UMNO’s “TRAITOR” Politics
August 17, 2009
UMNO’s “Traitor” Politics
by Terence Netto
For the third successive week, the UMNO propaganda apparatus ground out the theme of traitor to race and country, in sustained volleys that showed that a tipping point has been passed at which the shrill are held in precarious check.
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For the tremors of desperation audible in UMNO’s attacks on Pakatan Rakyat and its pied piper, Anwar Ibrahim, were unmistakable. Even Dr Mahathir Mohamed was enlisted; not that it would take a lot for that inveterate Anwar hater to join the offensive. But the vacuous nature of the attacks surprised.
Traitor is not a charge one levies with levity. Not for nothing is treason, synonymous with traitor, a capital offense in many societies. Selling out country and community for whatever motive is rightly considered a dastardly act, deserving the gravest punishment. Given the nature of the act and the gravity of its punishment, the traitor accusation is not lightly bandied.
Right now, not so with UMNO and its shrill propaganda arm Utusan Malaysia. The ‘T’ word is being freely lobbed.
It is said that you can judge a person by the size of the thing that makes him go mad. The prospect of UMNO losing its more than six decade-long traction among the Malays has triggered a revulsion that has shaken loose all tethers, with deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin leading the venom spewing brigade.
Muhyiddin, at least, does not disparage democracy when tying the ‘T’ word around Anwar’s neck. Not for him the insensate burning down of the house to destroy the ‘traitor’ Anwar.
No such quavers on the part of Mahathir. In an interview with Mingguan Malaysia (August 16), he opined that democracy and human rights are only the latest weapons employed by a consistently imperial West to subjugate the world. To Mahathir, an ambitious Anwar Ibrahim, now conveniently appareled in the garb of human rights agitation, is a tool of the West. If his ambition demanded it, he claimed, Anwar would have no qualms selling the country.
Historical amnesia
Racism rears its ugly head
Mahathir is unabashed at deploying the half-truth. He said that Anwar joined UMNO in 1982 because he knew he could not become prime minister if he preferred PAS. Once in, he proceeded to become youth chief, vice president and deputy president in quick succession. Left unsaid about Anwar’s supposedly vaulting ambition was that it was Mahathir who invited Anwar to join UMNO and supported his meteoric rise in the party.
He was initially opposed to Anwar’s challenge for the deputy president’s post in 1993 but retracted his opposition when it appeared that Anwar was riding an irresistible tide. Needless to say, it is only Anwar who acts from expediency and who lacks principle.
It would take a willing suspension of disbelief to swallow whole Mahathir’s arguments, as published in Utusan, a demand a tad less onerous than what was required of our credulity when he had suggested that Anwar’s black eye in September 1998 was self-inflicted.
Historical amnesia makes us vulnerable to repeating mistakes. Not so to Mahathir: his furtive style and chameleon instincts have always made him a difficult politician to pin down even when he has plainly contradicted himself. But over a long period of time, it can be seen that he will say and do just about what it’s politically expedient for him.
Anwar Ibrahim’s particular combination of idealism and self-serving ambition is short of this perversity.
The word ” traitor ” is rather a strong word . But would it have an effect given money and money politics via vote buying . Afterall it has just been concluded that it was the rm500 – rm1000 that influenced the outcome in manik urai where PAS won by only 65 votes.
But i also remember how Tengku Razeleigh and his SEMANGAT 49 lost the elections some years ago – the effect of the headgear he wore in Sabah during his campaigning there.
So this time around it is going to be a combination of the word ” traitor ” and money politics or vote buying . Can someone tell me which , from this two , is going to influence the Malay voters more in the coming by erection ?
bambi - August 17, 2009 at 8:00 pm
i don’t for one moment think that the word ” traitor ” is going to have an effect on the coming by election in permatang pasir. the malays have matured over the years and are not going to be fooled by UMNO anymore.
and the more desperate UMNO gets , the more removed the malays and malaysians generally will be from UMNO. this is the natural human reaction to desperate behaviour .
