Megat Junids getek-ness with politics, Part 2
Farish A NoorPublished: Mar 4, 2001 6:39 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
But all the while Umno could never give up its role as the mentor and guide for the Malays and this paternalistic attitude has seeped into the party all the way up to its leadership strata. Nowhere is this more evident than when Megat speaks about his own place and role in the Umno leadership hierarchy and of his love and devotion for the man who became his political patron and master:
But all the while Umno could never give up its role as the mentor and guide for the Malays and this paternalistic attitude has seeped into the party all the way up to its leadership strata. Nowhere is this more evident than when Megat speaks about his own place and role in the Umno leadership hierarchy and of his love and devotion for the man who became his political patron and master:
He openly admits that throughout his political career he had 'mengikut, bertugas dan mengabdikan (sic) diri dengan Dato' Seri Mahathir bin Mohamad' (pg 96).
Proof of Megat's deference and unfailing loyalty are found in abundance all over the text. When asked by Mahathir to help Anwar Ibrahim win the seat for the Umno Youth head post in 1982, Megat complied without question:
'Saya tak kata apa. Ini arahan boss. Arahan mesti dipikul' (pg 104). This same loyalty was shown to other Umno leaders who eventually stepped above him in the pecking order of the Umno party too.
When Anwar Ibrahim later became one of the key players in Umno, Megat showed his loyalty and obedience to Anwar as well. In one of the chapters he recalls how he had helped Anwar unseat Ghafar Baba in the internal leadership struggle within Umno in 1993 (pg 107). (1)
In the end, however, it was Megat's blind and unquestioning loyalty that cost him his seat in the Parliament. In the lead-up to the last elections, he was ordered (again, by his boss, Mahathir) to give up his seat at Pasir Salak for another candidate. At the constituency of Parit he met his end and his 25-year career in politics was terminated.
Warlords and gangsters
Yet despite all this, Megat remains adamant and unrepentant to the end. His fidelity and devotion to Mahathir secure despite the fact that he was 'sacrificed' by his own boss.
Here again we see the internal contradictions within Umno coming to the surface. Megat acknowledges that Umno has suffered most at its own hands and that the party is its own worst enemy.
Practically every major defeat and crisis suffered by the party (and the 1999 election results are no exception) has been due to the feudal political culture of the party itself, which merely breeds incompetence, greed, corruption and abuse of power. In an interesting passage, Megat even recounts a private discussion he had with the prime minister where the latter stated that Umno leaders should not stay in power too long, for otherwise they may turn into 'warlords' (pg 74) and 'gangsters' (pg 77).
But the sad and frustrated Megat is unable to do anything about this, partly because he appears to be blind to the contradictions that are staring at him in the face, and partly because as a member of the ruling elite he is also part of the problem itself.
Megat doesn't shy away from these difficult and embarrassing facts and for that reason Getek is actually an interesting read for those who wish to get a glimpse into the mind of an Umno leader at work.
Unlike the hagiographies that have been written by the scores of mercenaries and hack writers that crowd the coffee shops of KL these days, Getek is obviously something that has been written from the heart and by someone who has considerable experience in the field.
Ontological problem
Coming from someone who has obviously nothing left to lose (and maybe even less to gain), Megat's desperate appeals for unity and a change of heading that litter the text have a particularly poignant aftertaste to them. At one point he is practically begging for Umno to change in order to save itself from itself:
'UMNO tidak akan berjaya mengharungi badai pemerintahan negara dengan jayanya, terutama dimasa-masa muka. (Rakyat) mesti serakit dengan kita. Mesti seperahu dengan kita. Sekapal dengan kita. Jika kita mahu melayarkan kapal pemerintahan kita dengan jayanya bagi menentukan masa depan bangsa, agama dan tanahair kita terjamin. Kesalahan besar kita mengenepikan mereka, memulaukan mereka. Apatah lagi menyakiti hati mereka. Bukan Umno sahaja rugi, tetapi negara dan masa depan bangsa akan tergugat. Marilah kita berfikir panjang atas perkara ini. Umno bukan kepunyaan segelintir orang Melayu sahaja, tetapi dipunyai oleh setiap insan Melayu di negara ini' (pg 72).
The weaknesses of the book are therefore the weaknesses of the subject and the party he writes about himself. If the arguments in Getek fail to make sense, it is mainly because Umno itself does not seem to make sense anymore these days.
Getek is therefore a symptom of an ontological problem that strikes deep into the heart of Umno itself and its raison d'etre. The party that was set up to save the Malays has now become the one thing that is keeping them down. The alternative of an Islamist party that calls for an Islamic state remains an unacceptable and frightful one for many.
The Malays, like Megat Junid himself, remain floundering around looking for a new harakah (vehicle), a new form of politics that can rescue them from themselves. But in the meantime, all of us, high and low, rich and poor alike, remain where we are - floating up the creek without a paddle.
