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©New
Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Zubaidah Abu Bakar
All is not lost for Barisan Nasional, not by a long shot, if
only Umno can supply the impetus and take the lead, writes ZUBAIDAH ABU BAKAR
RAISE the red flag. The Barisan Nasional is sinking into the
mire as it struggles to stay on top of an altered political landscape.
Weakened after the March 8 polls, the venerable coalition appears to have lost
control of events which is causing strain on its component parties.
Until the 12th general election, the BN prided itself as one of the world's most
successful governing arrangements since Malaysia's independence in 1957. That
pride has been wounded, and has not been patched up five months after the
shocking election results.
Local and foreign analysts have written the BN off, saying the people had
rejected the BN concept, favouring instead that of the Pakatan Rakyat.
But all is not lost for the BN. There is hope and opportunity
for salvation; the coalition can reshape and reinvent, if only Umno can supply
the impetus.
Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib agreed that the BN should
adapt to the current political environment.
"There are still ways for the BN to make adjustments to get support from all
levels of society," he said, adding that the coalition had faced many crises in
the past but was always able to rebound.
"Based on the March 8 election results, one cannot say that the BN has been
totally rejected. It is only a perception."
Umno, currently engrossed in pre-election infighting, has to take the lead. It
has to undertake reforms and re-emerge as the backbone of the BN. Its many
proponents say that a mighty mothership with a firm and respected commander will
steer the rest of the fleet on the right course.
But Umno alone will not be able to defend the BN and ensure the coalition
remains in power without the support of other component parties.
Issues related to inter- and intra-party relations within the BN have to be
addressed, and fast. It may not have the luxury of time as the Pakatan Rakyat,
led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is rising up as a formidable alternative.
As all the 14 component parties have accepted the power-sharing concept of the
BN, they should stand committed to a renewal process, without sacrificing their
core struggle.
As Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said, there is a need for a
"new" BN to retain current support and regain lost ground.
The BN, he said, should be brave enough to remake itself with new ways of
thinking and new expectations to engage the young.
There has been a lot of uneasiness in the rank and file of the Gerakan and MCA,
leading to calls for the parties to dump the BN.
Leaders of the two parties are now allowing members to openly declare their
rejection of parochial race politics after pressure from the grassroots who had
watched their support drain away to the Pakatan Rakyat.
Members of the MIC and People's Progressive Party have also criticised their
parties as weaklings under Umno's hegemony, particularly after racist remarks by
Umno leaders over the past two years went unanswered.
In a recent interview, Gerakan adviser Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik said he was willing
to give Umno a chance to change before the party commits itself to remaining in
the BN.
Outgoing MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, too, has expressed hope that the
51st National Day last weekend would usher an end to the making of racist
statements for the purposes of political mileage.
While it was a sincere call for Malaysians to respect each other and hold firm
to the constitutional spirit that founded the nation, Ong's statement was made
in the wake of the controversial remarks by Bukit Bendera Umno chief Datuk Ahmad
Ismail.
A number of politicians from both sides of the aisle have demanded that Ahmad be
charged for sedition.
Acting Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon wants a BN code of conduct with an
effective disciplinary mechanism to deter and punish racist displays among
members.
Professor James Chin of Monash University Malaysia says BN has to project a more
unified image to the public.
"Every four or five years, all the component parties promote themselves as one
strong coalition. At other times, all individual parties promote themselves
separately. This has to be looked into," he said.
For more than 20 years, there have been calls within the BN for the
contradiction to be removed by the formation of a single BN party. These calls
had been coming from the middle ranks of the Sarawak United People's Party, the
MCA and Gerakan during their annual general meetings.
"The BN's future depends on the future of Umno," said Tricia Yeoh, senior
research analyst at think-tank Centre For Public Policy Studies.
"As long as Umno is splintered, it is very difficult for other component parties
to reform within the BN."
The MCA is also enmeshed in intense politicking to elect a new party president
and deputy president to replace Ong and Datuk Chan Kong Choy, as both are not
seeking re-election next month.
Gerakan, too, will have its internal elections although, at this point, acting
president Koh looks set to be endorsed as the new president.
The MIC's leadership crisis, which also resulted in intense politicking by party
leaders, has slowed its activities.
There have been repeated calls for president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to quit,
but he can afford to wait as party elections are not due until next year.
The BN's travails, however, do not mean that its longstanding multi-party
formula has hit the skids.
"The infighting existed way before the general election and this had weakened
the BN. So it is not fair to blame the BN's power-sharing concept for the
disastrous electoral performance," Professor Mohammed Mustaffa Ishak of
Universiti Utara Malaysia said.
How far the BN can succeed in rejuvenating itself depends on the commitment of
its partners to stay true to its principles in this, the most testing time in
its 36-year life.
Professor Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, director of the Institute of the
Malay World and Civilisation, is pessimistic.
"There is no way out for the BN because its negative culture is too thick."
To disprove such critics and recover the votes lost in March, Umno has to
rebuild trust and cooperation among its component parties, beginning with
itself.
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Circular No 304/2008 : Invitation - HR Debate 2008
