Umno stands alone

In the next few days, Umno, the senior partner in the Barisan Nasional, will have to choose its path. To return to basics, to be open and once again looking after the welfare of all Malaysians might be the surest route to political survival.

For too long, Umno has been dominated by so-called nationalists. Dr Mahathir Mohamad (below) is right to call their bluff. On the one hand, they claim to fight for the welfare of the Malays but on the other hand, they grab the opportunities for themselves. Corruption remains Umno's biggest challenge and the double-speak is draining its vote bank.

The problem with political parties in their sixth decade of existence is that there tends to be ossification. A system that once worked well has been left behind by the very constituency it claims to represent. Umno is not immune to ossification; some of the rhetoric surrounding "Malay rights" is as shrill as that in the 1960s. Worse, in some cases, it is the same person making the same battle-cry albeit grown much older.

Umno has been in power for half a century. It is the dominant partner in government. Umno ministers hold key positions in the cabinet. There can be little reason as to why Umno members still need to think and sound like the members in the 1940s and 1960s. Malaysians hearing such shrill cries can only conclude that the solution for Malaysian progress lies with another party and not Umno.

Of course, there are legitimate reasons why some Umno members are unhappy with the status-quo. There are genuine cases of Malay poverty. But there are also genuine cases of Indian and Chinese poverty. Amongst the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, the income gap is even wider.

Ignoring the elephant in the room

In this case, why has Umno/BN forsaken Malaysians who are in need of assistance? If it is the structure of the economy that is the problem, who designed the various Malaysia Plans? If it is the implementation of the NEP and the NDP is the problem, who is responsible to lead its implementation if not Umno/BN?

It is now obvious to the Umno leadership that the party cannot go on ignoring the elephant in the room. It may have won the Bagan Pinang by-election but its reputation in the rest of Malaysia is less than favourable. As Dr Mahathir said, there needs to be closer examination on the reasons for Isa's victory. The former premier is sure that another BN candidate would have won anyway.

That Umno chose Isa Samad (below) to be its representative in Bagan Pinang is a clear sign that the leadership could not afford to take risks. In the past, the Umno brand was so strong that it could field anyone and the candidate would win. Today, it has to look over its shoulder and make safe choices to avoid sabotage.

Worse, it cannot rely on its traditional allies the MCA (now in tatters) and the MIC (led by a political dinosaur). Umno has to court the non-Malay voters directly, which is perhaps the more sincere thing to do seeing the MCA and the MIC are truly without any real influence.

For Umno to recover, the leadership realises that it needs to regain the confidence of Malaysians. At a time when we are about to open our economy to global competition, when our manufacturing industry has reached maturity and with educational institutions facing challenges
from an ever-changing employment landscape; going back to basics might be the best strategy for Umno. The party is certainly appealing directly to all Malaysian voters through the 1Malaysia programme.

But what is "basic"? Most political parties began as popular movements. In the case of Umno, it was the fight against a foreign power. But today, Umno has been in power for more than half a century. If it is a foreign power that we are struggling against, it was the
Umno-led government that has signed all sorts of international treaties binding us to opening up the economy.

Even in this case, Umno needs to recognise the reality that they have been in the driver's seat. Take responsibility for mistakes as well as successes. No one expects Umno to be perfect but everyone expects the party to own up when it screws up.

Needs to end siege mentality

For this reason, Umno cannot style itself as the "victim". Khairy Jamaluddin (right) is right. Umno needs to end its "siege" mentality if it wants to remain relevant.

Malaysians are looking for leadership. Umno has to ask itself whether it is ready to provide leadership not only for Malays but all Malaysians. This is not just chest-thumping and keris-waving but real intellectual leadership. In short, Umno needs to win over all Malaysians through good ideas.

Much of its first 50 years in government, Umno and the BN have had it easy. People were either easily muffled or had not the wherewithal to question governmental policies. Not anymore. The Internet has changed all that.

If not convinced think of two figures: Che Det and Raja Petra Kamarudin. Hence the reservations of Dr Mahathir about fielding Isa Samad as BN candidate in Bagan Pinang. The electorate are now much more educated and there will be some consequences later down the road.

In the next few days, Malaysians will find out whether Umno is able to be more democratic. If the openness that Najib Razak (left) is advocating can gain traction, there might still be hope for the party of Datuk Onn and Tunku Abdul Rahman. As the opposition is very quickly learning, the electorate are in no mood to be passed around between the BN and Pakatan. In any case, action speaks louder than words.

Irony, I have learned, does not cut much ice with a Malaysian public that is not in the mood to humour either politicians or political commentators. They want the message conveyed clearly and without ambiguity. So, to some it might already be too late for Umno to reform.

But for Umno members, failing to rein in corruption, become more democratic and less parochial will doom the party to political oblivion.

Umno leaders are now challenging the membership to protect the interests of all Malaysians. The first step towards protecting Malaysians is to put those who rob the country behind bars. Without such drastic demonstration of political will to a clean government,
the future is bleak for Umno and the BN.