Umno EGM Important For Damage Control, Says Razaleigh

Gua Musang Member of Parliament Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah reiterated his call for Umno to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to discuss the results of the March 8 general election saying it was important for damage control.

He said the EGM would be the best platform to face the results squarely and take the appropriate measures to ensure Umno regained its footing.

"But for this to happen, the divisions must first agree for the EGM to be held and move a resolution to discuss the election results, which saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) lose five states and its two thirds-majority in Parliament.

"And formulate the steps that must be taken by the party because without the support of MPs from Sabah and Sarawak, Umno will no longer have any power in Parliament," he told reporters on arrival from Kuala Lumpur at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport here last night.

He said Malays from the peninsula now had lost power in Parliament after Umno and the BN were humiliated in the election.

"It is time the leadership comes down from its ivory tower and listen to what the members have to say about this serious debacle. We leaders having failed, now must listen to the views of the members, who give us our strength.

He said by doing this, Umno would be able to rectify the situation, as it did after a similar debacle in 1969. "But 1969 was not as bad as this time and more so after we introduced the New Economic Policy (NEP) to uplift the bumiputeras.

Tengku Razaleigh said the meetings he held with Umno division leaders post-election in the capital over the last few days was to explain to them the gravity of the situation and thus the need for the EGM. However, some of the division leaders feared they would lose their posts if they spoke up, he said, adding that this would be detrimental to the party as fear would be what would ultimately lead to Umno's extinction. (Bernama)

***** As much as one can appreciate Tengku Razaleigh's worries, he too must understand that it is in the national interest for Umno to be kept in check or better still in the doldrums awaiting, in his words, 'extinction'. They've had their time, five decades of it and in the end, all that they have succeeded in doing is to screw up the competitiveness of our economy, split the people and endanger national unity. And in the process they have created a large group of pathetic rent-seekers and transformed otherwise healthy individuals into economic crutch-bearing no-hopers and basket cases.

It is time for fresh ideas and strategies for national reconciliation and Umno is simply not up to it. They have been dishing out the bangsa, agama dan negara crap for far too long and have thrived on frightening the Malays while bullying the non-Malays with visions of large-scale slaughter. People of that breed cannot see the larger picture and are forever doomed to view the world through the communal lens to politically survive.

If ever they come back to 'full' power they will definitely up the ante and become even more ferociously racist to ensure their survival. Let's pray that never happens.
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