It doesn't seem possible for UMNO to make a comeback. Zahid Hamidi can engage in as much wishful thinking as he wants but UMNO will not be back in government anytime soon. Not in one or two or three election cycles. Perhaps not even in my lifetime.
The first thing that UMNO needs to do is to become an effective opposition. Nothing so far suggests that it can do that.
UMNO stalwarts like Nazri Aziz was fond of saying that the opposition (then, Pakatan) has never ruled the country so they have no clue how to do it. Which is not quite true because Pakatan ran a couple of states (Penang and Selangor) and they did a good job there.
In similar fashion, what can be said about UMNO is that it has never been in the opposition so it does not know how to be an effective one. That statement is only partially false (and partially true). It's false that it has never been in the opposition. It was in the opposition in Penang and Selangor. But it is true that it doesn't know how to be an effective one as it has done a poor job in both states.
If either Zahid or Ku Li wins the UMNO Presidency, don't expect any significant changes. Maybe a bit of cosmetic changes but nothing substantial. The only one who offers a progressive program for change is Khairy. This is not to say that he will be able to implement much or any of it. But at least he's saying the right things.
Saying the right things (as far as the country is concerned) might not win you votes in UMNO though. This is a party that's used to being the Big Brother, that has a Ketuanan Melayu mindset, that has feudalistic tendencies, that believes cash is king (which is why money politics is so rampant). This is not a party ripe for change. Rather it's a party that will resist change with all its might. So, good luck to KJ in trying to change UMNO (assuming he wins the presidency).
Although UMNO coming back to power seems like an impossibility, for the sake of discussion let's explore what it could do to claw its way back to power over the long run.
It needs to prove itself by being an effective opposition. That means providing real checks and balances to Pakatan (as opposed to simply providing knee-jerk criticism to everything Pakatan does). It means engaging in intelligent debate in Parliament. It means providing sound alternative solutions to the problems this country faces.
Is UMNO equipped to do any of that? Not in its current form.
Think about it. Who are UMNO's equivalents to Pakatan's Tony Pua, Rafizi Ramli and Maszlee Malik? Do they have a Syed Saddiq? No, they have a Jamal Yunos and a Papagomo.
To turn UMNO into an intelligent party, KJ will need to attract new blood. How on earth is he going to do that? If a bright, young Malay scholar (well read, sophisticated, idealistic) were to return to Malaysia and happened to be interested in politics, which option do you think this person would choose:
a) One of the Pakatan parties
b) UMNO
It's a no-brainer, folks. That's why KJ's transformation plan is a non-starter. And that's why we won't see UMNO in control of the federal government for a long, long time (if ever).
The first thing that UMNO needs to do is to become an effective opposition. Nothing so far suggests that it can do that.
UMNO stalwarts like Nazri Aziz was fond of saying that the opposition (then, Pakatan) has never ruled the country so they have no clue how to do it. Which is not quite true because Pakatan ran a couple of states (Penang and Selangor) and they did a good job there.
In similar fashion, what can be said about UMNO is that it has never been in the opposition so it does not know how to be an effective one. That statement is only partially false (and partially true). It's false that it has never been in the opposition. It was in the opposition in Penang and Selangor. But it is true that it doesn't know how to be an effective one as it has done a poor job in both states.
If either Zahid or Ku Li wins the UMNO Presidency, don't expect any significant changes. Maybe a bit of cosmetic changes but nothing substantial. The only one who offers a progressive program for change is Khairy. This is not to say that he will be able to implement much or any of it. But at least he's saying the right things.
Saying the right things (as far as the country is concerned) might not win you votes in UMNO though. This is a party that's used to being the Big Brother, that has a Ketuanan Melayu mindset, that has feudalistic tendencies, that believes cash is king (which is why money politics is so rampant). This is not a party ripe for change. Rather it's a party that will resist change with all its might. So, good luck to KJ in trying to change UMNO (assuming he wins the presidency).
Although UMNO coming back to power seems like an impossibility, for the sake of discussion let's explore what it could do to claw its way back to power over the long run.
It needs to prove itself by being an effective opposition. That means providing real checks and balances to Pakatan (as opposed to simply providing knee-jerk criticism to everything Pakatan does). It means engaging in intelligent debate in Parliament. It means providing sound alternative solutions to the problems this country faces.
Is UMNO equipped to do any of that? Not in its current form.
Think about it. Who are UMNO's equivalents to Pakatan's Tony Pua, Rafizi Ramli and Maszlee Malik? Do they have a Syed Saddiq? No, they have a Jamal Yunos and a Papagomo.
To turn UMNO into an intelligent party, KJ will need to attract new blood. How on earth is he going to do that? If a bright, young Malay scholar (well read, sophisticated, idealistic) were to return to Malaysia and happened to be interested in politics, which option do you think this person would choose:
a) One of the Pakatan parties
b) UMNO
It's a no-brainer, folks. That's why KJ's transformation plan is a non-starter. And that's why we won't see UMNO in control of the federal government for a long, long time (if ever).
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