Am I an UMNO member?

Quite a number of my readers are openly asking me whether I am an UMNO member or a member of any party outside BN. They are quite irritated by my opinion that UMNO is the best party to play an opposition role both in the state and Federal Legislatives.

Before going further I wish to impress everyone that I have been a member of the party since 1970 a lot longer than many who talk about UMNO more than even the party stalwarts who have left us decades ago.

I never attempted to rise in the party as I was and still vocal about many issues and I never participate in ‘personal politicking’ for self interest. Some say I am silly, a member who was active but I gained nothing out of my active participation in UMNO since then until the year 2001.

I never regretted being what I am and I don’t have the appetite to amuse leaders and I don’t have any apprehension of saying what I feel should be said. I used to bein the Divisional Committee for more than 2 decades and to some I was among the few casualties and did not have the privilege of securing personal gains. Most leaders didn't feel comfortable with me because of my independent mind which is not acceptable in UMNO culture. Saying right things are forbidden at times.

I could take it as I am leading a simple live, which many can’t do. I don’t crave for big houses and big cars and I don’t have the urge to have 2 or 3 young and beautiful wives as I don’t have the money and the look for those interests to develop in me. Some say that I ‘takut bini’ but that is not true at all. It’s just that my ‘bini selalu menakut-nakutkan aku’.

I chose just to share the feeling of successes of UMNO and live within the border of a civil nation like ours. I enjoyed fully witnessing the successes of UMNO fighting for Malay survival in particular fighting for Malay participation in commerce and industry and putting up unending effort to increase Malay participation in management teams of big corporations and multinationals.

I was joyful witnessing that Malay wealth including that was in custody of government agencies shot up from 2.7 percent in 1970 to 18.4 percent in 1984. That figure was mentioned in almost every Divisional Committee meeting those days by economic bureau and that is already an ancient history. No UMNO leaders talk about Malay equity any longer as they are more concerned about their own gains and greed.

In the early 70s I was among the inconsequential figures moving around at young age to big corporations to importune the companies to employ Malay executives in commerce and industry, and that of course was part of the organic moves by the UMNO youth under the stewardship of Dato Harun Idris.

That was the period when many big public companies owned by the non Malays and foreigners initiated ‘management trainee’ programs to bring in equitable number of Malay professionals and semi professionals to fill in their management teams.

Through the comments that I had gathered through this blog I am too certain that what I am saying now is Greek if not French to them. Many may think that I am speaking different language.

In those days the youth were on the field doing practical exercise in getting as many Malays as possible to be in the middle management level in big public companies and corporations. Youth of those days didn’t deliver high charged speeches and kissed the ‘kris’ but worked practically with organic result. Youths of today are more of sycophants to leaders to trade for personal positions and glory.

As a young member I enjoyed witnessing everybody in the party had strong appetite to ceaselessly fight for the race with too little number among them struggled for personal gain and greed.

I myself spent years and years working with nominal pay packet combing every JKKK in the country to educate the people on the ground on any big government projects that had everything to do with them. The idea was to ensure that every government move was understood by the ordinary public and jotting down their grievances if there was any.

By doing so the people felt that they were part of decision making of the government. So the people were at all cost stood behind the party and government as they felt that they were part of the government decision making and took accountability together with what the party and the government decided to implement.

I am still a member but I missed the past glories. I admit the fact that past is past but my anticipation that the magnificence to follow through is not happening and that make people like me exceedingly disenchanted.

UMNO members of today do not have the spirit of party any longer and bear in mind that a body without spirit is nothing more and nothing less a corpse. A corpse deserves a ceremonious funeral.

BUT can we find a few who can do the restoration job for the party? I don’t know who and where they are but if every member cares to do the search I am sure we can find one or two at least.

With that hope in me, I still stick as a member of this sickly party. I think I shall be the last to desert the party if it’s forsaken by the people. Experience tells that the current individuals who talk big about their love for UMNO will be the first to raise the white flag if UMNO looses all the votes from the people in the coming GE. They will be the ones who would bark at UMNO if that situation arises.

They will also be the first to hoist the PR flags if that coalition wins the general election. When Mahathir felt that he would loose if he were to go for another round of party election as instructed by Harun Hashim's court, he disbanded UMNO and set up another party called UMNO baru. I have been trying to forget this dark incidence but to no avail until to this second.

That's how much my love for UMNO and I despise anyone questioning my loyalty to the spirit of UMNO. Many around us are just having the physics of UMNO but I own the soul and its spirit.

Personally I have gone through this kind of mill ever since joining this party in 1970, and joining a new party without its soul called New UMNO in 1997. With that lengthy experience I understand the UMNO behavioral character of most UMNO members and its leaders.

Allow me to quote a Malay proverb, ‘rasa-rasanya saya sudah boleh menyelam air didalam tunggak’. That’s how much my understanding of UMNO members and their basic behavioral attributes.