If they can't see it clearly now, they deserve to fall....

MUSICAL INTERLUDE WITH JIMMY CLIFF

This is Sunday and it is time to take it easy. Some serious matters need to be said and we are not going to allow our BP goes off the scale. It is not good to keep things bottled up inside.

Accompanied by an early reggae star, Jimmy Cliff, here is our Sunday musing.

Our earlier plan was to layoff the UMNO election and just observe from afar to hope for some resemblance of change in attitude in UMNO. However, the entry of certain people got us suck into the excitement.

It is not we never tried to stay away. After a whole day ferrying an underdog candidate around as self-appointed media officer, we couldn't take the physical requirement and quit a post we never had by midnight.  

Today and after my Christian friends have returned from church, we will say our final words to join the rakyat to watch the alif mim nun wa ... sarkas by the side.

Lantaklah depa ...

UMNO, from the top leadership to the divisional and branch leadership, and down to the grassroot have to decide their own fate. Writers and bloggers can only highlight, advise and persuade them.

Finally, it is Dato Najib and all the way to some 21 year old that just sign-up as member that have to decide.

Attitude

The rakyat is watching closely from afar to see whether UMNO have changed their attitude after painful lessons in two successive general elections. 

If UMNO grassroot members does not get it and can't see what is happening around them, they deserve to lose at the 14th general election.

Majority of the rakyat did voted UMNO because they like UMNO and BN, but it is because they do not trust Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim to lead the country.

Thus do not think that the coverage given by the mainstream media to UMNO election will attract public attention. They do not care to know and the ones that do keep in the know, they want to see whether UMNO have learned their lesson and change their attitude.

The real change is not so much to do ETP, GTP, NKRA, and all those transformation PEMANDU think is what the rakyat wants. That is only what the businessmen and cor-parat think the people wants.

They want to see UMNO and orang UMNO discard their self-interest attitude and be concern for the people.

When an UMNO-led government wants to raise petrol by 15 to 20 sen, the Minister cannot say they cannot please everybody and have to do what need to be done. If it is a hard decision and the rakyat have to endure, the leaders must not only not upgrade official car from Proton to Honda but together tukar gaya hidupand stop makan ayam also.

The rakyat is tired and sick to see the same old faces around and still preserving themselves. They do not want to see those tainted faces still hogging the media. Whether there is a case or not, guilty or innocent, they wish those faces make way for others.

Cronyism

Just because some Minister have abundant resources at their discretion to undertake projects in their locality, UMNO grassroot should be think beyond their self interest and comfort zone.

Auditor General 2011 [read here] had reported many failures of this Ministry and the ground is talking of cronyism and suspicion of leakage and corruption because they can link the contractors as the Minister's men. 

Cutting through the chase, theakarumbi in Sabah and Sarawak will not be able to comprehend why UMNO and their machinery wish to continue to choose Dato Shafie Afdal as Vice President.

Issue are raised of the poor newly built roads for Sabah and Sarawak are in such dilapidated state after just being built. Some road projects are not completed. [Read here andhere].

Shafie answered as reported by Sin Chew here that it is just one road but it is not. 

There have been strange purchases by MARA Incorporated also. [Read here]

The notion of a quota for Sabahan does not make sense because even Speaker for the Sabah state assembly does not think Sabah UMNO branch delegate should vote based on that criteria. [Read House PK here.]

While sentiment is fine for Shafie in Semenanjung, he is seen as Sabahan outside tawau and Semporna as self-serving. His Ministry deals with the rural poor and anyone involved or have suspicion of involvement in stealing or mismanaging allocation for the rural poor must not be the showcase face of UMNO.

No one is paying us to whack at Shafie but just our usual disgust and concern against corruption. Between Hishamuddin and Shafie, at least, Hishamuddin attempt to change and as a friend said, he does not steal poor people's money.

If he is not corrupt or practising nepotism, still ... he does not deserve high position. UMNO must seriously think. 

Self preservation

In our posting entitled Blocks, threats, sabotages ... how to move forward, we wrote of few potential new blood candidates denied opportunity to run.

There was a talk show last night on Astro Awani, in which several members of the audience, most University students, raised issues in the difficulties in finding space to contribute and old ones refused to fade away. The student is right because too few actually made way for others.

