Umno needs a new face to regain glory

[superadmin]

How the high and mighty have fallen! There was a time when Umno ruled the roost but today it is struggling to find its footing.

From 1957 till the general election of May 2018, it was the dominant force in Malaysian politics. In the early years it was respected, then it was feared, today it is ridiculed.

When people talk of corruption, the first things that come to mind are 1MDB, Umno and Najib Razak, the former prime minister. When people talk of money politics, the first thought that springs up is Umno (as if no money passes hands in other parties).


The July 28, 2020 conviction by the High Court of former Umno president Najib on seven charges of abuse of power, breach of trust and money laundering related to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former 1MDB subsidiary, has only solidified the perception that corruption is rife in Umno. He is currently undergoing trial on other charges related to 1MDB.

Umno treasurer Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was also found guilty of graft involving RM2 million and was sentenced to a year’s jail and a RM2 million fine. Both Najib and Adnan are appealing their convictions.

In addition, current president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and several other Umno leaders are facing criminal charges, including for corruption and abuse of power. Zahid alone has been slapped with 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and bribery.

But Unmo has not been dragged down by corruption alone. When most Malaysians use the word “cronies” in a derisive sense, the word “Umno” comes automatically attached, like an adjective.


- More -