BN needs 10 years, less dominant Umno to recover, say analysts

Chan Kok Leong Chan Kok Leong Updated 5 years ago · Published on 14 Jun 2018 7:00AM · 4 Comments

Umno has traditionally been the dominant party in Barisan Nasional. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, June 14, 2018.

NOW whittled down to just four parties, Barisan Nasional will need another 10 years before it can recover and be a serious challenger in the national arena again, say analysts.

Part of the reforms needed is to stop Umno from being the dominant party in the coalition, said International Islamic University Malaysia‘s Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar.

“It is a time for self-criticism now. There are thoughts that component parties shouldn’t have allowed Umno to be too dominant in the first place.

“If BN wants to survive, it has to allow renewal and reforms in the component parties. It may need to change the rules of the game in the coalition too, especially in terms of leadership structure and decisionmaking,” said Tunku Mohar.

The political science lecturer said the original Alliance structure gave more room for component parties to speak up. Alliance was the pre-Merdeka precursor to BN.

BN was formed in 1973 and until after the 14th general election, had up to 14 parties in its stable. It is now left with Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan, after smaller component parties and those in Sabah and Sarawak left the coalition following BN’s shock defeat in GE14.

Umno, the coalition’s lynchpin, has long called the shots, leaving the other communal-based parties, such as MCA and MIC, on the receiving end of Umno’s rhetoric of “Malay supremacy” and expressions by some of its leaders of other races as “immigrants” (pendatang).

Political observers have said that recent general elections, starting with 2008, have seen more and more Malaysians rejecting BN’s race-based politics in favour of the former oppositon’s more inclusive front, despite some member parties also being largely dominated by a single race.

“What is important is the perception of equality at the BN’s decisionmaking process. But BN, however, has always been dominated by Umno,” Tunku Mohar said.

After the trashing at the polls, BN should consider dissolving the coalition, Universiti Malaya’s Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said.

“The BN brand is now tarnished and it should be dissolved and rebranded as something new. Nevertheless, a rebranding will not work if its political culture and leadership is the same.

“It cannot be old wine in a new bottle,” he said.

Barisan Nasional defeat at the May 9 polls could signal Malaysians' rejection of race-based politics. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, June 14, 2018.

Other options for BN

While some quarters have floated the idea that Umno would merge with the Islamist PAS, Tunku Mohar doesn’t believe it will happen.

Some degree of cooperation is possible but outright political partnership would only result in a far-right opposition coalition. In multiracial Malaysia, a far-right model, such as PAS, has never thrived on its own. 

“PAS’ insistence on its brand of Islamist politics will push any merger to the extreme right,” he added.

Awang Azman said although some Umno and PAS leaders have met recently, he did not think a merger was on the cards.

“It won’t be easy as most of the PAS and Umno grassroots don’t agree with the idea. Any merger will split both the parties and further weaken their positions.

Both Tunku Mohar and Awang Azman also do not believe Umno needs to become a multiracial party, as being mono-ethnic is not its core problem, which is corruption.

“They lost the trust of their own members because of integrity, corruption and leadership issues due to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal and the goods and services tax (GST),” said Awang Azman. – June 14, 2018.

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Comments

  • To be fair, UMNO once did try under AAB to reduce corruption within its rank (eg Kasitah Gaddam) but the warlords, fearing the purge and bent on preserving the corruption and patronage culture instigated TDM to remove AAB which he succeed. The "crooked bridge" was just an excuse ......

    Posted 5 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply

  • Its not whether UMNO is dominant or not, its the very core idea of the current UMNO. THIS UMNO IS NOT TUNKU'S UMNO. It is the UMNO of the ultras, its UMNO Baru, its Mahathir's UMNO who he then threw out. Its their very idea of Ketuanan. All Along UMNO idea of Ketuanan has always been a hypocrisy. They should Ketuanan and spew hate while their PR and External Relation tells a benign intrepretation that its real intellectual idea is balance by strenghtening themselves and top leadership have the hate under control. Well, the hypocrisy has to go and real one has to be whether its within or without UMNO. So they have to chose to hate or not to hate.

    Posted 5 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • INDIA'S CONGRESS PARTY LOST POWER AFTER (ABOUT) 5O YEARS OF CONTINUOUS RULE, ON GROUNDS OF ALLEGED CORRUPTION. IT TOOK ANOTHER 2 MORE GENERAL ELECTIONS & BEING IN THE OPPOSITION RANKS BEFORE THEY EFFECTED A COMEBACK TO GOVT AT THE 3RD ATTEMPT, BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT THE INCUMBENT GOVT DIDN'T DO BETTER. I WONDER IF PAKATAN HARAPAN WILL SUFFER A SIMILAR FATE? MY MALAY MAINTENANCE MAN SAYS INDIA'S CASE IS NOT THE SAME AS MALAYSIA BECAUSE HERE WE ALSO HAVE CHINESE & INDIANS..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • UMNO reflects the Malay, especially in the past few decades, becoming totally abusive of it's power, taken the people for granted, and completely ignore the rule of law. And it has becoming so entrenched in the corrupt system, an addicted to the mega-scale corruption from any institutions or any organisation they could laid their hands to and the embezzlement of public funds with getting brazen each passing and totally disregard of any negative impact to the country. this is not only the mother of scandals 1MDB but corruption under UMNO/BN rule has bred corruption at all levels of any institution and GLCs. so much so that Malaysia culture is nothing but a corruption base society. The race based policies of UMNO/BN also breeds corruptions of all levels and now addicted to the culture of corrupt, making the majority Malay esp uncompetitive and very much dependent on the govt largesse and jobs of the GLCs or govt to survive. Resulted the biggest brain drain of the country history, created a talent shortage and filled with uncontrolled numbers of foreign laborer flocking in to take advantage of the job that Malaysia esp Malay do not want to work. It has created a mess in the labour and human resources marketplace.



    Posted 5 years ago by Phillip Teh · Reply