Sunday, June 17, 2018

Zahid, Ku Li or KJ for party president?

Becoming UMNO President will be his biggest failure. 

So, there are seven people in the running for president of UMNO. In reality only three actually matter: Zahid, Ku Li and KJ.

Whoever wins the presidency has their work cut out for them. UMNO has never been in the opposition at the federal level before. If its performance as the opposition at the state level (in Penang and Selangor) is any indication of its potential at the federal level, we are looking at a lacklustre to useless opposition in Parliament.

So far, what we've seen that passes for opposition checks and balances is just sour grapes sniping by BN leaders. Nothing particularly insightful or useful. Most of the time it's hypocritical cheap shots.

Take for example the griping that we heard from some BN leaders after it was announced that opposition MPs would also get some allocation of funds but only 1/5th of that of Pakatan MPs. The fact that there should be equal funding for all is a serious point but when these complaints come from BN MPs it just plain disingenuous. If they think unequal funding for MPs is fundamentally wrong as a matter of principle, why didn't they raise a stink about this when BN was in power and gave Pakatan MPs nothing. Don't talk about 1/5th or even 1/10th. They gave Pakatan MPs nothing. And now that they are getting less funding they complain that it's not fair.

Then again what can KJ do that's different? This is his message about restoring the "soul" of UMNO:
The soul I am referring to is a Malay party that is inclusive and includes all Malaysians. A party that opens itself to all levels of society and not only to those at the top, nobility, corporate leaders, and elites. A party for the common folk that takes care of their interest. A party that is not racist, sexist, timid and no longer deaf to the wishes of the people. A party that is magnanimous to other races and perhaps one day, BN can be rebuilt as a big house for all.  
All very good stuff. But why didn't he say this when his father-in-law, Pak Lah, was PM (and he was his advisor)? And why didn't he say this when Najib was PM (and he was a minister)? As Lim Kit Siang has often said about KJ's sudden openness and progressiveness: it's a case of "too little, too late".

But better late than never? Perhaps but probably not. UMNO is a "gone case" that's beyond redemption. As Dr M put it, UMNO has become a party that people despise. If KJ wants to repair UMNO, it will be a decades-long operation. He will be an old man before he can rejuvenate UMNO, if that's even possible.

Still, he is probably UMNO's best hope. Strategically, he's made a lot of bad moves and has bet on the wrong horse twice already (Pak Lah and Najib) but he's young, suave and smart. The total opposite of Zahid, who is antiquated, thuggish and just doesn't make much sense. In contrast to KJ, Zahid is the worst choice for UMNO.

He might very well get dragged into the 1MDB case. Don't forget, he was the one who infamously corroborated Najib's claim that the billions of ringgit in Najib's personal bank account came from an Arab donor. I'm sure the investigators will want to have a word or two with him on that. But even if he survives that, he his hardly a reformist kind of personality. He represents all that is wrong with UMNO. How can he be the one to reform the party?

How about Ku Li then? Well, he has a lot of experience in politics and he is free from the taint of 1MDB and other corruption scandals. He is a safe pair of hands to helm UMNO but he is hardly the reformist type. Anyone who wants to try to save UMNO -- in this political reality that we live in today where Pakatan (with all its ideals) is the government of the day -- will have to be brave and bold. But "brave" and "bold" are not two words you would commonly associate with Ku Li.

So that brings us back to KJ, UMNO's best option for the president's post. It's something that Dr M himself has said although KJ has dismissed it as sarcasm. Perhaps it wasn't sarcasm but wishful thinking on Dr M's part. We all know how much Dr M despises KJ. So, perhaps he is hoping KJ will become UMNO president for he whom the gods would destroy they first make him UMNO president.

KJ may be smart and charismatic but all the smarts and charisma in the world cannot save UMNO from eventually becoming a mosquito party. Some of its leaders are proud of the fact that it won 54 seats in Parliament. Let's see how long that number stays with them. East Malaysian politicians may be quicker to jump ship but nobody wants to go down with the ship. Now that UMNO is no longer funding their divisions, let's see how long these guys stick around.

To reform the party, he will need to bring in new blood. To reform and revive UMNO he needs fewer Ibrahim Alis and more Syed Saddiqs. But if there were some Syed Saddiq-types out there -- idealistic, intelligent, articulate -- thinking of entering politics, which party do you think he would join:

a) A party known for being racist, feudalistic, arrogant, corrupt and out of power.
b) Any of the component parties of Pakatan Harapan, which happens to also be the federal government.

This question alone will tell you why UMNO is indeed a "gone case".

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