Cross Roads

It was 1992. I just returned from my studies in United Kingdom. When I went there, I was a little rebellious, a little anti-establishment. We were still reeling from the Team A and Team B debacle between Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh that led to the formation of Semangat 46. I didn't support Semangat 46, but I wasn't that keen on UMNO either.

But that changed when I went to UK. I saw what the years of struggle was all about. I saw what can be done if we were united, harmonious. I saw what can be done if we were together.

What did I see?

I saw in UK, examples of thousands walking all over UK, people like me, given many opportunities to equip ourselves and return to our nation and make a difference. The support given was immense, we were just mere boys and girls, young men, and young women, entrusted with a duty and responsibility, to make a difference when we return, to develop the nation. Continuing the excellent work done by our forefathers.

The opportunities started here in Malaysia. People with excellent academic results were given the opportunity to study their pre-university overseas, and it is not limited to only UK. For the rest that performed well, they did their pre-university here in Malaysia on various sites all over Malaysia. They then are sent overseas to UK, US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, France and they list goes on.

Armed with this knowledge, the UMNO that I rejected when they asked about setting a club in the town I studied, was the UMNO that I now sought membership when I returned home. Why UMNO? The work they did to bring progress and development to the nation was immense and I said to myself, this is where I need to start to pay back to the nation.

Unfortunately, the UMNO that I sought didn't want me. My application was thwarted 3 times until there was an intervention made by an UMNO Council Member that signed on my application form and only then my membership was accepted in 1993. This was the first sign of trouble. But I took no heed. I attended my first UMNO Branch meeting in my housing area. Instead of being welcoming they almost interrogated me on how I became a member. Because I did not go through them, I was a bit of an alien, yet I live among them.

I paid no mind. Diligently I worked up through the ranks. Entrusted with tasks after tasks that I was later in charge of information and communication at the branch. I was even involved in preparing for campaigns and speeches. I started to see the weaknesses in the strategies and methods. It was the late 90s and early 2000, internet was looming large. Social media was happening. The younger generation was enthralled with IRC (Internet Relay Chat), Yahoo Messenger, ICQ (derived from I Seek You), Yahoo Groups and so forth.

I noticed that UMNO isn't in any of them. This was a wasted opportunity. Nobody took any attempts to ingrain themselves and speak to this generation. I tried my best but what I lacked was facts, figures, and knowledge. So, what I spoke was on the surface without much depth. For someone in charge of information, that must sound surprising. I got to know the individuals behind the nicknames, and we started meeting physically.

I know there and then that if UMNO and BN did not take advantage of this medium they will surely fail in the end. I spoke about it in meetings. I spoke about it in forums. I spoke about it even to the then Deputy Chairman for BN Selangor, to election candidates. But no one took heed. They were dismissive of this notion. They said they had a web page and that was enough for them. Yes, they did have a web page. A page that was not updated, that nobody visited because no one apart from them knew it existed.

I got my feet wet in GE9, that was in 1995. The Prime Minister was Mahathir. BN's opponents were Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah made up of PAS and Semangat 46 and Gagasan Rakyat made up of DAP and United Sabah Party. There were some smaller parties. Anwar Ibrahim was still in BN's fold.

It was then GE10 in 1999, UMNO was reeling again. This time with the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 followed by protracted legal cases against him. Mahathir needed another mandate. At a time when they should be using and taking advantage of the internet, they didn't. "Facts" and "figures" flowed freely, at a time when the members and the people needed guidance and information, UMNO was found wanting. So, online, people made their own conclusions, UMNO was still oblivious about what was about to hit them.

This time it was Barisan Alternatif as the opponent. They are made up of PAS, DAP, Keadilan (led by Wan Azizah, Anwar Ibrahim was in jail by this time) and PRM. Opposition was still not properly organised but they were making inroads, holding on to Kelantan and capturing Terengganu. I was deeply involved in this one. I was involved from campaigning right to election day itself becoming a candidate agent. In UMNO, I was also making my way being selected to represent the branch at the Division.

GE11 came. This was 2004 and Abdullah Badawi was now at the helm. Mahathir Mohamad has retired, or so we thought. The Pak Lah (as he is fondly known) juggernaut made a clean sweep of everything. The opponents this time was Barisan Alternatif with PAS and Keadilan. DAP decided to stand on their own. He even almost managed to narrowly lose to PAS in Kelantan. This was the best showing ever for BN. We were euphoric and the celebration went on for days. But unbeknownst to many, something was brewing and GE12 showed a change of fortunes.

It was 2008 and a ground swell was forming against Pak Lah. He did not manage to hold on to his previous gains. Even after winning in 2009, he stepped down. By this time, there were a lot of allegations against him and some key figures in BN. I too was feeling the heat. Careerwise, I had to switch; it was getting too warm in Terengganu even though it was still BN. This was when I had pushed for new strategies but the senior people in UMNO were adamant. It still works they said. I suggested that we introduce the potential candidates early on, this will allow the community to get to know them. That didn't happen. They still only introduced the candidate at the eleventh hour. The community did not know who he was.

It was a bloodbath. BN lost Selangor, Penang, Perak, Kedah. While my branch was also reeling with our own loss. The campaign was nonsensical and the night before the elections I felt it in my bones that we were going to lose. The reception was not warm, in fact it was quite hostile. For the first time BN and UMNO was at the receiving end. It was not looking up, yet they were still walking on air not based on reality and still have not embraced the internet much less social media. Many don't even know what social media was.