[#1]Megat Junid's getek-ness with politics, Part 1[/#]
Getek is written by Megat Junid Megat Ayob and is published by Orient Press and currently being sold at all major bookstores for RM10 (paperback).
Endnotes:
(1) By the end of the bitter campaign, Anwar Ibrahim had received 117 nominations from the Umno delegations and branches. Ghafar Baba was forced to pull out of the contest altogether.
He openly admits that throughout his political career he had 'mengikut, bertugas dan mengabdikan (sic) diri dengan Dato' Seri Mahathir bin Mohamad' (pg 96).
Proof of Megat's deference and unfailing loyalty are found in abundance all over the text. When asked by Mahathir to help Anwar Ibrahim win the seat for the Umno Youth head post in 1982, Megat complied without question:
'Saya tak kata apa. Ini arahan boss. Arahan mesti dipikul' (pg 104). This same loyalty was shown to other Umno leaders who eventually stepped above him in the pecking order of the Umno party too.
When Anwar Ibrahim later became one of the key players in Umno, Megat showed his loyalty and obedience to Anwar as well. In one of the chapters he recalls how he had helped Anwar unseat Ghafar Baba in the internal leadership struggle within Umno in 1993 (pg 107). (1)
In the end, however, it was Megat's blind and unquestioning loyalty that cost him his seat in the Parliament. In the lead-up to the last elections, he was ordered (again, by his boss, Mahathir) to give up his seat at Pasir Salak for another candidate. At the constituency of Parit he met his end and his 25-year career in politics was terminated.
Warlords and gangsters
Yet despite all this, Megat remains adamant and unrepentant to the end. His fidelity and devotion to Mahathir secure despite the fact that he was 'sacrificed' by his own boss.
Here again we see the internal contradictions within Umno coming to the surface. Megat acknowledges that Umno has suffered most at its own hands and that the party is its own worst enemy.
Practically every major defeat and crisis suffered by the party (and the 1999 election results are no exception) has been due to the feudal political culture of the party itself, which merely breeds incompetence, greed, corruption and abuse of power. In an interesting passage, Megat even recounts a private discussion he had with the prime minister where the latter stated that Umno leaders should not stay in power too long, for otherwise they may turn into 'warlords' (pg 74) and 'gangsters' (pg 77).
But the sad and frustrated Megat is unable to do anything about this, partly because he appears to be blind to the contradictions that are staring at him in the face, and partly because as a member of the ruling elite he is also part of the problem itself.
Megat doesn't shy away from these difficult and embarrassing facts and for that reason Getek is actually an interesting read for those who wish to get a glimpse into the mind of an Umno leader at work.
Unlike the hagiographies that have been written by the scores of mercenaries and hack writers that crowd the coffee shops of KL these days, Getek is obviously something that has been written from the heart and by someone who has considerable experience in the field.
Ontological problem
Coming from someone who has obviously nothing left to lose (and maybe even less to gain), Megat's desperate appeals for unity and a change of heading that litter the text have a particularly poignant aftertaste to them. At one point he is practically begging for Umno to change in order to save itself from itself:
'UMNO tidak akan berjaya mengharungi badai pemerintahan negara dengan jayanya, terutama dimasa-masa muka. (Rakyat) mesti serakit dengan kita. Mesti seperahu dengan kita. Sekapal dengan kita. Jika kita mahu melayarkan kapal pemerintahan kita dengan jayanya bagi menentukan masa depan bangsa, agama dan tanahair kita terjamin. Kesalahan besar kita mengenepikan mereka, memulaukan mereka. Apatah lagi menyakiti hati mereka. Bukan Umno sahaja rugi, tetapi negara dan masa depan bangsa akan tergugat. Marilah kita berfikir panjang atas perkara ini. Umno bukan kepunyaan segelintir orang Melayu sahaja, tetapi dipunyai oleh setiap insan Melayu di negara ini' (pg 72).
The weaknesses of the book are therefore the weaknesses of the subject and the party he writes about himself. If the arguments in Getek fail to make sense, it is mainly because Umno itself does not seem to make sense anymore these days.
Getek is therefore a symptom of an ontological problem that strikes deep into the heart of Umno itself and its raison d'etre. The party that was set up to save the Malays has now become the one thing that is keeping them down. The alternative of an Islamist party that calls for an Islamic state remains an unacceptable and frightful one for many.
The Malays, like Megat Junid himself, remain floundering around looking for a new harakah (vehicle), a new form of politics that can rescue them from themselves. But in the meantime, all of us, high and low, rich and poor alike, remain where we are - floating up the creek without a paddle.
[#1]Megat Junid's getek-ness with politics, Part 1[/#]
Getek is written by Megat Junid Megat Ayob and is published by Orient Press and currently being sold at all major bookstores for RM10 (paperback).
Endnotes:
(1) By the end of the bitter campaign, Anwar Ibrahim had received 117 nominations from the Umno delegations and branches. Ghafar Baba was forced to pull out of the contest altogether.
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