PAKATAN Harapan (PH) members are sarcastically posting on social media to welcome back Umno-BN (Barisan Nasional) back to Putrajaya. This was in response to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob informally garnering the most support to be Prime Minister.

But why welcome back Umno when Umnoputras have never left Putrajaya?

A good number of Umno’s dissidents that were side lined by Datuk Seri Najib Razak joined arms with the old fox, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to form Bersatu. The primary objective ambition and ideology of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) is to gain political power to access patronage and cronyism to accumulate wealth. Basically, Bersatu was Umno Baru 2.0 looking to plunder the people again.

Since 1998, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) was a founding ally to the people’s reform agenda alongside activists-cum-politicians in PH. PSM had warned PH about working with Bersatu-led by Dr Mahathir that never shared the vision for a democratic and equitable society.

PSM remained the primary resistance against Dr Mahathir’s’ Bersatu from hijacking the people’s agenda. In 2016, PSM was formally side lined to allow Bersatu a ceremonious entry into PH overnight.

Umnoputras in Bersatu got a red-carpet invitation to Putrajaya through PH. Dr Mahathir did not put PH in Putrajaya, but it was PH who put Dr Mahathir in Putrajaya. Bersatu never delivered the votes it promised.

The people were voting against Umno-led BN and not voting for PH-led Dr Mahathir. The people were celebrating the fall of BN, but PSM was in deep sorrow for the coming dark ages that were already put in motion.

Prior to the 14^th General Elections (GE14), PSM had cautioned PH that Umnoputras would jump and realign to seek patronage and cronyism. This happened after Bersatu inducted so many MPs, Aduns and division members from Umno looking for positions and projects.

During the Bersatu annual general meeting (AGM), they had demand government contracts. Umnoputras in Bersatu demanded that development funds be channelled through the appointed parallel Ketua Kampung (village chiefs) as practiced during BN era.

PSM also warned about Dr Mahathir’s abilities to utilise patronage and cronyism to corrupt leaders within PH. Consciously, Dr Mahathir gave Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali the control over government-linked companies (GLCs) and Bumiputera funds to distribute to the PH members.

This allowed the cartelism and factionism to thrive within PH leading to the Sheraton Move which is the biggest “katak migration” in the history of Malaysia’s political ecosystem.

Today, everything that PSM had cautioned our former allies in PH had materialised exactly. Personally, I am surprised that PH surprised about Umno returning to Putrajaya when Umnoputras never left in the first place. – Aug 20, 2021

Sharan Raj is the Central Committee Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). He is also a human rights activist, environmentalist, and infrastructure policy analyst. 

https://focusmalaysia.my/why-welcome-back-umno-when-umnoputras-have-never-left-putrajaya/