More important than the Human Race...

Technorati tags: Malaysia, Politics, Commentary, UMNO, Race Politics, UMNO General Assembly

... is the Malay Race.

Nothing beats waking up to the stench of political grandstanding first thing in the morning. It's that unique hard-to-define odor that immediately tells you the UMNO General Assembly meeting is looming around the corner.

"Without race-based politics, I'd be out of a job"

To fully appreciate what Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman had to say, do read the full article (or download the PDF version here).

So, let's see if Walski understands the subtext of what the man is trying to tell us:
► Malays are, by nature, inept. Therefore, they need UMNO to champion them
► Meritocracy, which is based on ability, hence, is not a good thing. Therefore the Malays need UMNO to ensure that they won't have to compete on an equal playing field - ever
► UMNO will protect the Malays from globalization, liberalization and any other threats to the tempurung the Malays choose to live under
► Race-based politics keeps me employed, therefore you need UMNO politicians like me
► Although the South Johor Economic Region (SJER) is not explicitly mentioned, getting annexed by Singapore is okay, since it's only a small, bonded part of Johor. And as long as the right UMNOputeras get a big fat slice (screw everyone else)
(more subtext and thoughts in the full post)

It's all too obvious that these statements are nothing but Rah-Rah Hidup Melayu pep-talk for the benefit of the UMNO faithful at the meeting. In the name of UMNO, for UMNO, till death do us part. Amen.

Incidentally, the article would also make an excellent sloganeering handbook for the newbie UMNO politicus maximus* (emphasis by myAsylum):

"Umno Johor is steadfast in its stand that the meritocracy system must be stopped"

Even if the term Bangsa Malaysia is to be used, it must only be applied in the context of all the peoples of Malaysia with the Malays as the pivotal race

"Bahasa Melayu was also in danger of losing its edge as the language of knowledge in schools because of the priority that was being given to English"

Was Bahasa Melayu ever a language of knowledge in schools? Whatever happened to the term Bahasa Malaysia, Walski wonders? A cursory look at who our interantional trading partners are, and what language they speak, would probably knock some sense into the Datuk.

He urged the rank and file to reflect on the party’s early struggle as many had lost track of its original goals in their pursuit of progress and prosperity

After 49 years of independence, we should be more mature and not try to produce nebulous concepts whose origins are not clear. The concept, if subjected to abuse, can threaten national stability.

Nice.

One point Datuk Ghani makes, implicitly, is that without the UMNO crutch, the Malays will never survive the coming difficult years. To Walski, however, it is UMNO that needs the continued Malay reliance on the psychological crutch, simply for its own legitimacy, relevance, and survival.

After 49 years of independence, dear Datuk, you should also realize that to survive the next 49, the status quo paradigms we hold onto so dearly will probably need to shift. We need paradigms that are relevant to the problems we face today, not nostalgia-induced status quo paradigms which will bring us to no more greater heights than same 'ol. same 'ol mediocrity. We need paradigms that can leverage on the combined strengths of all Malaysian ethnicities, and not simply the promotion and interest of one pivotal race. We need paradigms to fully realize our true Malaysian potential. Paradigms that address relevant problems based on need, and not on the needs of one pivotal race alone.

And just as it is pivotal to Vulcan Philosophy, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one", is equally applicable to the here, the now, and the real Malaysia all Malaysian love. Not just the pivotal race.

And speaking of "49 years of independence", Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman would have been somewhere around 11 years old in 1957, when independence was achieved from Britain (he was born in 1946, according to Wikipedia). With rah-rah speeches like this, one could almost imagine Datuk Ghani struggling side-by-side with the late Tunku.

Gee, they sure do start political activism and awareness young, down south in the UMNO-bastion state of Johor, don't they?

* Walski's made-up Latin glossary: Just in case you were wondering, the term politicus maximus is something Walski totally made up. It means "big political rat"