It was now GE13. The prime minister is now Najib Razak. He took over from Pak Lah in 2009. I was still in UMNO at that time. The year was 2013. I was becoming jaded. UMNO was still nowhere with the internet and social media. By that time Facebook is being used extensively. They were still up to their antics. Candidates were largely unknowns and only introduced at the last possible second. The campaign strategy is still the so-called tried and true approach, that is no longer working.

A last-minute change that I was not informed led me to quit on the eve of the election day. I had enough. The new head was not competent and refused to listen to any ideas or opinions even though he was a novice when it came to elections. With me not around election machinery for the branch turned into a fiasco of epic proportions and the branch continued its losing streak. Pakatan Rakyat made up of PAS, DAP and PKR got more organised. Holding on to their previous gains and made further inroads.

By this time Najib Razak was saddled with various allegations with BN and UMNO needed to batten down their hatches. It was not long when in 2015 Najib Razak sacked his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin due to differences of opinion on the handling of the various allegations. Muhyiddin formed Bersatu and became part of Pakatan Harapan that are now made up of PKR, DAP, Bersatu and Amanah. This also led to the return of Mahathir Mohamad helming Bersatu.

We all know what happened. BN lost spectacularly in GE14 in 2018 and Mahathir Mohamad returned as PM7. He was soon ousted and replaced with Muhyiddin Yassin as PM8 who was then replaced by Ismail Sabri as PM9. GE15 happened and Ismail Sabri was replaced by Anwar Ibrahim as PM10 as UMNO lost its significance by becoming just a mere glue to hold the Unity Government together. Even then it was short-lived since with GPS from Sarawak and GRS from Sabah BN and UMNO is no longer needed. as the glue and in my previous post BN and UMNO and this time PH lost spectacularly against Perikatan Nasional made up of PAS, Bersatu and Gerakan.

UMNO has further eroded in significance. So where do they go from here? Anything said has fallen on deaf ears. Asking them to have better knowledge and control of social media is like asking them to pull all their teeth. Individually some of the leaders are sharing and disseminating as best as they can, collectively BN and UMNO is still without any clear direction. They still don't know what to do and what need to be done.

Yes, they are now at the crossroads. Are they going to remain stubborn allowing themselves to disappear into oblivion or are they going to swallow the bitter pill of reform. The bitter pill of reform involves chucking the bulk of the leaders allowing anyone below 45 to shine. For the many that have done their part, it is now time to hang their spurs or whips or whatever it is and allow a new generation to lead. Like the young that led the UMNO of old, it is time to allow the young to be at the forefront again to lead UMNO anew.

For me I now consider me as part of the older generation. I've passed my prime even though I have been approached to return to the fold a few years ago.

Some final parting words.

UMNO can no longer expect people to continue to remain loyal and remember their past deeds. The new generation no longer bears such loyalty, they only see and hear what is going on in front of them, and what they read online. Previously, communication medium was controlled by the government, through television and radio, printed media, and such. But now the means of communication comes through all angles, you name it, and it is there. People have a choice to turn off anything that doesn't appeal to them. Propaganda no longer works. And it's a thing of the past. We can no longer capture their attention anything longer than a fraction of a second. That's how long we have to capture their attention. Just observe how we respond to social media, and you will understand what I mean. Be it Facebook, Instagram or Tik Tok, we take just bits of a second to flick through the offerings before we decide to settle on one that we like.

UMNO took a long time to understand and embrace internet much less social media. Understanding that they need to put up materials of less than a fraction of a second to disseminate what they want to say is beyond the comprehension of many. UMNO need to understand that they have lost the trust and respect of many and to make it right they need to present themselves to the people that they still matter. That they are still the right people to be chosen to represent the people.

That's what they need to do. They need to again be the people's representative and not lord themselves all over the people. They work for the people and not the other way round. They need the people; the people don't need them. Bitter pill to swallow, bitter notion but that's the truth. Be convincing to the people, especially the members. The members need to be led. They need clear direction and vision. Right now, it is very confusing. They don't understand the rationale and the vision of the current UMNO. They need to be clearly explained the rationale to be part of the Unity Government. To suddenly be a bosom buddy to their once mortal enemies is confusing to many. They have their pride. They prefer to be in the Opposition.

The failures are in the machinery at the branch and division level. For a long time, they have been left to their own devices. Under poor leadership it will just spell disaster. They need to lead from the top with clear message, the same message throughout. This is severely lacking. A straightforward message. Message like MERDEKA, HIDUP MELAYU, REFORMASI, 1MALAYSIA

If the negativity that I experienced is felt and repeated throughout the nation, what is happening to UMNO now is a long time coming. They themselves provided the building blocks towards their own destruction. They need to shake off this stupor this delusion that everything is fine. It is not fine. It has not been fine for a long time now. If they want to learn the truth, look among them now. The current crops of leaders, who among them can be considered to be the next Prime Minister material. Someone diplomatic like Tunku Abdul Rahman, a visionary like Tun Razak, a person of virtue and integrity like Tun Hussein Onn, a person with the drive and vision like Tun Mahathir, someone steadfast like Tun Abdullah and someone sharp like Dato' Sri Najib.

In the past, they had a stable of potential leaders. Almost everyone is a household name, spoken in awe of their potential. Now, we need to scrape the barrel to find one.