There is a rejection of Najib from a substantial number of UMNO members, although this is not openly acknowledged and shown for fear of UMNO's famous reprisals, and Khairy Jamaluddin takes pot shots from a safe distance whilst always giving himself an escape route as even he is afraid of how big the reprisals could mean in UMNO when you say "Boo" to a goose.
Playing very safe can get seriously burnt |
Sungei Kandis showed the UMNO "Leadership" if there are any real leaders now, how serious the Najib factor is to their party and its strength.
From Johari Abdul Gani's outright criticism of allowing Najib to campaign in Sungei Kandis to Annuar Musa's more forthright criticism referring Najib as "Baggage the party could ill afford to bear", to Khalid Nordin's remarks that it was "Najib on trial and not UMNO" and went on further to say, "it mirrored what UMNO used to be, and still is, to a certain extent".
"The feudal values are still dominant in UMNO until it has
hindered our progress to reform and move for the better. There is no
sense of 'shame' in the feudal landscape." he said and he was very correct.
He was further quoted as having said "people were not held accountable because of the favours he or she gave
out when he or she was in power. This narrative must go and be replaced
by the real feeling of 'shame' against wrongdoings and injustice."
Indeed that is the case and Malays are getting fed up of this behaviour in UMNO and whilst Khairy Jamaluddin plays safe and is rather more of a fence sitter than a real advocate for change there does not seem to be in UMNO any serious person who is bent on putting the party right.
The videos circulating on the proceedings at the Dewan Rakyat show UMNO members as seriously going all out to stop any exposure of wrong doing on the part of the government that Najib led.
Campaigning in Sungei Kandis |
One ardent UMNO wanita supporter was aghast at the way they do not allow the alleged misdeeds in Parliament by just interrupting Guan Eng for each sentence he makes and asking him to withdraw words even she did not hear him use.
"If Guan Eng says, "they are thieves then he has also said that a full inquiry will be held, a public inquiry, so what is the big hang up if you did not steal, wait and prove him wrong, but these fellows look like they are guilty by their behaviour alone and I am ashamed, not only of them but of the leadership and myself for being led by such irresponsible people whom I have supported all this while. It seems everything said about Najib is true, we believed everything about Rosmah but we thought Najib was okay, no more for me now!" she said.
It surfaced at Sungei Kandis, with Malays and mostly from UMNO asking, "who is leading the party today, Zahid or Najib?"
"Why is he here? Does he not know it will do more harm than good to our campaign?"
These important voices of the grassroots and supporters of UMNO Sungei Kandis fell on deaf ears, they saw an UMNO with a false front and did not want too much of that.
Very appropriate criticism of UMNO's position with Najib |
Probably Khalid Nordin was the bravest of them all with his language, his criticism and his "mae culpa", but Ahmad Zahid's call not to take these grievances out in the open only shows that he believes by sweeping it under the carpet will solve the problem, an ostrich for sure.
There is now clearly a group in UMNO that realises the real problems that besiege the party, it is not the government but those in the party itself and Najib is the biggie with Zahid going after him and treating him as demi-god, members are seeing him as more of a puppet than a President, and they do not want Najib calling the shots as that is what they now claim is happening, they want Najib out for good, not even as a member if possible.
Perceived to be a Najib Puppet |
The noise has got a bit louder since Khalid Nordin's statement, former Melaka Chief Minister RahimThamby Cik has asked UMNO to remove Najib from the party, whilst Zainuddin Maidin said. "Najib Abdul Razak is a manifestation of the party's disappointment with his successor Ahmad Zahid Hamidi."
Now according to an UMNO veteran from Masjid Tanah in Melaka "Zahid seems to be part of Najib's baggage can't cut loose," this elderly gentleman said he was surprised that "Anuar Musa went crawling back to Najib's house to explain his position, one time it looked like he woke up, and at the other it looked like Zahid put him back in place and I am sure somebody else got Zahid to act and this is UMNO today, sad very sad, poor leadership, weak leaders, compromised people."