sideviews

The end of chivalry towards Umno – Tariq Ismail

February 29, 2016

The following statement is very critical of Umno 2000, but this does not mean I am an enemy of Umno nor am I an opponent of the prime minister.

Please understand, that Umno is a man made institution that is not immune for it to be criticised and that the prime minister is a post that accords it certain privileges – privileges to serve the people.

In the same regards, those that join Umno and hold key positions also have the same privileges to serve the people.

In some ways, I blame Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for creating a system where the president holds undue power to subjugate three million Malays and for allowing “village idiots” (bodoh sombong types who have no intent to serve the nation, but themselves) to permeate the very party that fought for independence and to develop policies to bring Malaysia out of the swamps towards a developed nation.

A developed nation where inequality is reduced amongst the races and within the races, where democracy and the people are allowed to voice their grievances, where Malaysians can stand tall and hold their heads high in the international arena.

But that is as far as my criticism of Dr Mahathir goes. It is sad to see that Umno has come to this with Tun leaving the party, a second time.

With the recent putsches against Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno is on the verge of a cataclysmic implosion. An implosion that will bring this country down.

The prime minister is no “village idiot”. His Economic Transformation Programme was a follow through of Tun’s Vision 2020, with the intent to meet the goal of being a developed and high income nation by the year 2020.

Policies that reduced poverty, unemployment, a needs based meritocratic system, a knowledge based and lateral thinking workforce were to be implemented.

All ideas sound good and noble in the very beginning, but the implementation and administration of these ideas must be strictly enforced. But in the hands of “village idiots” that hold key positions within Umno and with their privileges, policies will be bastardised and used to divide the people.

Umno is a Malay party, but it does not mean it should practice exclusivity with the intent to create dynastic delusions in order to subjugate and segregate.

Delusions in time, if not given the correct remedy and advise discarded, will turn into dementia.

This is what is wrong today in the Umno 2000’s – Dementia has trickled down to the grassroots that they become headless chickens waiting for their leaders to command them to jump, fly and ask how high.

What makes it worse are when “village idiots” wanting favour out of fear from their president and prime minister, ask the grassroots to ritually masturbate and scream in orgasmic bliss on a picture that depicts sexy bogeymen – the Jews, the Chinese, the Liberals, the opposition (they are not as sexy as most people would like them to be) anything that is a threat to Malay nationalism.

Malay nationalism was never under any threat from outside, it was only from within to those that did not know how to control the privilege that power brings.

Malay nationalism was never about building an exclusive master race of the Malays.

No, it was to lead this country out of the backwaters and to create a Bangsa Malaysia, with the Malays leading the charge.

After all your ritual masturbations over the bogeymen, the other races look at us with either disdain or utter confusion. The Malays are not people that puppetmasters can easily manipulate and coddled under the bosom of a milking Umno. The milk will always dry.

Speaking of milk, joining a political party is about the nation and people first. Whilst many of the “village idiots” believe that trickle down economics will magically mushroom a new breed of Malay entrepreneurs which given the multiplier effect encourage other races to follow suit towards the land of milk and honey, it does not work when those that join the party drink up all the milk and give the people a powdered version.

The privilege to lead is already in Umno's hands. To lead is to lead by example and to include what other people’s thought processes are and to learn of their insecurities. Share with each other and work together.

I have and always will have a soft spot for Umno, as it was the party that many of my family members as well as my in-laws joined to uphold that struggle – the struggle to make Malaysia a better nation.

However, I am also very critical of Umno as I do not agree with the mindset of joining a political party that is seen by its members to be the world’s biggest ATM machine.

Politics is not about making money and to enrich oneself. Politicians must strive to enrich the nation and its people via advocating for policies that will improve our education, economy and social wellbeing.

The hand me down and entitled mindset within Umno’s grassroots is breeding a party of greedy and self-serving individuals.

It does not help that Umno also suffers from a recessive gene pool with the upper echelons made up of “village idiots” that shuns its doors from progressive Malays such as I.

Progressives are a catalyst for change and evolution, and it is we, the progressive centrist Malays that are the future of this young nation, a nation that is made up of differing cultures and religions.

My vocalness and critique of Umno, does not mean I am against Umno, it is that I want the mentality of Umno to progress. We are in the 2000s, but why is Umno’s mentality of a village idiot’s?

Why are the progressives within Umno silenced and asked to toe the party line?

Why are the progressives labelled “pengkhianat bangsa”? Why does Umno need to remain insular? Wasn’t Umno founded on the precepts of evolution and progressiveness alongside its partners MCA and MIC in the alliance?

To whoever reads this let us look at the key challenges and policy developments that we can work towards. We do not need to live in silos any more:

1. Social development institutions such as Mara and UiTM are urged to strive to develop a progressive and forward-looking Malay Community;

2. An inclusive affirmative action policy in view of creating jobs that are fair and equitable for local university graduates, especially the Malays. If the ability to speak English is in question, the employer must provide training opportunities for workers who need it ;

3. Opportunities and support for the development of small and medium industries and stress a more fair and equitable funding for each of the major communities in proportion to the population distribution. Also prerequisite qualifications should be examined more fully as those associated with political parties should not be included in the list of those eligible for the funds. The existence of the funds and programmes by ethnicity should be given a period of up to 10 years in which the funds and the program can be combined and allow the distribution of wealth in accordance with social needs . The main industries which I recommend to be focused under the SMI policy is the agricultural industry on a medium scale, fisheries, engineering, information technology and food industry;

4. Affirmative action in the education sector to enable students to find the most outstanding Chinese and Indians so they too can earn a place in the ivory tower and get a chance to grab the relevant scholarship;

5. Particular attention to developing and promoting research and development in universities and research institutes. Furthermore, incentives should be accorded for government-linked companies and the private sector to contribute funds and expertise to commercialise the results of research into the international level;

6. Public services need to focus on training and empowerment of its staff. Furthermore, the civil service should receive remuneration in line with the private sector so that the level of professionalism can be enhanced;

7. An affirmative action policy for the civil service in which there has to be a minimum number of representatives of our Chinese and Indian communities. This fosters trust between the communities.

8. Giving emphasis to embrace diversity in this multi-ethnic nation. This can be done with the conservation of historic buildings, cultural performances and much more. It is also achieved through an inclusive education system from which the next generation can learn and further embrace diversity respectively.

9. Separate the key institutions of government – the royal houses, the judiciary, the executive and the administrative.

My friends in Umno, take it from me, an “outsider” who knows how the Umno system works and understand your frustrations.

Change Umno's mindset before you are changed. Stop being “village idiots” and think as a progressive. Think and act like our forefathers.

Umno cannot be in denial, and you must listen and heed the advice of the progressives. Heed the advice of Dr Mahathir. Fight back with your wisdom. Be courageous and not cowardly. – February 29, 2016.

* Tariq Ismail is grandson of former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.