Why BN can't reform itself

The loyal opposition. Goodness gracious!

I have been thinking for a few days now about writing a blog post about all the reasons why BN/UMNO cannot reform itself. Then someone wrote an article that articulates the reasons far better than I could have myself. So instead of reinventing the wheel, here are the key points from that article (by Dennis Ignatius):

On the state of UMNO:

Umno is a broken party now – morally bankrupt, politically exhausted, without credibility, purpose or direction, and utterly bereft of the kind of leadership it will need to reinvent itself.

Why it will be difficult for UMNO to even retain existing members:

The whole premise of its existence has been challenged and found wanting. Cut off from sources of easy money, the system of money politics that has long sustained the party will collapse. Without the prospect of immediate position, power and profit, how many will even remain in Umno?

Why the current leadership is useless:

The present leadership is too closely linked with the culture of corruption, racism and entitlement to be acceptable, at least at this time. They were happy to stand with deposed president Najib Abdul Razak, even vociferously defending and praising him, despite all the evidence of wrongdoing. Half-hearted contrition now that their misdeeds are on public display just doesn’t carry much weight. They chose to stand on the wrong side of history and must now share Najib’s fate in defeat.

Why it can't be an effective opposition:

With zero credibility and zero integrity, how will they hold the Harapan government to account? How will they defend our democratic rights, for example, after having done so much to destroy it? How will Umno help ensure that power does not corrupt the Harapan government when almost all of the present senior leadership are themselves suspect in the eyes of the public?