UMNO has never been as vulnerable over the last 70 years as it is today.
It had been the only dominant and domineering political party Malaysia had experienced. Its hold over Malaysia and its power to rule as it wished and pleased used to be absolute and unchallenged.
Fortunately for Malaysia, all that has changed: UMNO only has 37 MPs out of the total of 222 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, or 16.7% of federal lawmakers.
Glaringly, UMNO’s grip on power is slipping. It is desperate to cling to power and reclaim its former eminence and dominance, come what may.
It is so desperate that it has lost its balance, rationality and sanity – it is pushing for an early election that is vehemently opposed by all thinking and well-meaning Malaysians because the risks involved during the upcoming monsoon period can be horrendous.
UMNO has thrived in creating fear among the Malays and planting suspicion in their minds that their future and fortune will be taken away by the non-Malays, especially the Chinese, if they don’t rally behind UMNO.
Another weapon it has used very effectively is religion; it has been drumming into the Malays that the Christians are about to Christianise Malaysia.
UMNO has very successfully destroyed the unity and harmony that was the hallmark of our nation during the time of our beloved Tunku Abdul Rahman, the halcyon days of tolerance and accommodation.
All that goodwill and peace that united us in the past was destroyed and replaced with hatred, suspicion, greed, intolerance and selfishness. A peaceful Malaysia was buried, and a disunited and fractured Malaysia has been created in its place.
UMNO is now determined to capture its former glory by assuming that an early election will reverse its misfortune and restore power to the hands of UMNO.
If this happens, Malaysia is doomed – the party will plug every loophole in the Federal Constitution that provided a gleam of hope for the rule of law. It will also probably deny every opportunity for the non-Malays to earn a decent living through fair economic competition.
“Malaysia will never be the same”
Malaysia will never be the same and reforms will definitely have no chance whatsoever.
In the event we are unable to stop an early election, thinking Malaysians must come together and get rid of the corrupt UMNO political party once and for all.
With UMNO out of the way, it will be possible to bring back the old Malaysia that respects the rights of all Malaysians, accords fair economic opportunity to all, eliminates corruption at all levels, forbids any religion from intruding into the lives of people and ensures the judiciary will function without fear or favour.
When the rule of law prevails, everybody is equal before the law and no selective prosecution or persecution will be allowed to occur.
UMNO was Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s tool to destroy all that mattered in the past. The judiciary was emasculated, the rule of law became a joke, media freedom was shackled, the opposition was hounded, corruption thrived and peaceful assemblies were banned.
What we lost under him, we never recovered. Subsequently, all these became even more severely curtailed. And to this day, we are paying the price.
The time has come to put a stop to all this once and for all. There is no better time than this to get rid of UMNO. An early election would mean we would be on course for disaster.
It is our collective responsibility to act to prevent this plunge into perdition. We owe a duty to this nation that is our home. It is a moral obligation to put things right and save this country from the bigots and zealots, the corrupt and the greedy and the vile and the villain.
Let’s set the direction for this nation so that honest and decent people can live peaceful and contented lives.
It was said by Noam Chomsky that “to live a life of honesty and integrity is the responsibility of every decent person”. – Oct 9, 2022
P Ramakrishnan has been an Aliran member since its inception in 1977, serving on its executive committee for 36 years, half of that period as Aliran’s president (1994-2011). He continues to serve as an Aliran member, highlighting issues of public interest to a larger audience.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia or Aliran.
