In the first part of this rhetorical question, I raised some of my key concerns regarding the \”leadership integrity of the Umno-led Pak Lah government, based on certain non-actions to date.\”

Umno leads the BN today and what affects Umno affects all Malaysians, not just her own members! Therefore, it was important that the Umno general assembly was given a \”live coverage.\”

It was a very bold move by premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi , known affectionately as Pak Lah, to allow it; but it was demonstration of his commitment to openness and transparency.

It also demonstrates to non-Malays and all observers alike, \”the quality of issues and the real internal dialogue of the current Malay leadership in Malaysia;\” assuming of course that it was not all a \”wayang kulit\” performance; as speculated by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin!

Nevertheless, like all other true Malaysians and international observers alike, I therefore applaud and salute the PM for reiterating the \”tersirat\” limits and boundaries of our \”fragile multicultural balance;\” but as already agreed, stated and enunciated in the Social Contract of 1957.

The closing caution of the PM was not new within Malay culture; for in Bahasa Melayu are found such words of moderation and caution: \”apa yang tersirat and tersurat.\”

The PM need not and should not have to \”remind the members of the Umno; as a subset of the larger BN Family, not to cross the race and religion boundary.\” It was part and parcel of the Original Contract.

But he did so, not just once, but two times and by the third time he was already apologizing for the Umno misdemeanor!

And, his Umno cabinet colleagues had to further apologize to the other family members at the cabinet meeting.

Hisham and his keris

Why so? Why are the delegates so blur on racially sensitive issues? Or, was it merely their way of seeking cheap popularity within Umno; a kind of grandstanding? Is that why even Hishammuddin Hussein, the grandson of Onn Jaafar and founder of Umno did the same and set the example?

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Would his father or grandfather ever have acted the same, in their time? \”Tak Malu; if I use the four letter Malay word!\” And this too, after explicitly having done the same at the last year\’s assembly, and after being reminded that it \”upset the non-Malay partners in the Barisan Nasional?

Why would Hisham repeat the act; even if his words and actions were not \”demeaning or threatening\” per se? Who was he really addressing? Surely, not the Yang Di Pertuan Agong, or the Sultan of Johore!

Surely he was not just merely addressing DAP\’s Lim Kit Siang or Karpal Singh. Who then was he really addressing? Why raise an \”unsheathed keris; regardless of what it is called and kiss it?\”

And, by the way, Hishammuddin, the two Umno keris on the flag are in fact merely symbols; and are not being raised by any human being!

And even that \”symbol,\” the MB of Pahang has recently questioned, saying that maybe it should be removed from the flag to \”get rid of all the unhealthy infighting within Umno!

Keris in Malay culture

Neither do I accept what my good friend and RMC alma mater MP Md Alwi\’s statement that the keris is simply a symbol of Malay culture.

I too am a student of the subject of Malay culture, for the information of my dear neighbour and Old Putera; but they taught me otherwise in H106 at University of Malaya.

To my mind and to the best of my understanding, the keris is in fact part and parcel of Malay culture from the Malay/Hindu civilization of old.

The only difference is that the context, use, and display of the keris then was entirely within the framework of Malay feudal structure of the KeRajaan Tanah Melayu.

It was also taught that such a keris, once drawn, cannot be replaced without blood! It is normally drawn in self-defense of the palace; either by her warriors to declare war or by her subjects in personal self-defense.

If we really study and understand the logic of this teaching, it is obvious that even within Malay culture, patience and love are to be shown towards your enemies as a first option; and the reminder that the keris should not be drawn, unless and until it is intended \”to principally to declare war against enemies of the State.\”

Therefore, Mr Hishammuddin, grandson of Onn Jaffar and son of Hussein, do you really mean to declare war on the other partners within the Barisan; or who else is your enemy? If not, why draw the keris and kiss it?

It is after all \”tersurat and tersirat\” that you should never do such careless actions \”even if you want to act up to the audience.\”

To become a mature and acceptable leader of the multi-racial alliance, you must respect others as much as you expect them to respect you. Do you? To me, as an ordinary political observer and student of Malaysian culture and as your friend from Miti days, I really need to know why you did it!

