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http://malaysiakini.com/columns/90359
Umno a falling durian
M Bakri Musa | Sep 25, 08 1:18pm
When (it appears less of an “if” now) Anwar Ibrahim takes over the government, he will face the monumental twin problems of undoing the damage wrecked upon our institutions as well as containing the inevitable implosion of Umno.
MCPX
abdullah badawi penang pc 060908 ahmad ismail, abdul rashidFailure in either would effectively doom Anwar, Pakatan Rakyat, and Malaysia. The good news is that both challenges could be handled simultaneously through the same strategy, and with the subsequent success benefitting all.
The blight on our institutions and governmental machinery, as well as the urgent need to rectify it, is well appreciated. Less recognised is the need to manage Umno’s certain breakup.
For those who venture that Umno’s fate is the least of Anwar’s (or our) concern, consider this. The tumultuous and unpredictable demise of the Soviet System may have ended the Cold War, but the world paid a severe price, one that could have been mitigated had the breakup been more orderly.
The world is still paying the price. There is the recurring nightmare that the Soviet’s old nuclear warheads might fall into unscrupulous hands. Those still unconvinced of the price being paid, just ask the Georgians and Ukrainians.
Umno dominated Malaysia for over half a century; its implosion too will have unpredictable fallouts.If not skillfully managed, the consequences on Malaysia would be on a scale similar to that inflicted on Eastern Europe by the collapse of the Soviets.
Unity of Purpose
Even if Anwar were to secure substantially more than the 31 promised crossovers in Parliament, his government would still be a coalition of political parties with diverse and often opposing ideals. Besides, the parties have had only a very short experience of working together, not to mention their equally contrasting and conflicting personalities!
anwar ibrahim hearing 240908 03Anwar could learn much from his predecessors.In the 1950s, the distrust among the races was even greater, yet Tunku Abdul Rahman was able to forge an “Alliance” (the name of his coalition) of Umno with the Chinese (MCA) and Indian (MIC) parties.
He was able to overcome their considerable differences by focusing on the few agreed-upon objectives, among them the sharing of political power and seeking the end of colonial rule. Each party had to make considerable concessions to secure their common goals.
It helped that those early leaders genuinely liked each other, having shared their formative years together as students. They knew each other’s families and attended each other’s social parties. Consequently they harbored considerable personal goodwill towards each other that eased their inevitable policy differences.
Anwar successfully used his awesome political skills to make his coalition partners concentrate on their commonalities and less on their differences. Before the elections he made them focus on a singular objective: denying Barisan its supra-majority. He succeeded, and then some. In governing, Anwar should similarly emphasize the twin objectives stated in my opening statement, and only on those two.
tunku abdul rahman and patrick keith 020805Anwar is also gifted with many of the charms and warmth of the Tunku. It is no mean feat to have Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang share the same table! Anwar should continue using that special talent not only on his Pakatan coalition leaders but also across the aisle. He should consider his earlier tenure as an Umno leader an asset, and leverage that to foster greater cooperation with its leaders.
He must adopt the personal philosophy of President Reagan: party politics stops at 5pm, and once you cross the border. The Republican Reagan used to invite the Democrat Speaker O’Neill over to the White House in the evening to share a glass of Irish whiskey. Reagan would also include many Democrats in his overseas trips.
Differences in policies and philosophies will always be there, but these ongoing social relationships would help lubricate those differences and prevent them from reducing us to shrill denunciations of each other.
hadi awang 01If Umno Youth leaders could play regular golf tournaments with their PAP counterparts, then surely Hadi Awang could listen to sermons by Abdullah Badawi, and vice versa.
Ramadan is a splendid opportunity for such social interactions by inviting non-Muslim fellow leaders in and out of Pakatan to a community iftar. Others include the wonderful Malaysian tradition of “Open House” during festive seasons. These would provide excellent occasions for our leaders to socialise with each other, and more importantly, to be seen doing so. Such public gestures of goodwill would percolate down.
Government of National Reconciliation
tun razakAnwar could also take a leaf from another illustrious predecessor, Razak Hussein. Following the May 1969 riot, Razak Hussein formed a government of national reconciliation by inviting all parties to participate in his much-expanded Barisan Nasional.