For instance in Kelantan, all the Divisional Heads, including the problematic ones and perennial losers like Dato Fatmi, are still defending their positions.

In Pasir Salak, local warlord was reported by the press to have his whole family running for position. If delegates accept this, UMNO Pasir Salak can effectively be called UMNO Tajuddin Rahman & Family Division.

One could look at the attempt to preserve the incumbent Vice Presidents as ignoring the wishes of the masses and preserving the incompetent ones. How will that look on UMNO if their insidious plan works?

Tengku Dato Adnan Mansor had openly threaten audience disagreeing his action to promote status quo. [read Malay Mailhere].

Talk is of a desperate Vice President threatening an aspiring candidate in order to gain support from a certain block of votes [read a comment from our previous posting here]

Even front runner, Dato Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was sucked in to save the incumbent. It is strange to see him change from talking of his candidacy to talk of preserving status quo. It looks like he is being forced to do so.

Called from New York?

There is a rumour spreading fast that UMNO President Dato Najib have been meeting few Division Heads at a time and calling Division Heads from US to ask them to vote Hishamuddin.

We are not about to believe it because it runs contrary to his earlier position of liberalising the UMNO election.

One reliable source claimed to be told by few Ketua Bahagian but these Ketua Bahagian said it is hard to 'control' what the branch delegates will put in the ballot box.

If true, it is uncalled for. But if not true, it could also be a set-up to smear PM or raise hatred against Hishamuddin. Either way, it best to be made known.

Old faces

The comment by the University students must be analysed and understood. One must bear in mind that the profile of voters in the next general election heavily skewed to the 'young.' Naturally, their affinity will be for the young and fresh faces.

It needs more than an Anwar facelift for the young to be able to relate to the old and tired faces.  

How does it look on UMNO when the faces of UMNO that will regularly come out in the media in four years from now are Dato Najib (64 by then, now 60), Tan Sri Muhyiddin (now 66, by then 70), Zahid (by then 64), and Shafie (by then 60).

If Dato Ali Rustam or Tan Sri Isa Samad win, both would be 68 by then?

For the men, Hishamuddin (now 52) and Mukhriz (now 49) represents the faces with the chance for youth to relate too. Not to leave out Khairy (now 35) and if lightning strikes twice, Akramsyah (now 39).

Dato Shahrizat is one well photographed face of UMNO. Assuming she win, een by then, she will no more be a Ketua Wanita.

Even if the public will probably be tired of teasing her with lembu, honestly her poor managing of the NFC case and the blunders of her husband had tainted her image.

Large segment of the public still does not understand the case enough to absolve her. It is strange that the public refuse to absolve her despite not knowing enough

No facelift and botox like Anwar Ibrahim will change the fact that Shahrizat is 64 by then. Voters will perceive her as Ketua Pergerakan Nenek UMNO Malaysia. Her Kazakhtan's menantuwould have borne her several European looking cucu by then.

It does not get significantly any better with Shahrizat's challenger Dato Maznah Mazlan.

She is of the same age as Shahrizat at 60. Public perception of her is fine but what is not sure, is better not said. 

We are not campaigning for her. However, we do not find it distasteful to smear her as the proxy of someone. Whoever faction she is with before or whoever is her friends, it is her that is running.

Read Bigdog here who shows keenness for her. In Jinggo here, thought she was short of an ommpphh in her announcement.

The spring of youth belongs to Raihan.

However, our past experience with her in Perkasa do not convince us that she has the leadership and attitude to lead Wanita UMNO.

She is too playful and not serious enough in conversation. Somehow or rather, we do not really know her real intention to run. At one time, she talks too much of securing funding for her programs and books.

Her parting words to Perkasa's High Council is inconsistent with her decision to run for Ketua Wanita. 

Now that 50 something Dato Hamidah is out of the way, Shahrizat's succession plan is to have Dato Azizah Mohd Dun.

Already she is looking like a pintu bilik air reput (decayed wooden bathroom door). Sorry for the insult but she is now 58, thus will be 62 and a nenek also by then.

Hopefully, Shahrizat is not manouvring this to make herself indispensible because she probably wanted her deputy to be at least a Deputy Minister status to salvage the image of Wanita UMNO.

