Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin has urged Malays not to be too quick to return their support to Umno, arguing that the party’s leadership has yet to demonstrate a clear break from its past.
In a Facebook post, Kadir said that with several state elections and the 16th General Election approaching, voters should carefully assess whether the Umno that suffered defeats in the 2018 and 2022 general elections has replaced what he described as its ‘kleptocratic and kakistocratic’ leadership with better leaders.
‘Forgive me for saying this, but Malays should not be too quick to give Umno a blank cheque,’ he said.
Leadership remains the key issue
Kadir said his caution was based on what he viewed as continuing signs of ‘kleptocratic and kakistocratic’ practices within the party’s top leadership.
He described kleptocracy as a system in which political leaders or senior government officials abuse their positions to embezzle public funds for personal enrichment.
He added that kakistocracy refers to a system of government led by those who are the least qualified, incompetent and corrupt.
Party image alone is not enough
Kadir said it did not matter whether Umno portrayed itself as a ‘house’, an ‘umbrella’, a ‘ship’ or any other form of shelter for its supporters, as the party’s leadership remained the most important factor.
He said there were signs of hope within the party, but they were still insufficient to convince him that Umno had found a clear path forward.
‘Although there are glimmers of hope here and there, they are not yet bright enough to illuminate the way forward. Dying stars still fill Umno’s sky,’ he said.
Onn Jaafar’s reminder
Drawing an analogy from astronomy, Kadir said dying stars often shine most brightly just before they burn out.
He also cited Umno founder Onn Jaafar, who once said: ‘Fighting the Malayan Union was the easy part; the harder task is fighting the Malays themselves. To fight the Malays is to fight our own attitudes, habits and conduct.’
