As the Malay saying goes, 'Rumah siap pahat berbunyi' (After the house is completed, the sound of the chisel is heard), such is the scenario in Umno now.

The general assembly and election of the leadership are over but feelings of dissatisfaction among members and leaders is still evident here and there.

The strongest feeling expressed was the disappointment of some leaders who lost in the party polls. Most prominent was the anger of their supporters who toiled long and hard for victory.

The vice-presidential candidates who lost, tried to hide their disappointment and dissatisfaction in a gentlemanly manner. They appeared to accept the results with open hearts. They, supposedly, bowed to the decision of the delegates.

Money politics

But behind the scene, their supporters alleged that widespread money politics had cause the downfall of their bosses.

Most interestingly, when Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir lost his bid to retain his Supreme Council (SC) seat, he openly claimed that money politics had affected the results of the elections.

He was 'surprised' how he could secure the fourth highest number of nominations for an SC seat but lose his popularity on polling day. His position dived to 28th place.

Abdul Kadir, who is the minister of information, found it strange how things could change so rapidly as there was only half a month between nomination day and polling day.

His disappointment and anger is not at all surprising. As a veteran leader with more than 30 years on the SC, a good relationship with Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) and well known for his effective work record, there was certainly none who expected his defeat this time.

Did Abdul Kadir lose because he was over-confident and had not campaigned? Or had the Umno delegates felt that the time had come for him to be sidelined after being on the SC for too long? The 65-year-old minister has been an SC member since 1986.

Where's the proof?

It is understood that this time, about 65 percent of Umno delegates were new faces. Perhaps the new faces, a large portion of whom are former Youth leaders, wanted younger leaders in the SC.

Certainly many delegates and observers, as well as grassroots Umno members, were surprised with Abdul Kadir's defeat. But that was the decision of the delegates this time. Not only Abdul Kadir, but two other full ministers were also sidelined. On top of that, six deputy ministers also lost in their bids for SC seats.

Abdul Kadir's allegation about money politics may have some truth in it, but he must still come forward with concrete proof. If not, the allegation will vanish like a puff of hot air, and will be repeated again at the next party polls due in 2007.

The Umno leadership, including the party president himself, gave assurances that firm action will be taken against any proven cases of money politics.So it is Abdul Kadir's duty now to find and collect evidence for their attention. If not, the allegation he made, would be meaningless and will instead be viewed as nothing more than 'sour grapes'.

The problem of money politics is certainly difficult to contain. Eleven years ago, Dr Mahathir Mohamad once cried because of it. He pleaded and prayed that Umno members will discard money politics.

But his tears, pleas and prayers went unheeded. Instead, even the disciplinary action which was taken recently against several Umno leaders for involvement in money politics could not scare others. It appears that money is more powerful.

If we gather together the stories told by supporters and observers on polling day, apparently the problem of money politics was most serious on the night just before polling. A strongman of one of the vice-presidential candidates recounted how a certain group met delegates in their hotel rooms during the last moment and gave them inducements.

A campaigner for another vice-presidential candidate alleged that the campaign manager for his 'boss' was approached by a group which offered him 'a block of votes' for his boss for an appropriate reward.

Who's the loser?

Meanwhile, an Umno veteran said that money politics cannot be avoided when candidates are allowed to campaign from house to house.

"Who knows what occurs during such meetings? If the delegates did not ask, perhaps the campaigners themselves offered rewards. Who will refuse?"

"I think the ban on campaigning imposed by Mahathir at one time should be enforced again if we truly want to contain the problem. How to avoid money politics if all the information about the delegates are in the possession of the candidates? Even those who have made allegations about money politics taking place have sent SMS messages to me," the delegate from the Federal
Terrritory of Kuala Lumpur recounted.

If the allegations are true, it appears that the votes of Umno delegates have become a commodity which can be traded or auctioned. How much was the price of a vote?

What is certain is the hotter the contest became, the larger the importance a certain post to a candidate was, and the higher the value of a vote became.

So who benefits when votes are traded?

A candidate cannot be sure of winning even if he invested money because the voting was done secretly. The delegates profited enormously from more than just one party. And Umno members and the Malays are left to bear the burden of losses forever.

Who should be blamed? Point your finger at the power-crazy candidates, and Umno members at the divisional and branch levels who picked dishonourable delegates to attend the general assembly.

Apparently, the problem of money politics and bribery is well entrenched in Umno and the government. Pak Lah cannot eliminate it with mere rhetoric.