Friday, December 9, 2011

NEW FACES – WHAT IT MEANS TO UMNO

The UMNO leadership has reaffirmed that the party will field more new faces in the upcoming general elections. While the idea is good, I think the party leadership needs to satisfy these questions; though not exhaustive.

First, who are the new faces? I presume the word ‘new faces’ here do not reflect an age limit, but to mean that the candidate is of a suitable age and a ‘first timer’ to appear in the party hierarchy. I also think that these new faces are those that have been lingering at the ‘periphery’ of UMNO politics – often seen but seldom heard.

Second, how will the selection process be made? Deciding upon a process of selection I think will be tough, and it will be much tougher to implement that process. I suppose the party will have to establish a set of criteria or traits that a candidate need to have. I can list some based on what I observe of an UMNO politicians, as an outsider. For me, I view politicians as leaders; hence it is the leadership traits that are important, that should form the primary basis of selection, and there are many.

Third, how will the grass root members respond? This is a touchy issue. To ignore grass root support is to invite disaster, and to seek consensus all the time is a never ending process. How then will the party leaders circumvent or overcome this thriving issue will be their greatest challenge. In this regards, the party has learnt many bad lessons in the past, one of which is to choose and place a candidate in a constituency that is foreign to the candidate, especially so in a rural constituency. To prove my point, just try and place PM Najib; the party’s most winnable candidate so to speak, to contest in my kampong Ulu Langat and I can assure you that he may lose. Or have KJ instead; this so-called highly rated youth leader, he too is certain to lose.

UMNO is known as a party of patronage and this ‘culture’ is too difficult to eradicate now. I think the statement by PM Naijb to field new faces must have caused some concern within the party ranks, especially those that are comfortable and well entrenched in ranking position in the party. Even the post of a Ketua Bahagian which is a fiercely fought post, I am told comes with a number of perks, and is a step closer towards acquiring a ministerial position. How then could the leadership ignore such members that are already having some power of influence, and to choose someone that is outside the realm of the party leadership?

Based on the above analysis, I think the new faces referred to by the party leadership will eventually come from those that are already holding some position of influence within the party. Some have held their position for quite awhile, and it is only being human that they too aspire to advance up the political ladder. Such will be the group that will be slighted if they are ignored and are likely to sabotage the party, and the party has experience this before. And the spirit of volunteerism to appeal to individuals to leave on their own accord is never UMNO’s culture.

And taking the example of our previous PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, wasn’t he being forced out? In the case of Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rastum and Rembau parliamentarian KJ who both were found to have been involved in money politics (coincidently not a crime in UMNO, but morally wrong), did they voluntarily resign? You know the answer.

I don’t think UMNO lacks members that are qualified and make good future leaders. But the problem with the party (I am told) is that the ‘herd mentality’ is so strong that it is difficult ousting someone from a position although he/she is proven not to be performing or has done something wrong. I also believe that this ‘herd mentality’ had a defining role in putting back Isa Samad as the candidate for the Teluk Kemang by-election and subsequently appointed FELDA’s Chairman. His past wrong doing does not really matter to the party, and I think this is UMNO’s biggest sin.

Finally, I say this in no uncertain terms that a leader that is tarnished loses all morality to lead, and sadly UMNO has many such leaders. I am just too keen to see who these new faces are to contest in the upcoming GE, and my only hope is not those tarnished, recycled or reconditioned ones.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

11 comments:

komando said...

Call a rose by any other name it is still a ROSE, and smells NICE!

Call UMNO by any other name, it still STINKS !

bruno said...

Dato,one name that has been circulating as a potential candidate is Vel Paari of BN's component party MIC.He is the useless son of Samy Vellu.This is the first time he is going to stand as a candidate.

The reason that he is a latecomer is because he blew his chances of becoming a candidate earlier.His skirt chasing days landed him in a scandal,and because of his father,he escape prosecution by the law.This good for nothing son of Sam will lose for sure.All the opposition has to do is to dig up his past,and he will even lose his deposit.

bruno said...

Dato,first of all it is very difficult for Umno to field many new faces in this coming GE.Umno has so many warlords in every division and everyone wants to be a candidate.And when the top Umno leadership chose one of their own these warlords will go on the warpath.

And when these warlords go on the warpath,it is not against the opposition.It is sabotaging the candidate chosen by the leadership.
Every warlord knows that to win in an election is the easiest way to striking gold.To be able to live in mansions,have high end cars,showcases mistresses and lots of money.

So if they cannot stand they will make sure the other guy will lose.
That is their mentality.That is why many young Umno members with good potential are chased away by these warlords or their goons.

But one thing is for sure.Many of the present cabinet members will be candidates.These old horses are facing an uphill task and most probably will be send into their long overdue retirement.Even the unelectable Isa Samad will be running.Khairy has no class.After he went after LGE's son,he has pretended or rather has no balls to admit that he has made a mistake.Besides even his Umno youth has said that he is not a winnable candidate.

Let Umno field these good for nothing corrupted old faces.That is a sure way to the easy road.The road to the opposition bench.

tahaneverest02 said...

Dato,
Talking of putting in new faces is a joke to me. What is the use of having a new face when he/she when elected follows staunchly the same old 'UMNO corrupt culture'. To me it does'nt really matters whether new or old faces the most important criteria is that he/she must possess a high standard if integrity and sincerity to serve the rakyat. Not to enrich himself/herself by stealing and plundering public/tax-payers money. Age or gender does'nt really matters. Must be fair in handling religious, racial and community matters and of course must be also fairly intelligent and does not talk cock and spewing out racist venom at everyone and everywhere. Morally good standing and most important God fearing. Is this a 'tall-order'? I am sure its not and these are what's lacking in the present set of UMNO/BN politicians including Ibrahim Ali (Perkasa), Hassan Ali (Adun Selangor), Zulklify Nordin, Chua Soi Lek, Koh Su Koon, Shahrizat and many others.

EAGLE said...

There is a need for a new PM and UMNO needs a new President.
The rest doesn't matter. Lets have someone with balls! Not flip flop or becoz of my wife I am now the PM.

matsingkong said...

There's a need for a new government, no 2 ways about it. I feel like a pariah when UMNO still reign supreme.

nick said...

It's nothing more than once in 5 years election "I'm a humble but noble person, so please keep me in power" rhetoric from UMNO. For the past 3 decades and especially the past 3 years, UMNO have been rude, disrespectful, deceitful and contemptuous towards the voters and suddenly now UMNO is saying that IT have changed and furthermore trying to promote itself as being the model and the best people's rep available bar none? Yeah right! And Shahrizat Husband and children all deserved to be paid millions in annual salary for managing a successful cow business or is it a bovine excrement business?

Nick.
Malaysia is really changing from Bolehland to BSland!

Frankie said...

Dato',

I humbly disagree with you that there are still capable people inside UMNO. Capable people know and understand the difference between what is morally and ethically right and what is immoral and unethical. UMNO is an immoral and unethical party so how can there still be any capable people left in the party?

timor said...

Salam Dato'
Is it our concern whom umno wants to choose for the coming elections?

We have decided it's ABU that we want.
YES, we want ABU !

maurice said...

Saya berpendapat UMNO akan menengahkan calun-calun tua dan muda yang berkeliber.Kombinasi ini perlu bagi memenuhi cabaran-cabaran yang sangat berbeza diantara kawasan bandar dan desa.DSN telah berjanji akan memileh calun-calun yang boleh menang mengikut kriteria-kriteria yang telah ditetapkan, termasuk sokongan padu dari pengundi-pengundi tempatan.

kampong lad said...

new faces....should be applied across the board. anyway, who cares?