BN if UMNO does not reform.”
If you still don’t know what’s wrong with MCA, Gerakan, PPP and others, please read the quote above.
You guys can’t do anything without UMNO, can you??