Now, almost as a reaction, even your so-called \”good friend and MCA Youth leader\” has also reacted to your political stunts! After all as truly as Shakespeare wrote, and you have read, all the world is a stage, and men merely actors!

Mr Hishammuddin, please stop acting and start becoming responsible, as Kak Rafidah \”has already taught us.\” Do not merely play a role, please assume the role and mantle of a BN leader! This is after all the 21st Century!

Political corruption

Morevoer, as a very critical observer of Malaysian politics; I am therefore equally concerned that we transform this \”wayang kulit\” form of political rhetoric into real action via the 9th Malaysia Plan.

Otherwise, like with the former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad\’s Bersih, Cekap and Amanah or the so-called BCA of old, such attempts at first world culture formation will only remain political rhetoric!

The real intent becomes inadvertently reduced over time into a political legacy of 22 years of absolute power, abuse, corruption and a conscious weakening of both the public service, the ACA and the judiciary!

While those 22 years of physical development were brilliant, the political culture of expediency became rotten to the core; and rather unfortunately, starting from the very top with an Umno leadership of the BN!

Frankly, I still see such \”political rhetoric\” continuing within Pak Lah\’s Umno.

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Why else, as PM Pak Lah has accurately and rightly pointed out; did not even one senior Umno delegate make a serious issue of \”corruption, nepotism, and cronyism\” in the governance of the nation?

Does it really not happen anymore? Is that not the real cause of the so-called failure of the NEP targets: what YBs Shahrir Samad and Tengku Razaleigh have called the \”leakages in the system?\”

Do we all not clearly remember the Umno assembly of the post- Anwar sacking when the public list of government project awards were revealed and crony contractors identified to kill the former deputy Umno head? Are there no such problems any more Mr Prime Minister?

Why do we still hear about crony RM2 companies getting projects which have no money to undertake their project, but seeking to \”sell the same for quick projects?\”

Why do we still hear of vote-buying and horse-trading, when the Umno disciplinary committee has already sacked one VP?

What was the real story of vote-buying in the recent Kubang Pasu elections? Do you mean to say it was not serious enough to justify some GA talk? Why all the hush, hush? Why all this political gamesmanship and the complete blank out of talk about political corruption?

Umno\’s operative value

Did you not declare integrity as the cornerstone of your public policies? Dear Mr Prime Minister of all Malaysians, I am very disappointed! Why make the innocent but supportive \”games-players\” in BN your enemies?

Are they really your enemies? Are not your enemies the attitude and greed for power and wealth, by whatever means which is now the culture of Umno? Cheating, stealing, and lying; what does it matter, so long as you acquire wealth and power!

Sir, this appears to me as the over-riding and operative value in Umno! Please prove me wrong!

To the ordinary citizens Sir, it was the more transparent opening up engendered by the media which shed fresh light on the shadows of Malaysian life.

But Sir, like in Plato\’s Cave, we still only yet see dimly, a proxy reality; but one day we will see fully under the full light of truth and justice.

Sir, your openness has correctly highlighted many weaknesses in both national and local governance related to integrity and uprightness. But, is it also not true that none of your senior Umno delegates at the assembly raised issues related to any of these publicly acknowledged wrong doing?

Do you mean to say sir that the Youth chief and his deputy could not see any wrong related to these media-highlighted public cases?

Let me suggest an alternative possible explanation. Maybe, just maybe, councilman Zakaria Mat Deros and MP Mohd Said are really \”secret heroes\” within the Umnoputera culture of today?

Maybe, breaking of the law and closing one eye is truly the operative culture of the day?

Maybe that is why the Mat Rempits break and defy the law at will and even throw stones at the police? What has become of our respect for rules and regulations, Sir?

Today, I see so much violation of rules everyday at every level of society! Lying and cheating is in fact becoming our way of life. From schools to local neighborhoods, nobody really demands truth of any matter!

Close one-eye culture

Maybe that is why the delegates who made seditious statements dared to do it, because they expect all the authorities to \”close one eye.\”

Maybe they can get away with such \”violation\” because the permanent chairman did not reprimand them.

Maybe they think Umno members are not subject to the ACA as a senior minister was quoted to have said!