One limitation of Azizah is that she is not quite accepted by her "jemaah" as Sabah Wanita leader, Dato Armani. In Islam, being a leader is like leading a jemaah prayers. It is not one's ability to memorise surah but acceptance of the jemaah to enable one to assume leadership.

In turn, the jemaah has the collective responsiblity to choose a leader based on characteristics closely emulating the  Prophet -siddeq (truth), amanah (honesty), tabligh (promote good values) and fatanah (wisdom).

It is Shahrizat's choice but hope the democratic process is allowed to flourish.

On the basis of credential, there is no significant difference between Azizah (58) and Dato Suraya Yaacob (44). Both are trained as lawyers but do compare here and here.          

At a much younger age, Suraya has comparable experience but wider scope of work then Azizah. Unless, she has serious weakness, doesn't she deserve to be groomed for the future of Wanita UMNO leadership?

Giving a chance 

Dato Idris Jusoh said he is opening the passage for younger leaders, but some say he is not contesting because he cannot win whether as Division Head, or Deputy or Vice.

Be that as it may. Until proven through real contest, Idris has brought a new idea for UMNO.

Leaders who have reached a high level in a party need not be a running at Division level any more. Make way for local leaders to take care of the Division and each position holder stay focus in their role in order to be effective.  

Sometime we wonder how is an UMNO Division to operate effectively if it's Division Head is a Cabinet Minister, holds a party high post and member of many other Committees and Board membership. Knowing how Malays operate, everything will fall back to number 1.

Not many can be as everywhere like Ali Rustam attending weddings and kenduris or funerals or calamities. 

This is outside their usual comfort zone. Minister may lose grasp of power and influence in the party division and get thrown out in a power play. 

Dump them

Another area outside their comfort zone is whether UMNO is ready to bring new faces into the Supreme Council.

They can knock-off names like Dato Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis. Over a teh tarik at Taman Melawati onenight, we agreed he should be placed at 27.

We believe Dr Puad Zarkashi should not be voted back and also be voted out as UMNO Batu Pahat Division Head. His arrogant and quarelsome politics had disunite his Division and relationship with BN components. Do not blame the Chinese. 

Dump those liberals like Dato Saifuddin Abdullah and Dato Nurjazlan.

For her involvement in MYEG.com, Dato Dr Noraessah is no more credible. So does men with a past like Tan Sri Anuar Musa and Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik.

It is time for new blood and new faces.

Rather than old warlords like Dato Bung Mokhtar, Dato Ishak Ismail, Dato Musa Sheikh Fadzir, and Dato Tajuddin Rahman, let's have Dato Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Dato Aziz Kaprawi, and Dato Zahidi Zainul.

Wanita candidates like Dato Maznah Hamid and Dato Raja Ropiaah have also entered the expiry zone. They lack any vigor.

Try also two Professors in the list.

New faces

The Ministers and established faces can campaign on their own accord but we believe unknown like Dr Zubir Harun should be promoted.

Before assuming the role of Chairman of AIM, he was appointed CEO of Yayasan MARA. Education is one area of interest and in particular, Bumiputera education.

Unknown to many, some 70% of the programs mentioned in Dato Najib's speech to "memperkasakan ekonomi Bumiputera" is based on a proposal paper prepared by Dr Zubir.

He did it when was not COO or Chairman anywhere but a struggling professional in human resource, education and economics. 

How do we know he was responsible for the proposal?

We had voted for it when Perkasa High Council endorsed the proposal. Dr Zubir is true to his struggle for his bangsa:

Why not for UMNO Supreme Council? 

Another one that attract our attention is Suhaimi Shahadan.

His proposal on You Tube video is an attractive preposition:

As for Wanita UMNO running for Supreme Council, let's give victimised Dato Hamidah Osman a chance to revive her politics.

A fighter, hardworker and not one to give-up so easily. She is truly someone with a sense of  perjuangan.

We must remember and appreciate Hamidah for winning back Perak single-handedly. Despite receiving Chinese backlash in GE13, her feat then alerted us ahead to save Perak from falling into the hands of DAP in 2013.

Hamidah was appointed as Chairman for TERAS. Like AIM, another outfit established to assist  poor Bumiputera an upstart in business.

These are only a few faces that we know. Surely there are many new faces that can be brought in rather than the same old chap ayam faces.

If UMNO want to seriously change, they can ....

They want to survive GE14, don't they?

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