GE-13: Winning the Hearts and Minds of the Malays

by

21


March 26, 2012

GE-13: Winning the Hearts and Minds of the Malays

by CT Ali@www.freemalaysiatoday.com

Ultimately there has been only one political master for UMNO – the Malays. UMNO makes no apologies to anyone in its pursuit to do the bidding of this master.

Lose the Malay votes and UMNO will lose the government. Whatever the Malays have expected UMNO President and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to do he has done or is in the process of doing, or has promised to do.

“Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy) is the very foundation of UMNO’s being. Islam is a work in progress and he has spared no effort in its promotion and advancement. And what he has promised the Malays after winning the right to govern is a renewal of UMNO’s commitment to Malay supremacy.

What else will the Malays want UMNO to do? For a start, there is the credibility factor within UMNO. When there is truth in the things that are being said against its own people, UMNO understands that even God himself cannot save UMNO from the wrath of the electorate.

The sorry state of affairs that is the NFC (National Feedlot Corporation) has now irrefutably destroyed the credibility of Shahrizat (Abdul Jalil, UMNO Wanita chief) even before the court has an opportunity to confirm it.

The Malays can understand defeat at the polls. But they cannot understand son-in-laws running amok on the fourth floor of the Prime Minister’s Department, a wife with a penchant for Hermes handbags who insists on being designated FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia), children of ex-prime ministers with insane wealth who are given Cabinet posts and a wife who feigns ignorance of her husband’s purchase of RM10 million condos.

The Malays do not take too kindly to people thumbing their nose at them while riding the gravy train. Even if UMNO does not have credible leaders within its ranks, the illusion that it has, must be maintained. And so Shahrizat has to go.

Anwar Ibrahim and the Malay Votes

Which brings us to the interesting situation of Anwar Ibrahim and the Malay votes. While he was in UMNO the pandering to the Malay votes was an all-consuming passion for Anwar. Most notably, Anwar as Education Minister went to great lengths to have Bahasa reinstated as the language of choice in educating the people of Malaysia.

That decision has had far-reaching implication until today. We will each have our own thoughts on this but suffice to say that today Anwar seeks to distance himself from the decisions that he then made as Education Minister.

Today, Anwar projects a vastly different image from what he was then. It would be fair to say that at best, his rapport with the Malays is contentious and at worst, he is no longer a credible threat to Najib in getting the Malay votes.

It is so because Anwar has squandered whatever advantages he has been given by the electorate in the 12th general election. So where does his future lie?

I will not concern myself too much with what the 13th general election might hold for Anwar because the best anyone can do here is to hazard an educated guess to the possibilities. So, let us deal with the present.

Anwar showed us that he could walk over water when he was acquitted of Sodomy II. And then like in all of Anwar’s greatest triumphs in the past, he failed to seize the moment. While in UMNO, he schemed and plotted to be Deputy Prime Minister; he succeeded, and then promptly lost himself in the plotting and ended up Leader of the Opposition.

PKR a shadow of what it was

Anwar then put together a credible opposition coalition that inflicted upon UMNO its greatest political defeat… only to embarrass himself shortly after with an audacious, doomed and delusional attempt to bluff himself into government (September 16, 2008 Takeover of Putrajaya caper).

And since then there have been other skirmishes that really makesone question the political acumen of this man.

Today he presides over a PKR that is a shadow of what it was after the 12th general election.From being the biggest opposition party with 31 seats, PKR now has 24 – at par with PAS while DAP has 28 seats in Parliament. Six of PKR elected representatives defected.

Its party election is not worth talking about.And now credible accusation of abuse and deliberate mismanagement of Selangor’s affairs for PKR’s political advantage has surfaced but not adequately addressed.

This goes against the core electoral promise by PKR that Selangor will be governed with the interest of the people being paramount. For the Malays they know that if they vote for Najib, it is Najib that will be Prime Minister. If the Malays vote for Anwar, it is Anwar they will get and that is asking too much of the Malays.

Anwar, a ‘for the moment’ man

To date, all that Anwar has done in politics only serves him for the moment that he was then in, whether in government or in opposition. In so doing he makes himself a politician of the moment – he is UMNO when in UMNO and Pakatan Rakyat when he is in Pakatan and what he will be tomorrow is to be seen.

He will need to walk over water again if he is to be relevant for the 13th General Election.But do not discount Anwar for he is a remarkable Malay politician and is able to leap over tall buildings with a single bound and fight evil and injustice without fear or favour.

But until that happens  Anwar will have to do the more mundane task of reconciling with those he has locked horns with and address the immediate future of PKR relevance within the Pakatan’s coalition in its preparation to fight the mother of all general elections.

That he is still standing today is testament to his survival skills honed over many years of adversities.Many lesser men would have crumbled in the face of what he has endured over the years and yet somehow he survives.

What matters to me is, what he will now do in his going forward for PKR and for Pakatan. For or against Anwar, you must have a grudging respect for what he has done to make himself an adversary worthy of Najib’s consideration.

