28 February 2017, Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah (right), Chief Secretary of Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) and Director (Strategic and Social Development) of Institute Darul Ehsan, highlighted that UMNO today is very different from what it was before, and is not suited for the future. The seminar was chaired by Dr Ooi Kee Beng (left), Deputy Director, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
28 February 2017, Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah (right), Chief Secretary of Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) and Director (Strategic and Social Development) of Institute Darul Ehsan, highlighted that UMNO today is very different from what it was before, and is not suited for the future. The seminar was chaired by Dr Ooi Kee Beng (left), Deputy Director, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
In the past, the party’s grass root leaders were ordinary folks and Malay teachers who were very committed and call themselves ‘Orang UMNO’ (UMNO people) rather than ‘Ahli UMNO’ (UMNO members). Today, UMNO has been replaced by businessmen, staff of the Ministry of Rural Development and people looking for opportunities. Volunteerism has declined while patronage or money politics, which emerged in 1980s, has deepened further.
UMNO is still in power because of four major factors: an unfair election system (gerrymandering), politics of race (plus religion), patronage, and the development of a culture of fear. However, since the turn of the millennium, many Malaysians have entered into a discourse on ‘New Politics’ which comprises four components: political integrity, democratic innovation, a new governance framework, and progressive political thought.
About 65 people attended the seminar.
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