But we owe our thanks to the ACA chief who repeated that the ACA can investigate anyone, as long as there is a report!

After all, even your deputy permanent chairman in Umno is the most notorious culprit in Parliament; for such racial slurs and remarks!

Leadership by example, Sir? Thank you DAP for making a police report even though it is two years late!

Dear Prime Minister, since you televised the event, all Malaysians could see and hear all the real rubbish that goes on at the assembly and the fearless way in which sedition could be spoken with impunity.

But Sir, to me all this is even more astounding especially when I remember that anti-corruption, transparency and integrity are your attempts at a first world culture; the key concepts which define your good governance Malaysian Agenda; your legacy for Malaysia.

But Sir, what did you really expect the world to see and hear; role-models articulating for such good governance? Did you perhaps believe that the speakers would be more self-conscious since it was being live-telecast?

How wrong you were, Mr Prime Minister? Herein lays your party\’s integrity gap: between your espoused theory and the theory we saw evidently at use within Umno.

But Sir, maybe it is time for you to reflect a little more as to how you got the 92 percent support votes?

Who gave you such an overwhelming majority of support, if not about 50 percent from the non-Malays, including those of Sabah and Sarawak? So, thank you for speaking for all of us in you closing speech.

You can still count on all of us; but Sir, you must deliver on what you have promised!

PM for all

Therefore, in closing this article, I have one suggestion for you, Sir.

Maybe it is time for you to rise above the Umno parochialism and become the REAL PM and leader of all Malaysians!

To really represent the 92 percent individuals who believed you and gave your leadership philosophy their votes.

By this I mean, it is time for the president of Umno to transcend her petty politics and instead rise up to lead as chairman of the Barisan Nasional; the real government of the day!

This same vision you so ably demonstrated with your keynote speech. The task ahead is implementation. My suggestion Sir is that you therefore consider having \”a real and serious first of its kind BN general assembly made up of the youth, women\’s and men\’s wings of all component parties on occasion of our 50 Anniversary of Merdeka next year.

Please focus on those born after 1963, and help them to learn the real dialogue and better appreciate the task of nation-building.

Can you imagine what type of real issues will be raised, even after 50 years of BN\’s multicultural governance? What core concerns do you think your component partners will raise?

Sure, most of the rest will probably allow Pak Najib (if he will ever earn that title) or Kak Rafidah to speak as Umno spokespersons of the older generation, but can you even imagine the kind of issues that will come from PBS or UPKO?

What about the other bumiputera parties of Sarawak? What do you think will be their real issues? Are they really getting their share of the pie? Sir, this need not be a live telecast event.

It only needs to become a non-violent, non-emotional and rational discourse with excellent moderators.

Emotions will not have sway; one needs facts and figures and the logic of reason to carry such a day.

Maybe both Bahasa Malaysia and English will have to be their only media of communication! Maybe then we can begin to envision a real Bangsa Malaysia to emerge wherein, while Umno represents the Melayu of Peninsular Malaysia; there will be other serious voices representing the Bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak also.

Save the marginalised groups

Then we may also find that no one speaks for the Orang Asli of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu! Sir, then maybe your Umno constituents will really begin to also be concerned about the bottom 30 percent of our society; where the real problems are.

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Then we will talk about schools without electricity and water; hospitals without doctors, and the absolutely poor villagers where the basics of development have not yet reached or they pay ridiculous prices for basic services.

During my last days in public service, with you Sir, and through the Strategic Thrust Implementation Committee (or SITC) of the NITC, we did identify the seven most marginalized groups in Malaysia.

How does the 9th Plan treat and address all of them and what programs are in place for their welfare and upliftment?

When we have concrete programs for all of them, then we can seriously talk about National Unity from the NEP perspective; not by the type of car we each drive or houses we live in, but by the level of abject poverty that our own people in the outskirts have to tolerate.

Then we will be concerned about the share of poverty; not just wealth! Then we will not quarrel about whether it is 19 percent or 45 percent, because we will recognize that we are all naked before the Almighty; but can only see the speck of dirt in the other\’s eye and overlook the plank in our own. God Bless Malaysia.