In Malaysia, they think the government belongs to Umno and Umno belongs to the president, which is the root cause of all things that is wrong with Malaysian politics.

Malaysia does not belong to Umno, even if we were to buy the argument that Malaysia belongs to Malays only and all other races are ‘guests’, it still means it does not belong to Umno. There are Malays in PAS , PKR, DAP and Amanah and many other parties. It is not the exclusive property of Umno.

However , passive and subservient member parties of BN who are more interested in cabinet and plum positions in government-linked companies (GLCs) have allowed Umno warlords to delude themselves into thinking that they own the country, to the extent that they think whatever they say holds.

The PM says the government is democratically elected, which is technically wrong. The current government lost the popular vote, they received less than 50 percent support of those who voted, so they are not democratically elected but have retained powers through undemocratic mean such as gerrymandering which gives them more Parliament seat than the parties who have won more votes, which in turn allows them to bulldoze through whatever laws they see fit in Parliament with impunity.

Now coming back to Muhyiddin Yassin, let me put on record that I think he will make a worse prime minister then the current incumbent in office, you just have to see Muhyiddin’s record in office throughout to see that. It was his ministry which messed up the National Education Blueprint. It was him who in the past had alluded to the Malay supremacy cause.

All that is not important.

The PM has the right to sack any cabinet member that does not follow his line of thinking, that is called democracy. I accept that. However for this to work, the parliamentary party which is in power must exercise sufficient oversight and control over the executive in power, which we do not have.

Our BN/Umno does not control the government. The government controls Umno and its elected representative (well, they were appointed by the PM and then got elected under the party ticket). That’s why our mode of governance and democracy does not work. Yes, we are democratic but we are a democratically-elected dictatorship.

Umno is different though. It should not belong to the PM or its president. It belongs to its members. Muhyiddin was elected in a party election by its members and only the members should be able to suspend or sack him. Umno should call an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) if it wishes to sack any of its elected party officials.

Loathe him or like him, it does not matter. Muhyiddin was democratically elected but undemocratically suspended. This is against all form of natural justice, not that Malaysia knows how to practice this, which gives rise to so many cases of erosion of civil liberties and rights all over. Muhyiddin complains of turncoats who were urging him on to voice out and now have disappeared into the woodworks. Well, welcome to Malaysia.

So we find ourselves in a bizarre and ridiculous situation where a democratically-elected official, a senior official at that, is suspended although he has not done anything against the party’s interest but had gone up against the party president’s interest; while an appointed Mat Rempit-loving secretary-general whose ministry should not even exist in the first place as it is replicating Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) work and costing more wastage of public funds, is going around mouthing off whatever he feels like saying.

Allegiance to Umno, not its president

Did anyone elect him in the first place? Muhyiddin only owes allegiance to Umno, not its president. To talk about being loyal to the president is akin to living in North Korea or Zimbabwe.

Muhyiddin has not done anything that is contrary to party interest; in fact one can argue that party interest is all he cares about. If he just wanted an easy life and have a holiday in office at the taxpayers’ expense, he would just be a back-up singer just like the rest of the cabinet. Yes, sir, how high should I jump, sir?

Boris Johnson as well as a few cabinet members and senior members of the Conservative Party are campaigning for Britain’ withdrawal from European Union. Have a read here and here .

Has anyone read about Boris Johnson and any other party member being threatened with suspension or sacking as they are not loyal to the party leader? Never, as the party belongs to its members and David Cameron works for the party, and not the party works for David Cameron.

A previous Umno president, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, made so many changes to the Umno party rules which have made the current party president almost invincible. To accuse Malaysia of becoming a dictatorship is hilarious as it had always been one under Dr M. There were some shades of fresh air and attempts to free up civil liberties under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) and during the early moments of the current PM, but all that is distant memory.

Only Umno members can change this diabolical state of affairs, if they don’t there will be nothing left for them to claim as special privileges in years to come. Remember Zimbabwe, they fought for years to claim independence and when they got it their grandiose leader then proceeded to ruin the country bit by bit, year by year and along the way breaking all the wrong records and becoming the laughing stock of the world.

Malaysia may be next if we don’t watch it.