AND IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT UMNO IS GETTING DESPERATE .
samad ali pitchey - August 17, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Yeah, very desperate indeed that they have to resort to the MACC and the Police to do their bidding. Gani Petai has joined in the fray by filing a suit in the court over Khalid’s directive to his staff on dealing with the MACC. Soon they’ll gonna run out of steam.
Tok Cik - August 17, 2009 at 8:53 pm
I doubt if too many Malaysians are going to get affected by the “traitor” gambit. It is not clear who is advising BN but if they are not careful they will find that once again they are caught in their own arrogance. Will they ever learn to stop thinking that people are fools?
Isa Manteqi - August 17, 2009 at 9:34 pm
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Posts about racism (best posts combined for review) as of August 17, 2009 | Discrimination Law News - August 17, 2009 at 9:57 pm
If statistics are to be believed, it appears that much of the Malay base of UMNO has emerged mostly intact despite belief to the contrary. So what gives has been the non-Malay votes.
I will not call Malays who are hesitant in putting their weight behind PKR and Pakatan fools. For one thing the issue of credibility weighs heavily. The other can be summed in the old adage “It is better to deal with the Devil I know then the Devil I don’t know”.
To them what would you say??
Mr Bean - August 17, 2009 at 10:26 pm
The political situation in the Peninsula at the moment is highly unfavorable for the whole spectrum of bumno’s partners in the coalition. I would be bold enough to say that elections were to be held now or within the coming year – PR will retain the 5 states they had won on 03/08 with increased majorities, and take over Negri Sembilan, Trengganu, Perlis and quite possibly Melaka. Only Johor and Pahang will remain with bumno, and that also with the ‘skin of their teeth’. That’s what happens when you appear to appease but at the same time demonstrate sheer hypocrisy – hoping that ‘Joe’ Rakyat won’t know the difference. There is much more infighting within the BN coalition ‘partners’ than is generally acknowledged.
When the word ‘traitor’ is bandied around indiscriminately, it almost always boomerangs, because it’s the Establishment that uses it. We always love the ‘underdog’, is a psychological truism. However in politics, this is always subservient to the ‘periok nasi’ syndrome. When this ‘penghianat’ tactic does boomerang it will be quite unlike the Hikayat Hang Tuah since the Taming Sari keris will decapitate the keris wielder instead.
Menyalak-er - August 17, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Menyalak-er,
Americans love the underdogs. They could identify themselves as underdogs because of their history. The Brits came here and taught them how to drink beer and brush their teeth and they turned around and screwed them with their hunting rifles and knives using asses for horses.
Malays have never been the underdogs for a long time now. They were at one time during Tunku’s time.
Mr Bean - August 18, 2009 at 12:16 am
Pathos, my friend.
That’s why calling themselves ‘underdogs’ in by-elections, while they thrust their grim reaper keris at the PR reps aren’t doing them any good. Heck their goons even ripped off YB Gobala’s pants off during that minor altercation in today’s nomination day for P.Pasir!
Same thing happened to BHTeohs pants when he condescendingly fell 9 floors to his death. You keeping up with that story?
Only traitors and rapists (of either sexual orientation) rip pants off!
Menyalak-er - August 18, 2009 at 1:04 am
Tean may have something to say about being under the dogs! Not a nice thought when you’re thinking German Shepherds.
Mr Bean - August 18, 2009 at 3:04 am
“PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim had been forewarned and was asked to be careful when taking in 23-year-old Saiful Bukhari Azlan as a staff, according to a party source.” Malaysian Insider
The problem here is Anwar may be providing evidence against himself or worse may be seen to be manufacturing evidence, fabricating even, a fact that could be used in his impeachment proceedings should it come to that.
Can’t his lawyers control him? I suppose the lawyers can only do so much.
But mum’s the word.
Mr Bean - August 18, 2009 at 6:37 am