ID :
19035
Fri, 09/12/2008 - 10:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/19035
The shortlink copeid
UMNO KILLS TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE
By Alan Ting & S. Retna
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- United Malays National Organisation
(Umno), the political party leading the ruling coalition, has managed to kill two birds with one stone -- quell the disquiet among Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties and, at the same time, remind its members that the party leadership would not tolerate any provocation that could upset the equilibrium among Malaysia's multi-ethnic population.
It did this by meting out one of the harshest penalties in its history to Bukit Bendera division chief Ahmad Ismail who had made disparaging remarks about a certain community at a by-election campaign in Permatang Pauh recently, slapping him with a three-year suspension.
Ahmad rose from relative obscurity to become one of the most talked-about
persons in the country as a result of his loose tongue.
Speaking in a bantering tone, a politician from one BN component party said
Ahmad had succeeded in putting BN in disarray for several days.
The whole episode had also placed Umno in a vulnerable situation, against
the backdrop of constant sabre-rattling by Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim that
he would form the next federal government by Sept 16.
Umno's decision to suspend Ahmad had earned support from component parties,
including Gerakan, which had borne the brunt of the Penang politician's tongue
lashing.
In an immediate reaction, barely three hours after the suspension was
announced, Dr Koh said the suspension was a step in the right direction,
signalling that Gerakan was satisfied with the decision.
The swift action by Umno to discipline one of its errant members had
Gerakan party central committee member Gooi Hoe Hin saying: "It (the punishment)
shows that Pak Lah (Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) is
in control".
"It's good. It cannot be 100 per cent. Don't expect him to do miracles
overnight," Gooi added.
A leader from the People's Progressive Party says the three-year suspension
is adequate for anything beyond that may upset the Umno grassroots.
Meanwhile, former Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) vice-president Yap
Pian Hon, who was once detained under the Internal Security Act during Ops
Lallang in the 1980s, said it was good that Umno took such action.
"It is important that Umno leads by example," he said.
Many had been watching what Umno would do since northern Bukit Bendera's
Ahmad seemed to have crossed the line as far as race relations in 21st century
Malaysia are concerned.
Yap said, "Although we know that only one person made the remark, the
action initiated by Umno not only serves as a precedent for the party but also
as an example for other component parties. In the future, no politician in his
right frame of mind would utter racial overtones against another."
"At least, now the non-Malay BN component leaders can hold their heads up,
otherwise they don't know where they are going to put their faces," said another
MCA central committee member, who declined to be named.
Still, some have cast a suspicious eye on Ahmad, based on his past
association with some politicians who had left Umno and had gone to form other
political parties.
The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) views Umno's latest move as a reminder
to all BN components to keep their members in check to ensure that the ruling
coalition can move forward, especially in these testing times.
MIC information chief M. Saravanan said the whole episode did expose
a major flaw in the BN -- while the top leaders of components are close to one
another, the same is not reflected at the grassroots level.
"We should be having more programmes and interaction. This is the way to
go. So far, after the March 8 polls, instead of getting closer and forging
ahead, we are busy bickering and finding fault. This should stop and the
suspension sentence is a start not only for Umno but also all component
parties," he said.
In the midst of the name-calling and tension, Home Minister Syed
Hamid Albar had put the matter most succinctly -- he felt as if those embroiled
in the cross-currents had forgotten that they are Malaysian.
"Let us embrace each other's feelings," he said, while stressing the
importance of acting with restraint and having the ability to see each other's
point of view.
If only more politicians would act like Syed Hamid, Pak Lah or Najib Razak
in these discordant times.
-- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- United Malays National Organisation
(Umno), the political party leading the ruling coalition, has managed to kill two birds with one stone -- quell the disquiet among Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties and, at the same time, remind its members that the party leadership would not tolerate any provocation that could upset the equilibrium among Malaysia's multi-ethnic population.
It did this by meting out one of the harshest penalties in its history to Bukit Bendera division chief Ahmad Ismail who had made disparaging remarks about a certain community at a by-election campaign in Permatang Pauh recently, slapping him with a three-year suspension.
Ahmad rose from relative obscurity to become one of the most talked-about
persons in the country as a result of his loose tongue.
Speaking in a bantering tone, a politician from one BN component party said
Ahmad had succeeded in putting BN in disarray for several days.
The whole episode had also placed Umno in a vulnerable situation, against
the backdrop of constant sabre-rattling by Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim that
he would form the next federal government by Sept 16.
Umno's decision to suspend Ahmad had earned support from component parties,
including Gerakan, which had borne the brunt of the Penang politician's tongue
lashing.
In an immediate reaction, barely three hours after the suspension was
announced, Dr Koh said the suspension was a step in the right direction,
signalling that Gerakan was satisfied with the decision.
The swift action by Umno to discipline one of its errant members had
Gerakan party central committee member Gooi Hoe Hin saying: "It (the punishment)
shows that Pak Lah (Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) is
in control".
"It's good. It cannot be 100 per cent. Don't expect him to do miracles
overnight," Gooi added.
A leader from the People's Progressive Party says the three-year suspension
is adequate for anything beyond that may upset the Umno grassroots.
Meanwhile, former Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) vice-president Yap
Pian Hon, who was once detained under the Internal Security Act during Ops
Lallang in the 1980s, said it was good that Umno took such action.
"It is important that Umno leads by example," he said.
Many had been watching what Umno would do since northern Bukit Bendera's
Ahmad seemed to have crossed the line as far as race relations in 21st century
Malaysia are concerned.
Yap said, "Although we know that only one person made the remark, the
action initiated by Umno not only serves as a precedent for the party but also
as an example for other component parties. In the future, no politician in his
right frame of mind would utter racial overtones against another."
"At least, now the non-Malay BN component leaders can hold their heads up,
otherwise they don't know where they are going to put their faces," said another
MCA central committee member, who declined to be named.
Still, some have cast a suspicious eye on Ahmad, based on his past
association with some politicians who had left Umno and had gone to form other
political parties.
The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) views Umno's latest move as a reminder
to all BN components to keep their members in check to ensure that the ruling
coalition can move forward, especially in these testing times.
MIC information chief M. Saravanan said the whole episode did expose
a major flaw in the BN -- while the top leaders of components are close to one
another, the same is not reflected at the grassroots level.
"We should be having more programmes and interaction. This is the way to
go. So far, after the March 8 polls, instead of getting closer and forging
ahead, we are busy bickering and finding fault. This should stop and the
suspension sentence is a start not only for Umno but also all component
parties," he said.
In the midst of the name-calling and tension, Home Minister Syed
Hamid Albar had put the matter most succinctly -- he felt as if those embroiled
in the cross-currents had forgotten that they are Malaysian.
"Let us embrace each other's feelings," he said, while stressing the
importance of acting with restraint and having the ability to see each other's
point of view.
If only more politicians would act like Syed Hamid, Pak Lah or Najib Razak
in these discordant times.
-- BERNAMA
