Keep it up!

Yesterday, mykmu.net organised a forum entitled "UMNO Post 12th General Election: An Assessment". Congratulations to the organiser. Keep up the good work. Mykmu.net has been in existence for a number of years (http://www.beritakmu.net/). They have lively discussions on UMNO, malay agenda, islam etc. If you have an open mind and want to get more insights on UMNO, do visit. Otherwise give it a pass. Nobody would hold it against you. Your right, your choice.

Few of my friends attended the forum. I was told that the response for the forum was overwhelming. many had to follow the proceedings from outside the hall (Utusan Malaysia estimated the numbers to be more than 2,000). Not surprising as they had an impressive line-up of speakers - Tun Dr Mahathir, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, Dato Seri Dr Khir Toyo and Dr Puad Zakarshi. Combined you have a past president, an UMNO Supreme Council member, an UMNO Youth Exco member, two divisional leaders, 2 MPs, 1 ADUN, an ex-Prime Minister and an ex-Menteri Besar. I am sure everybody is familiar with the first three names - they need no further introduction. FYI, Dr Puad won the Batu Pahat parliamentary seat in the recent GE. He is the Head of Batu Pahat UMNO Division. He is also the Information Chief of UMNO Johor. In the last Parliament, he served as a Senator. And prior to that he served as the Political Secretary to Dato Ghani Othman, MB of Johor. (Political Secretary is equivalent to Chief of Staff. remember West Wing?)

Apparently emotions ran high throughout the forum. A little incident also occurred when someone actually suggested/asked whether Anwar Ibrahim should be brought back into UMNO - he was heckled and had to be taken out of the hall. Pity him. No one should be castigated for expressing his/her opinion. Whether we agree or not with that opinion is secondary. One should be allowed to express oneself. The right to speak openly is crucial for UMNO to move forward. We must always uphold the principle of 'agree to disagree'. At least, he had the courage to broach a sensitive issue openly, which a lot of UMNO members discuss quietly anyway.

So what can we conclude from this forum?

One, pressure is mounting for PM Abdullah Badawi to resign. even Dr Puad was quoted in The Star asking PM Abdullah Badawi to resign. Considering he is from Johor, the birthplace and stronghold of UMNO, his call is an eye-opener. Think about it. If someone from Johor is asking for PM Abdullah Badawi to resign, imagine the sentiment within UMNO. Should PM Abdullah Badawi be worried? 20% of his cabinet ministers are from UMNO Johor (6 ministers). Or that actually ensures his grip on the state.

Two, emotions are still high. Since the disastrous performance in the GE, top leadership of UMNO has yet to engage the members - to discuss the result, to have a heart-to-heart talk. TS Muhyiddin even admitted this today in The Star. (he said "..top party leaders had not even gone down to the ground to address members' concerns and revive their spirits...") The longer you wait, the worse it becomes. not better. MCA, MIC and Gerakan have had special briefings for their members. When is UMNO's?

Three, the big turnout suggests that people are looking for an outlet to express themselves. they have so many questions to ask. so many things to say. and so many emotions suppressed inside. They need directions. They want leadership. Now.


"We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance" - Benjamin Disraeli