My last two columns focussed on how corruption has become an embedded value and culture of Umno, premised on the admission and critique by two important Umno stalwarts. This column will focus on how and why we must move beyond this form of moral and financial corruption within Umno if we want to become a serious player in international development and justice issues.

But, first one anecdotal story I first picked up after joining the public service is as follows. Three finance ministers were on a train in India travelling First Class Coach. A beggar came into their cabin and asked for alms. Being thoroughly embarrassed about the incident, the finance minister of India took a 100 Rupee note gave it to the poor man.

Not to be left out, the finance minister of Singapore took a Singapore 100 dollar note and gave it to the poor man who was visibly delighted. The then finance minister of Malaysia took out his cheque book and wrote a cash cheque for 1 million ringgit, crossed it, and gave it to the beggar. The man left the cabin happy with his collections, though he nit have a bank account.

Umno and public trust

There is a major lesson we can all learn from the changes in the mode and method of the last two presidential election politics in the US; since Internet-linked medium has defined its sway. Almost no mainstream pundit predicted this outcome so categorically; that Donald Trump would win and win comfortably. Neither was Trump’s message lost on white middle class majority of the countryside.

After almost 70 years in office; the Umno government is no less corrupt than the Washington Consensus; or those called the Beltway Bandits. Many of them must now be consulting ‘out of the box thinkers’ to plan and figure out their next steps.

It reminds me of the time when a good friend was aide-de-camp (ADC) to the late sultan of Johore when he was the Agong. The ADC told me that by design intent the man preferred to be unpredictable. Of course, over time the political system did discipline him and the Conference of Rulers did sign its own neuter warrant as a result, but the federal government could not contain the man any other way.

I expect Trump to be no different and could meet with the similar results; unless he becomes a real politician. But, there is a clear lesson for the Umno politico-economic elite from the Clinton downfall; as we all saw, heard, and witnessed real time how that process unfolded. Thanks to social media for keeping all of us informed of truth matters.

Umno, as the core of the BN government, has some serious trust issues and let us assume that Malaysians are not stupid either; to say the least. The distrust of Umno must be at the highest ever possible level; whether from within or from without government.

Allow me to highlight some of these severe but tragic flaws visible to ordinary citizens - deceit, cheating, and lies are core values of governance today. When the speaker of the Parliament rules that a most serious breach of governance by the executive cannot be discussed in Parliament; the writing on the wall is very clear for any democracy.

The 1957 and 1963 arrangements have been equally violated by the current leadership of the federal government. Most peninsular and Borneo peoples have been cheated.

The Federal Constitution is no longer supreme; and instead the Umno president’s kitchen cabinet is now supreme law of the land; with their public servant allies.

Article 121 (1A) violated every Malaysian constitutionality in its core structure, and therefore needs to be reviewed before Sabah and Sarawak exercise their breakaway privilege for breach of the 1963 contract. It has unwisely made an appendix to the Federal Constitution, now the supreme defining logic in the name of the religion of Islam.

In the name of parliamentary democracy, all institutions of good governance have been manipulated for the benefit of incumbency. Free and fair elections are no longer free or fair any more; as the number of complaints filed this time prove this point.