Artikel ini keluar dalam ruang Comment the Star pada 25 Februari 1996 (Ahad) oleh Zainal Akmar Hj Zainuddin.
Mukdimah : Umno's synonymity with the Government, since the country's independence, has esured the continued support of Malays for the party. However, this has led to the community's over dependency on the Government. With UMNO celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, SHAMSUL AKHMAR reckons it is time for the party to review its role in the community.
The Kampung Bahagia community hall in the nondescript Sungai Siput town was abuzz with activity on Hari Raya night.
A group of local Malay youth had decided to hold a reunion with friends who, after their schooldays,had traveled to other parts of the country in search for their livelihood.
What started off as a gathering to catch up on lost time turned out to be an attempt to set up an association which will most likely be named Persatuan Anak-Anak Watan Sungai Siput (Association of Sungai Siput -born Malays).
Given the diverse background of those who attended the function-political, activists,bankers,businessman,doctors, and a journalist- a good network could definitely be established.
But more interesting was the remark from Abas, one of the guests : " It is time for the Malays to look beyond our dependency on political power to chart our future. We have to emulate what the other races have done.
" The Chinese, for example, despite their support for the MCA, has established powerful organisation like their chambers of commerce, education foundations and their various sub-ethnic associations like the Teochews or Hokkiens".
It was time for the Malays to stop relying solely on Umno, added Abas, a former local Dap stalwart and now an Umno member.
He qualified this by saying that while the Malays should continue to support Umno, they must, however, start to be self-dependent if the community wanted to attain similar sucesses enjoyed by te other races.
To many, Abas's sentiments may be an isolated expression but two days earlier an article in a Malay daily spoke of the lack of empathy, especially among youth leaders in Umno, with the struggles of Malay from the lower-income group.
Looking back, Umno has truly grown from a political party struggling for independence to being the backbone of the Barisan Nasional government.
While other components in the coalition have largely confined their roles to political bargaining, Umno has been all encompassing, transgressing beyond the political realm.
The party has been carrying out this political obligation through government agencies such as Mara,Pertonas, and all the state economic development corporations.
" While the Malays acknowledge the fact that all these agencies are Umno's doing and they have benefited from them, the tendency to take for granted that they have a right to any of the agencies' ventures is only expected," said a political analyst.
" If they deprived of the ventures, they will criticizes Umno and the agencies, ever when they do not qualify or are incapable of undertaking the projects" .
The synonymous of Umno and the Government has also given much impetus to patronage- Umno leaders appointed to certain organizations, agencies and even ministries, favor their people.
Merit, even within the Umno ranks, is not the order of the day-and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr.Abdul Hamid Othman acknowledges this as a fact.
" It is an evil that lurks with power. To much power, if not balanced with values, principles and ideological awareness, can lead to tyranny," he said.
But Dr.Hamid defended Umno's political management, saying that while it emphasizes development and progress, it has also set up religious agencies, for example Pusat Islam.
But Umno Youth exco member Mohd Khaled Nordin is not in favor of appointing too many top party leaders to government posts.
" While it is important for the Malay struggle to be directly involved in government, it is equally important not to guarantee to government posts for those who have obtained top party positions".
" Then the people vying for party posts will not look at their political pursuits as a career but are truly committed to ideological struggles", Khaled added.
Mukdimah : Umno's synonymity with the Government, since the country's independence, has esured the continued support of Malays for the party. However, this has led to the community's over dependency on the Government. With UMNO celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, SHAMSUL AKHMAR reckons it is time for the party to review its role in the community.
The Kampung Bahagia community hall in the nondescript Sungai Siput town was abuzz with activity on Hari Raya night.
A group of local Malay youth had decided to hold a reunion with friends who, after their schooldays,had traveled to other parts of the country in search for their livelihood.
What started off as a gathering to catch up on lost time turned out to be an attempt to set up an association which will most likely be named Persatuan Anak-Anak Watan Sungai Siput (Association of Sungai Siput -born Malays).
Given the diverse background of those who attended the function-political, activists,bankers,businessman,doctors, and a journalist- a good network could definitely be established.
But more interesting was the remark from Abas, one of the guests : " It is time for the Malays to look beyond our dependency on political power to chart our future. We have to emulate what the other races have done.
" The Chinese, for example, despite their support for the MCA, has established powerful organisation like their chambers of commerce, education foundations and their various sub-ethnic associations like the Teochews or Hokkiens".
It was time for the Malays to stop relying solely on Umno, added Abas, a former local Dap stalwart and now an Umno member.
He qualified this by saying that while the Malays should continue to support Umno, they must, however, start to be self-dependent if the community wanted to attain similar sucesses enjoyed by te other races.
To many, Abas's sentiments may be an isolated expression but two days earlier an article in a Malay daily spoke of the lack of empathy, especially among youth leaders in Umno, with the struggles of Malay from the lower-income group.
Looking back, Umno has truly grown from a political party struggling for independence to being the backbone of the Barisan Nasional government.
While other components in the coalition have largely confined their roles to political bargaining, Umno has been all encompassing, transgressing beyond the political realm.
The party has been carrying out this political obligation through government agencies such as Mara,Pertonas, and all the state economic development corporations.
" While the Malays acknowledge the fact that all these agencies are Umno's doing and they have benefited from them, the tendency to take for granted that they have a right to any of the agencies' ventures is only expected," said a political analyst.
" If they deprived of the ventures, they will criticizes Umno and the agencies, ever when they do not qualify or are incapable of undertaking the projects" .
The synonymous of Umno and the Government has also given much impetus to patronage- Umno leaders appointed to certain organizations, agencies and even ministries, favor their people.
Merit, even within the Umno ranks, is not the order of the day-and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr.Abdul Hamid Othman acknowledges this as a fact.
" It is an evil that lurks with power. To much power, if not balanced with values, principles and ideological awareness, can lead to tyranny," he said.
But Dr.Hamid defended Umno's political management, saying that while it emphasizes development and progress, it has also set up religious agencies, for example Pusat Islam.
But Umno Youth exco member Mohd Khaled Nordin is not in favor of appointing too many top party leaders to government posts.
" While it is important for the Malay struggle to be directly involved in government, it is equally important not to guarantee to government posts for those who have obtained top party positions".
" Then the people vying for party posts will not look at their political pursuits as a career but are truly committed to ideological struggles", Khaled added.
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