Today Anwar might be bloodied and wounded but he has not given up his fight to form a government – a fight he has not only against UMNO but also against the Malays who now question his commitment to them and his detractors in the Opposition of which I am one. We – his detractors and I within the opposition – he can discount; the Malay votes he cannot.

CT Ali is a FMT columnist.

21 thoughts on “GE-13: Winning the Hearts and Minds of the Malays”

  1. I can buy your story about Anwar. Yes he has his failings and weaknesses too. But for the moment the past actions of BN and its component parties is too much to stomach. Corruption is too mild a word, its plundering the country’s wealth at a enormous speed. Yes I agree that for the Malays the choice between Najib and Anwar is a difficult one but who is less corrupt.For us Malaysian, we have had enough of looting, broken promises and racial policies. Enough is enough. Look at Japan LDP, fell after 50 years. Look at our neighbors the recent results is nerve wrecking. People want to have a say on how the government should govern.

    For Najib to go round now promising gifts, money, donation to flood victims, they are abit too little too late.Yes Anwar may not be the best leader, but right now do we have the choice.All we are saying is anything but BN.
    _________
    George, the Malays have been taught that it is okay to accept bribes from non-Malays. Duit dari orang kafir tak apa. That is why rank and file UMNO supporters tolerate corruption among their leaders. For me, the man with the best ideas and the guts to implement them should be our leader. GE-13 will decide on that. Thanks for your comment and welcome to this blog.–Din Merican
    .

    Reply

  2. The Malays are split three ways between UMNO, PKR and PAS. The Chinese have abandoned the MCA and Gerakan and the Indians are poorly represented by the MIC. So Sabah and Sarawak will determine who goes to Putrajaya.–Din Merican

    Reply

  4. Makcik, go spin some where else. You should create your own blog and see for yourself who your follower is.
    Sarawak is 50 – 50, BN will continue until the next state election as they are not holding the state election at the same time and as for Sabah, she has been raped till now and if they still go for BN then God help them. Without corruption BN is finished.

    Reply

  5. I agree with what dinobeano! said that Sabah and Sarawak will determine who goes to Putrajaya…and dun wori la…putrajaya still with UmPorno n geng by hooks n crooks. A lot of crooks will be there in Sabah..!

    Reply

  6. Dear Dato, it is easier said than doing it. Najib has failed to understand the real essence of the words. Always having the wrong approach and methods or may be already in the comfort zone. (syok sendiri) !!!

    As for DSAI,it is quite true that he may the better person to understand to real meaning of the words tetapi terdapat juga banyak kelemaha. Most obvious is the current state of PKR machinery yang masih lembab. Terlalu ramai tukang cakap dari yang berkerja. Almost 90% dari mereka meletakan self interest lebih dari parti. Semua nak jadi calon. In short not many willing to sacrifice untk parti apatah lagi untuk rakyat.

    Thanks

    Reply

  7. The sickening part is that Najib goes round as PM and dishes out federal funds ( tax payers money) as though it belongs to UMNO/BN and uses UMNO apparatchiks to prop his campaign activities. His inability to separate his duties as PM from his position as UMNO president is blatant abuse of power and an entrenched practice sine Kutty’s time as PM. The irony of it all is that Anwar was sent to jail for a trumped case of abuse of power when he was DPM by no less than Kutty himself !! All government initiated projects are labelled as BN Government projects . SICKENING !!

    Reply

  8. “…the Malays have been taught that it is okay to accept bribes from non-Malays.” -Din Merican

    I beg to differ. A bribe from any source is an abhorrence except maybe to the receiver. Anyway since at least from Mahathir’s time, Malays are also expected to give bribes. Not just small bribes to civil servants but also multi-million ringgit bribes to politicians. Khir Toyo’s mansion is a case in point.

    Reply

  9. “Yes I agree that for the Malays the choice between Najib and Anwar is a difficult one” -George

    Najib is actually UMNO the alpha male. The rest of the coalition partners are mere lapdogs except maybe Taib PBB. Taib is the only one who can show his middle finger at UMNO but he is only interested to be left alone to plunder Sarawak.

    As for choosing Anwar; it is not Anwar or PKR alone. People should not get fixated to Anwar or PKR. PR is a real coalition of 3 rather equally strong parties. They will each act as the check and balance to each other’s agenda. If PR comes to power: PKR, PAS and DAP will need to compromise and come to a working understanding; failing which the coalition will collapse. They are fully aware of this and will ensure the coalition is workable.

    So, personally for me; it is the choice between UMNO or PKR-DAP-PAS.

    Reply

  11. the mind of the malay is

    sembahyang ( prayer)
    tidak boleh buat semua ni dosa ( Sin)
    mercedes benz ( european luxury car)
    sembahyang ( prayer)
    dosa ( sin)
    tak apa lah ( thats ok)
    kita ni bukan tau apa apa ( we dont know much)
    mereka tu Menteri ( all of them are ministers, implication is they can do anything and know it all)

    have I said enough or do others want to add anything

    I am not trying to belittle the malays for they are a simple lot who strive to do the right thing but some how they are apologiasing for the wrong that has been done to them for 5o years. Time to stop.