Umno a falling durian
M Bakri Musa | Sep 25, 08 1:18pm
When (it appears less of an “if” now) Anwar Ibrahim takes over the government, he will face the monumental twin problems of undoing the damage wrecked upon our institutions as well as containing the inevitable implosion of Umno.
MCPX
abdullah badawi penang pc 060908 ahmad ismail, abdul rashidFailure in either would effectively doom Anwar, Pakatan Rakyat, and Malaysia. The good news is that both challenges could be handled simultaneously through the same strategy, and with the subsequent success benefitting all.
The blight on our institutions and governmental machinery, as well as the urgent need to rectify it, is well appreciated. Less recognised is the need to manage Umno’s certain breakup.
For those who venture that Umno’s fate is the least of Anwar’s (or our) concern, consider this. The tumultuous and unpredictable demise of the Soviet System may have ended the Cold War, but the world paid a severe price, one that could have been mitigated had the breakup been more orderly.
The world is still paying the price. There is the recurring nightmare that the Soviet’s old nuclear warheads might fall into unscrupulous hands. Those still unconvinced of the price being paid, just ask the Georgians and Ukrainians.
Umno dominated Malaysia for over half a century; its implosion too will have unpredictable fallouts.If not skillfully managed, the consequences on Malaysia would be on a scale similar to that inflicted on Eastern Europe by the collapse of the Soviets.
Unity of Purpose
Even if Anwar were to secure substantially more than the 31 promised crossovers in Parliament, his government would still be a coalition of political parties with diverse and often opposing ideals. Besides, the parties have had only a very short experience of working together, not to mention their equally contrasting and conflicting personalities!
anwar ibrahim hearing 240908 03Anwar could learn much from his predecessors.In the 1950s, the distrust among the races was even greater, yet Tunku Abdul Rahman was able to forge an “Alliance” (the name of his coalition) of Umno with the Chinese (MCA) and Indian (MIC) parties.
He was able to overcome their considerable differences by focusing on the few agreed-upon objectives, among them the sharing of political power and seeking the end of colonial rule. Each party had to make considerable concessions to secure their common goals.
It helped that those early leaders genuinely liked each other, having shared their formative years together as students. They knew each other’s families and attended each other’s social parties. Consequently they harbored considerable personal goodwill towards each other that eased their inevitable policy differences.
Anwar successfully used his awesome political skills to make his coalition partners concentrate on their commonalities and less on their differences. Before the elections he made them focus on a singular objective: denying Barisan its supra-majority. He succeeded, and then some. In governing, Anwar should similarly emphasize the twin objectives stated in my opening statement, and only on those two.
tunku abdul rahman and patrick keith 020805Anwar is also gifted with many of the charms and warmth of the Tunku. It is no mean feat to have Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang share the same table! Anwar should continue using that special talent not only on his Pakatan coalition leaders but also across the aisle. He should consider his earlier tenure as an Umno leader an asset, and leverage that to foster greater cooperation with its leaders.
He must adopt the personal philosophy of President Reagan: party politics stops at 5pm, and once you cross the border. The Republican Reagan used to invite the Democrat Speaker O’Neill over to the White House in the evening to share a glass of Irish whiskey. Reagan would also include many Democrats in his overseas trips.
Differences in policies and philosophies will always be there, but these ongoing social relationships would help lubricate those differences and prevent them from reducing us to shrill denunciations of each other.
hadi awang 01If Umno Youth leaders could play regular golf tournaments with their PAP counterparts, then surely Hadi Awang could listen to sermons by Abdullah Badawi, and vice versa.
Ramadan is a splendid opportunity for such social interactions by inviting non-Muslim fellow leaders in and out of Pakatan to a community iftar. Others include the wonderful Malaysian tradition of “Open House” during festive seasons. These would provide excellent occasions for our leaders to socialise with each other, and more importantly, to be seen doing so. Such public gestures of goodwill would percolate down.
Government of National Reconciliation
tun razakAnwar could also take a leaf from another illustrious predecessor, Razak Hussein. Following the May 1969 riot, Razak Hussein formed a government of national reconciliation by inviting all parties to participate in his much-expanded Barisan Nasional.
