I refer to the letter If not Anwar, then Ku Li it is.

It is my belief that many share the view that Ku Li is a fine breed of a political person who has, to a large extent, held political views that resonate with most Malaysians.

However, I do not share the argument that he, or any other person for that matter, would be able to change Umno as it has been in the past or now. After 22 years at the helm, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted that his greatest regret was his inability to change the mind-set of the Malays.

He was sly in not alluding this to Umno, particularly its warlords who wield so much power. The ruckus by Umno Penang (even rudely tearing up Koh Tsu Koon’s’s portrait) shows the kind of demeaning mentality that Ku Li can even dream of handling, and if anyone believes that such blatant attitudes will change to support the claim for changes within Umno, it is only wishful thinking.

It is not that those in Umno do not want to see what Ku Li has to offer but it is a case of not wanting to see, and so as far as Ku Li is concerned, he is not on their radar screen at all. Ku Li does not fit into their political ambitions and I doubt very much he can even muster the required number of nominations to contest the Umno presidency.

Soon after March 8 elections, there was a notion - as claimed by Pak Lah - that the message has been taken cognisance of and the changes would be forthcoming. This reminded us of his remarks on the sort of governance he wanted to institute when he assumed the premiership and the people trusted him and gave him an unprecedented victory at the polls that ensued in 2004.

Lo and behold, the people were then horrified at the claims of a mandate made by Umno and the ministers in saying this was a blank cheque to carry on their uncontrolled desire to accumulate and abuse their power.

To be fair to Pak Lah, he may have wanted to do something tangible but his misfortune was that the culture and structure of Umno tied his hands and only those in Umno were visible to him. The vision of others outside Umno was a blur and his claim of being the PM of all Malaysians was not only a joke but a mockery of the intelligence of all right-thinking Malaysians.

Policies of this nation - administratively, politically and economically - are shaped not on the claim of being favourable to the Malays but rather being favourable only to the Malays of Umno.

When the post of the president of Umno hinges very much on the Umno warlords, it would be instinctive of any Umno leader to look in that direction.

That the other component parties of BN gallantly play second fiddle to Umno has irked the people. Whatever remains of their claim to power or legitimacy, if any, would receive a death knell.

These parties are no different from Umno in forming and forging dubious alliances to harp on racial sensitivities and maintain their dominance over their respective races. The MIC and PPP, contrary to their ardent claims, do not exist anymore as far as most Indians are concerned. The former’s so-called re-branding is nothing more than an attempt to divide the Indian community.

What is missing from their minds is that while Hindraf has been a catalyst for the Indians, for which the Indians will be emotionally and eternally grateful for, the average Indian has turned away his sights from the MIC and looks for alternative politics.

After all, Hindraf is not a political party, and if what its chairperson P Waythamoorthy states is correct, it never will be. So, the MIC is foolishly barking at Hindraf. The awareness journey that Hindraf created, and continues to do so, has been appreciated by most Indian Malaysians and most have written-off the MIC and PPP.

As far as Gerakan is concerned, having been wiped out from its power base in Penang, it is grappling with the issue on what it can do outside the BN, a somewhat Catch 22 situation. Its demise is as sure as the setting sun in the west whether it stays or opts out from BN.

The people were so fed-up with their subservient administration in Penang with a lacklustre and rudderless Koh Tsu Koon as their leader that he, too, got booted out by a newcomer. Their often claimed ‘check and balance’ position within BN was nothing more than a whitewash.

Dr Lim Keng Yaik even went to the extent of grudgingly stating their position as that of beggars. Do I have to say more?

As for the MCA, wheeling and dealing is much at their fore and their subdued retorts on issues affecting them are only seen as lukewarm statements to somehow show the Chinese community that they have finally started to stand up for the Chinese.

If at all I see one Chinese leader who has some ‘backbone’ that will be Chua Jui Meng. Before the last MCA presidential elections, I had opined that he would be a better leader compared to Ong Ka Ting, but the same culture as in Umno has permeated MCA.

This is what happens when you trust your future to a few delegates to choose you as your leader and it is little wonder that most of these delegates have become a power base unto themselves.

It is my fervent hope that the Chinese community will come to their senses and choose Chua Jui Meng and reclaim their pride. It is just that among the devils, he seems to be a better shade of a devil, that’s all.

The acid test, as it has come to now, is the position taken by Zaid Ibrahim. He is blatantly honest that he has failed because there is no way that one can reform Umno from within. He is one man who could have succeeded in reviving the fortunes of Umno and BN, if he had his way, but alas, where he and others before him, including the previous attempts by Ku Li, have failed, I hardly find even a small ray of hope that anyone can ever change Umno, the component parties included, from within.

The political landscape of Malaysia has changed forever. The sooner these BN parties realise this, the better it would be for them but as I have mentioned, this could be a tall order.

For a start, the government should repeal the ISA and release everyone from the unmitigated misery the ISA has caused. Charge them if there is any evidence of their alleged guilt.

People are very, very irritated with the way this government is running the show. Instead of changing for the better, it is going after people who just want better governance.

We do not need a soothsayer to say that they are treading a treacherous path leading to a disaster for Umno and BN.