THE STAR:
Umno Youth’s two top leaders are struggling with their own demons as the wing struggles to find its direction in the new political landscape.
DATUK Mukhriz Mahathir was recently featured on the cover of a lifestyle magazine alongside Nurul Izzah Anwar.
The two newly elected MPs, one for Jerlun and the other for Lembah Pantai, were photographed standing back-to-back, in James Bond poses, with the caption, “It's our turn”.
Mukhriz is definitely in demand these days.
He is seen as a voice going against the political conventions in Umno and there is much interest in and curiosity about what this Jerlun MP has to say about politics and Umno.
On Wednesday, he was the prime speaker at a Sekretariat Melayu Muda gathering in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The other speaker was Akhramsyah Sanusi, an oil and gas engineer who also has a famous father, namely, former Umno strongman Tan Sri Sanusi Junid.
The warm reception accorded both men was also because of who their fathers are, given that the audience hailed from the “Mahathir generation”, people who grew up in the Mahathir era.
Both men were essentially speaking to a home ground kind of crowd because the Sekretariat Melayu Muda membership comprises youngish, well educated and, more important, thinking Malays. They are not into yes-men type of politicians and they appreciate critical thinking.
The crowd that evening was essentially seeking answers to the future of the country's Malay leadership after the March 8 results. And because quite a number of those present were Umno members, there was also an unmistakable concern about the sort of political culture surrounding Umno and the future leadership of Umno Youth.
“When you sit down and listen to what people say about Umno these days, it can be a painful experience,” said Akhramsyah, 34, an Umno member since age 20.
Many of them are watching developments in the Youth wing, especially the unfolding contest for the Youth leadership.
There is no doubt that Mukhriz appeals to their notion of a young political leader. They are quite critical of Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo and even more critical of Khairy Jamaluddin, the two other potential candidates.
But the trouble is that young Malays like them are not part of Umno's realpolitick and, thus, have little say on who leads the Youth wing.
And that is Mukhriz's dilemma. His appeal outside the party is greater than his appeal within. For instance, his attempt to meet up with Umno Youth division heads in Kedah resulted in only the Youth heads from Jerlun, Pendang and Merbok showing up.
But as some have pointed out, the Youth wing itself is facing its biggest crisis since the debacle of 1998.
Outgoing chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein is still reeling from the backlash from his apology of sorts over the keris.
The Umno rank and file basically find little wrong with Umno Youth's use of the keris, however offensive it may have been to those outside Umno. They regard Hishammuddin's apology as a sign of weakness.
Malay blogs have slammed him mercilessly and his aides have been deluged by critical smses.
To be fair, Hishammuddin had apologised to non-Malays as well as Malays. To the non-Malays, he said his intention was not to cause fear and that he regretted it. To the Malays, he was sorry he had been unable to defend their cultural symbol.
Hishammuddin was supposed to move on from the Youth wing in a blaze of glory but the general election losses have turned things topsy-turvy.
And with the apology backfiring in his face, he is probably at the lowest point in his political career. As the Malays say, it is truly a case of keris makan tuan (the keris has stabbed its owner).
He is quite aware of that and a few days ago, he said that he was willing “to sacrifice my political career for the party.”
He probably took a calculated risk in biting the bullet.
“I asked him about it and he said it was better to state it now than later. It is now up to the grassroots to evaluate and react to what he had said and done. He is prepared for the consequences,” said Penang Umno Youth chief Datuk Salim Bari.
Hishammuddin, as some have pointed out, is basically an urbane and civilised person at heart.
“He knew people were unhappy with him and he is trying to put the issue to rest so that people can move on to focus on the real issue,” said Umno Youth secretary Datuk Rahman Dahlan.
Hishammuddin is not alone in his dilemma. His deputy Khairy has also been badly damaged.
Actually, public opinion had not favoured Khairy even before the general election but like many political leaders, they seem cushioned from the real world outside and it took the March 8 results to drive the reality home.
It is ironic that groups like the Sekretariat Melayu Muda do not identify with him for he is basically of their generation.
Khairy's problem is the reverse of Mukhriz’s. He has support within Umno Youth but enjoys little respect outside the party.
Many people have noticed how Khairy has taken a much lower profile since the elections. He has in a way lost the mandate to comment on public issues and the next few months will see him concentrate on his role as a parliamentarian.
In that sense, most of the obvious candidates for the top Youth post are imperfect in their own ways.
But the bigger dilemma is that with the two top Umno Youth leaders struggling with their own demons, the wing is finding it hard to play its role or find its way out of the election aftermath.
Hishammuddin has been going down to meet the wing's grassroots leaders in states where the Barisan Nasional lost. He has been to Kedah and Penang and the feedback has been fierce and demanding. But underlying the complaints voiced, there was also a sense of confusion about where Umno Youth was heading.
The Youth wing is not as resilient as the Wanita wing and those in the Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states are probably feeling quite lost.
Whoever takes over will have to seriously revamp the wing and bring in a new political culture.
Umno Youth has become rather too pro-establishment over the years. It has to try to reflect young Malay priorities rather than constantly defend the top leadership's stand on issues.
The next Youth chief also has to realise that he cannot be a Malay ultra in the party and still hope to be seen as a national leader to those outside. He will have to learn how to strike a balance.
It is also a known fact that many young people were turned off by politics because they see politicians as self-serving and politics as dirty and corrupt. Many of the Umno Youth politicians probably do not realise how off-putting it is to see young politicians arriving for village functions in a convoy of expensive SUVs.
Given that, many young Malays if not Malaysians, are likely to be drawn to the idealism and less conventional style of the new and young faces on the Pakatan Rakyat side.
These new wakil rakyat from the other side will be Umno Youth's biggest rivals for the support of Gen X.
Umno Youth will have to match the new talent from the other side if it wishes to re-establish itself among a wide spectrum of young Malays, be it rural youth or thinking professionals like those in the Sekretariat Melayu Muda. Going for it: Mukhriz, seen here with Hishammuddin in Parliament, is making a concerted bid to become the new Umno Youth chief but his dilemma is that his appeal outside the party does not match that inside the Youth wing. Khairy: The Rembau MP has
support in Youth wing but public opinion is against him. Salim: Up to the grassroots to evaluate Hishammuddin's apology about the keris.
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