Bold call from a Johor delegate

Dato Ayob Rahmat, delegate from Johor and state assemlyman of Kemelah

The views from the UMNO state representatives debating the President speech on Thursday morning was coming out rather predictable and stale. With the sound of the beating election drum, bodeking was rampant from aspiring candidates.

As one DG of a government agency commented privately, it was too much rhetorical, lacked specifics, and insufficient information backing. At the rate they were talking, it will end up Najib Razak himself to do the thinking, planning  and implementation. "Mati berdiri la ..."

Our complain was the information or analysis presented are laggard. With news, information and analysis accessible to the masses in minutes upon occurence, much of the issues raised have been heard before and it sounded boring-ly repetitive.

One could hear same old same old views remnants of Mahathir's NEP tongkat days like demands for GLC CEO position to be kept for Malays, special allocation for Malays, and various other demands remnants of dependent mentality of Mahathir's era.

It was a failure that Mahathir himself admitted. However, it was by his own design and the  Machivellian was merely putting up an act of rregret. The tongkat was necessary tool for his own political survival and continuity.

A retired media wanted to see the pembawa usul humanise the fact presented to enable the lowest to the highest common denominator among the audience could relate. It was something Mahathir was good at in his days.

From noon to late evening, we were spending more time catching up with political, media and activist friends. Missed was the much talked about speeches by one Sabah and Johor delegate.

Rhyming with the theme set from the President speech for party unity through wala' or loyalty to the leadership was the need to cleanse the party of those rebels and those in contradiction with the party.

The President merely said to not waste time and to move forward but it was given specific by few delegates. [Read NST here].

Though quite the usual thinking within UMNO, the speech from Sabah delegate has it's significance because it was expressed by Semporna UMNO Treasurer and cousin to Dato Shafie Apdal, Datuk Razak Tun Sakaran. It is rumored that one of the Sakaran children will take on Shafie.

Razak said, “I feel, if there are any members who don’t agree (with the leadership), get out (of the party) like a gentleman.”

Harsh as it may be, it is relevant reminder to PPBM members and pentaksub Mahathir followers. They are now with the opposition party thus stop commenting about UMNO should be this and that, Najib is this and that.

Was Razak speech the one many delegates rated as the best speech yesterday?

Stark reality

However, the voice that may have stand out yesterday and gotten wide agreement overnight in the few Whass App groups we are still part of must be the Johorean delegate speech.

Off late, we have been removing ourselves out of groups with large number of members. It has become unproductive and intellectually challenging to comprehend.

In what seemed opposite to Dato Najib's reminder to Malays that the many institution established for them could cease should DAP take leadership of the country, Dato Ayub Rahmat, state assemblyman for Kemelah in Segamat, reminded to UMNO to stop asking Malays for loyalty but look at it the other way.

It seemed those in the upper echelon of the party was annoyed. Most likely, it is not the leaders who are usually open to criticism, but the people around them. There is likelihood it ran contrary to the message the assembly was meant for.

An extract from The Star report summed it well

“Umno came into existence because of the Malays. Umno owes its success to the Malays.

“We shouldn’t forget that Umno has remained in power for so long because of the Malays.

“In fact, it is time Umno stopped reminiscing about what it has done for the Malays,” he said in his speech while the debating presidential policy speech at the 2016 Umno General Assembly here, Friday.

He added that that the biggest challenges facing the Malays today were no longer special rights, privileges or supremacy, but the ability to compete and succeed.

“The real issue affecting the Malays today is its preparation and capability to compete and succeed in the 21st century.

“It is time for the party to offer a new narrative, a new agenda while renewing hopes to the Malays,” said Ayub.

He added that Umno needs to provide the answers to the Malays.

However, the speech may not have meant to criticise the President but to get UMNO members to think outside the dependent NEP mindset of Mahathir. More archaic thinking is very much at large within Dato Ibrahim Ali-led PERKASA.

Way forward

NST report on Ayub's speech covered the essence:

Johor Umno delegate proposes bold "new deal" to empower Malays

By MELISSA DARLYNE CHOW - 2 December 2016 @ 10:54 AM

KUALA LUMPUR: A Johor delegate today said the time has come for Umno to formulate a more concrete, pragmatic and comprehensive "new deal" to empower and develop the Malays.

Datuk Ayub Rahmat, in debating the Umno president’s policy speech, said this is to ensure all issues affecting Malays in the 21st century can be addressed in an open and orderly manner.

The Kemelah assemblyman lamented that while many strategies had been crafted in the past, they did not offer true solutions to problems plaguing the Malays.

“Umno must come forward to bring this 'new deal' to all Malays. "So what is the Developed Malays Agenda (Agenda Melayu Maju)? Firstly, it is an agenda that ensures that Malays have economic resilience in a globalised era.

“Secondly, it must ensure Malays prosper. Thirdly, it makes Malaysia more Islamic, but modern and global.

“It must provide quality education that teaches suitable skills for the 21st century. "The government must also be managed in a trustworthy manner and based on best practices.

"And lastly, it makes Malays a great community,” he said at the Umno general assembly today.

Ayub also proposed that a group comprising outstanding Malays be set up - those who have the expertise and brains to plan, fine tune and formulate this agenda.

“Let them then present it to Umno. And say, six months from now, hold a meeting or a gathering to present and launch the ‘Transformasi Agenda Melayu Maju’, for us to debate, approve and then present to the Malay community,” he added.

The government's role could no more be to involve in every damn thing. They could lay out the framework, incentives, and infrastructure. The Malays and rakyat have to seize on it.

NGOs like Perkasa has to stop their merely desak mendesak kerajaan role. It is out-dated and serve no purpose. At best, they are merely messengers and playing role of go-between certain political  interest and government.

True NGO should have specific programs and core activities with specific purpose, goals, and deliverables, which is not merely seminar, forums and talk talk events.

NEP have long gone and the world have significantly changed. The 60 something are still lost in trying to explain what and why the needs of past policies and insist everything should remain the same.

They can all regroup within PPBM and live out their extinction. The attitude of the new generation is beyond their comprehension.

The opportunity presented by the government move for HSR, digital economy and many others are immense. Technology would be changing the strategic importance of location. Economic model could change from managing scare resources to that where resources are in abundant.

Malay political parties, NGOs, community leaders and particularly IPTA should assist the Malays with more "how to" in order to seize on the opportunity and help elevate the burden of government.

Since civil service are seldom deemed incapable of playing the role expected of them and increasingly seen as corrupt and inefficient, they should fill up the void.

The desak desak of the Ibrahim Ali variants are old school and out-dated, not in-sync with the more indie thinking of the new generation.