    Time to live this life that is gifted to serve and earn a lving and have that european car they want from their hard earned money. Time for the new ones who have studied hard to stand up and take pride in themselves and be courages and be single minded about who can run their country and making them accountable. Time to be successful.

    Time to stand up for yourself.

    Reply

  12. Umno is like a woman , at 55 its biological clock is ticking quite rapidly. In 2008 we saw it go through the early stage of menopause popularly known as pre-menopausal syndrome..Four years have past since , today the effects of post-menopausal syndrome is fast setting in. From here onwards. all things that is umno heads downhill. Everything there is , is about past glory.

    The task is too humongous to begin a new , akin to the phrase , it aint easy teaching old dogs new tricks The pakatan coalition , at the aftermath of GE12 , it had its first hand experienced similar to what any pre-adolescent lass has to go thru , pre-menstrua syndrome. Since then , it has blossom into a full grown virgin , left to contemplate what would likely be a brutal encounter with Hardick Singh. Perhaps this piece will awake our beloved Tok Cik from his deep slumber

    Reply

  13. Dear Dato,just 2 nights ago I have a chance meeting with the deputy election committee of the federal Territory Umno election office,some Forking Dato (Melaka),well as the conversation goes,I think what he was trying to tell me n my friends is that,most of the corruption done at mid to low level are by the civil servants,now he is shifting the blame to others,with his kutbah to us,with his belittleing the ustaz n Pas,that got me hot under the collar,so I said” Well Dato,if what you say is true,can you do me a favour?change Umno from what it is now” he say it’s the Malays that needed changing”,in short what he meant was,the Malays should change n not Umno,then I said a Malay is a Malay,a Malay is not Umno,change Umno n your likes,don’t put the blame squarely on the Malays,not all Malays are in Umno,with that statement I knew that when he continued his conversation he face my other friends n not me,that made my day,it’s Assholes like him that refused n still have the cheek to blame the civil servants,n let slip that it took him 3 years to get all of the advertising lighting on DBKL’s lamp post using LED’s of which I represent one of the Top tiers companies in China,there goes my participation trying to introduce LED street lighting in M’sia,it’s ok,Allah SWT provides,not him n his kind,all I have to do is Sabar n Doa banyak2.

    Reply

  14. Dato, your photos showed a smiling Najib Razak and a sulking Anwar Ibrahim. Is that deliberate or purely a coincidence?
    ______________
    Boris,
    An interesting observation. But I chose those photos because both look good. So it is neither a deliberate act nor a coincidence.–Din Merican

    Reply

  15. “tidak boleh buat semua ni dosa ( Sin)” -Kathy

    Not entirely correct. The Malays know about ‘dosa’ but they have been taught that praying and better still, going to Mekah can easily cleanse the sins. So for some ‘clever’ Malays, after ‘accumulating’ sins, they pray hard and go to Mekah; be cleansed and they will repeat the cycle. It was reported that Shahrizat went to Mekah 3x in the last few months. Ever wonder why ??

    It is something similar to the Mafia godfather who goes and donate to the church or the Chinese and Indian triad bosses who goes to the temples. It is not just for cleansing but also for divine protection. How some people have a skewed understanding of religion…

    Reply

  16. “mereka tu Menteri ( all of them are ministers, implication is they can do anything and know it all)” -Kathy

    Unfortunately, this is not only the mentality of the Malays but also many Asians. They still have this feudal mentality. For some, they hold the secret thoughts that they will also do likewise if they come to positions of power.

    Reply

  17. ..”there goes my participation trying to introduce LED street lighting in M’sia” -Lok1

    These Umnoputras and their Chinese Babas and Indians Samys are squeezing out the bona fide Chinese, Indian as well as Malay businessmen.

    As you put it very well; if we work very hard and honestly, good things insyaAllah will come our way. No need to kowtow to anybody !!

    Reply

  18. Err…well said, ladies and gentlemen….but none of you can convince me that anwar and the Pakatan is the best choice for the Malays!…not to mention what Nalla will disclose on anwar’s follies and “secret encounters” coming soon. ( or next change..!), a sure box office ‘belakang mati’ drama…This comment will be deleted soon by the undemocratic dino the bloghost…)

    Reply

  19. Yes…It’s the Malays that needed changing…especially ‘the fence sitters’ and those who had wrongly chosen the pakatan in the last election and were misinformed of the truth…However they must thank Dato’ Hassan Ali for his effort to reveal the only truth, nothing but the truth on happenings that affected their race, religion and rulers…and realized the wrong path they had taken so far…!

    Reply

  20. Rocky, who are you that we need to convince that Pakatan is the better alternative to UMNO/BN who have been raping Malaysia over 50 years? Even the name is not Melayu so how can you say you represent the Malays. UMNO needs to drop the Malay from UMNO as UMNO no longer represent the majority Malays nor the interest of the Malays except those like you.

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.