ADUN SPEAKS | Umno has not learnt its lessons yet

ADUN SPEAKS | Most people know that I am frustrated with the development of our political parties in Malaysia.

To be honest, who wouldn’t? While we are trying to stay true to our original cause, upon which our parties are established, Umno – or more precisely, Umno Baru – has not learnt its lessons yet even after it lost a few states in 2008, followed by the federal government in 2018.

Let this be the first reason, and I will tell you the other nine reasons why I still think Umno is not ready to helm the government.

Think of the court clusters for now. What they are doing is damaging both the country’s reputation and credibility internationally.

This has a significant impact on investors’ confidence in the country’s judiciary, especially in the case involving former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Fortunately, the five-person Federal Court bench unanimously dismissed his application in the SRC International case.

Now, reason Number 3. Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is still free and gloating over his acquittal.

In the minds of the public, large sums of money were involved, which raises doubt about his innocence.

If Umno wins the next general election, its president will become the next prime minister. Period.

Although Umno is not short of good people, its number is relatively small to carry any reforms to the party, compared to the “sharks” still swimming in the ocean, which is my point Number 4.

Umno to lead Malaysia will be the same Umno which left Malaysia with a huge remaining debt commitment of RM32.08 billion as of June 3.

Now money talks

Umno’s culture, since the split between Malaysia’s fourth prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, has become one that Barry Wain in his book, “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times”, described as having turned “into a vast conglomerate, with investments that spanned almost the entire economy, inducing a profound change in the nature and role of Umno.”

It is now money talks; therefore cash is king, but the king is now in jail.

Point number 5: Umno has yet to learn to be a good opposition even in states like Selangor and Penang.

In Selangor, for example, even though I was told that NGOs had approached them with a silver platter with issues relating to possible corruption, the opposition has remained silent even though it affects the state’s welfare.

Now, I will flip my coin to give the other five reasons why Anwar Ibrahim should be the next prime minister.

For all these 24 years since the Reformasi started spinning, Anwar has been the pivot of it all.

Together with my fellow Otai Reformasi committee, we have seen how Anwar has matured in his brand of politics.

So far, no one in the opposition can match his tenacity as a leader, which leads to my second reason.

Anwar is the reason why Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the past, and now, Pakatan Harapan came into being.

Together with other like-minded leaders such as the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat, PKR and DAP have managed to form a coalition that helped PR to win five states in Peninsular Malaysia.

Later, when Harapan was formed, it was also Anwar who managed to bring the parties together.

Anwar factor

In fact, for the third reason, I dare say that Anwar is the reason why people rallied behind both PR and Harapan.

Even when Anwar was thrown into prison, the world rallied around him, a big contrast to what we saw recently in Najib’s SRC International case.

This is the reason why Umno’s smear campaign is always aimed at discrediting Anwar, calling him a spy for Russia, the United States, Israel and China.

He was also implicated in the video that went viral, although we all know that this was the product of what Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul identified as the work of Thai make-up artists.

To date, as long as Umno Baru is in power, the perpetrators of the video will never be charged in court.

The final two reasons are simple.

It is not easy for any Tom, Dick and Harry to become the country’s prime minister.

While the younger generation of leaders still needs to be further groomed, Anwar has been through it all.

He had been a deputy prime minister and he knows how to win the hearts of all races.

In fact, it was Anwar, when PR was in power in five states, who first suggested including Malaysia Day so that our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak do not feel excluded in national unity.

This article cannot end without a conclusion and my final reason why Umno cannot remain in power.

Only Anwar knows Umno from the inside out, experienced two jail terms under Umno, and given time, he knows how to dismantle the beastly machine which Mahathir created that has grown too strong.

RONNIE LIU is Sungai Pelek state assemblyperson and a member of DAP Central Executive Committee member.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.