The hysteria in Umno triggered by Tengku Razeleigh offering to run for its presidency reveals the darker and much uglier side to the party's culture. That is, the fear of contests, challenges and competition. This is the ultimate manifestation of the collective sense of insecurity and self-doubt, the harvest they reap after two generations of sowing the seeds of special privileges.

Or, to put a refined spin on it, the tremors are nothing more than expressions of frustration over threats to the entrenched feudalism within Umno. In traditional Malay society, its leaders - from the sultans down to the lowly ketua kampong (village head) - felt that they were entitled to their positions. Various higher authorities were invoked to justify this. For the sultan, it was his divine rights; for the bendahara (prime minister), it was so foretold by a now long-dead sance; for the ketua kampong, well, it was fated in one of his dreams.

Thus once acquired, the position was his to keep for life and to bequeath as he saw fit, usually to the oldest son. He in turn would then perpetuate this sense of entitlement, all in the name of upholding the tribal honor and tradition.

Umno may have all the trappings of modernity, alas, scratch a bit and the underlying feudalism reeks out. From the president down to the lowly divisional heads, these leaders, like their ancient counterparts, do not take kindly to the insolence of the upstarts, or any challenger for that matter.