With top UMNO leaders in deep denial, refusing to admit to the national infamy of a global kleptocracy and kakistocracy which they had brought to Malaysia before the 14th General Election, and continuing with the politics of lies and fear by falsely blaming the new Pakatan Harapan government of practising the politics of hate, it is unlikely that the UMNO General Assembly at the end of the month will witness any redemption or salvation as a step to UMNO reform and renewal.
The Acting UMNO President, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi was right when he said after the UMNO Supreme Council on May 22 that Barisan Nasional can look to other countries where long-time parties were defeated but managed to make a comeback, but very wrong when he said that BN will be able to make a comeback against a government that was built on “hatred”.
This was because Pakatan Harapan prevailed in the 14th General Election despite the worst case of the politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies unleashed by UMNO/BN in the 14th General Elections and the peaceful and democratic transition of power for first time in Malaysian history was an affirmation of the capability of Malaysians for national correction, renewal and salvation.
The Pakatan Harapan Government formed after the 14th General Election is the very anti-thesis of the politics of lies, fear and hatred fanning primordial sentiments of race and religion practised by the previous UMNO/BN Government, as the values which guided the new government are transparency, harmony, freedom and justice to leverage the contribution from the best of the diverse races, religions, langugages and cultures of plural Malaysia.
If UMNO leaders in post-14GE still cannot understand why May 9, 2018 is regarded as a day of “liberation”, giving Malaysians an opportunity to build a New Malaysia, a second chance to reset nation-building policies and directions to fulfill the Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to be a “beacon of light in a difficult and distracted world”, then they will never learn.
I was surprised when the No.2 in UMNO, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein repeated yesterday Zahid’s message, calling on the Pakatan Harapan to stop the politics of hate – a chimerical obession of a small coterie of UMNO/BN leaders which is not shared by the Malaysian populace at large.
When will Zahid, Hishammuddin and other UMNO leaders emerge from their bubble or cocoon to admit that Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy and the 1MDB interntional money-launderintg scandal were major reasons for UMNO/BN’s disastrous performance in the 14GE?
Untill this is done, it is too far-fetched for anyone to hope or expect UMNO to be capable of reform and renewal at the UMNO General Assembly in three weeks’ time so as to play a positive role in the post-14GE Malaysia.
(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 7th June 2018)