COMMENT If someone were to ask me to use one word to describe the goings-on during yesterday's AGM for Umno proper, which began with party president Najib Abdul Razak's policy speech, I would say without reservation, that it was "surreal".

Surreal, but not that nice.

As opposed to the "Surreal, but nice" line from Hugh Grant's character in the romantic comedy 'Notting Hill', which he blurted out when he met Julia Robert's character at the movie's opening boy-meets-girl moment.

And just as it was surreal, to have a famous actress, as played by Roberts, appear in the travel book shop of Grant's 'everyman' character, such surrealism, without the nice tingly feeling, is how one might describe yesterday's happenings at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Unfortunately the surrealism one got yesterday is not Roberts walking into one's shop, or bathing in one's bath tub, but something less so.

What was surreal, was seeing Umno and its leaders espousing a vision of Malaysia that was discordant to the truths that were knocking at the door of PWTC itself.

Truths that knocked, but perhaps they chose not to open the door and let them in. Truths that were visible but which they closed their eyes to.

It was as if the entire PWTC was stuck in a time loop or paradox, with Umno within a world of its own, with its own set of truths and perceived realities, while everything else outside was a vicious lie, or did not exist.

There was no mention of 1MDB, or a flagging economy. No mention of the rising costs of living, no mention of hardships or woes. No mention of the loss of confidence in the national leadership and of the looming rise of state authoritarianism.

All that existed seemed to be pro-Najib, "Hidup Umno!" rahrah-ness, with all present singing that song 'Everything is Awesome' from 'The Lego Movie'.

And a time loop seemed to have trapped Umno in a Malay supremacist "chosen of the divine" cycle once again, which happened every time the party was full of itself and was confident it could bludgeon its way to an election win, by any and all means at its disposal.

Though there were surprising pockets of lucid intervals which saw some sane thoughts expressed, they failed to gain enough momentum to burst through the Umno-inside processor bubble and supremacist operating system.

Indeed the need to expand this self-deluding micro-Utopia was perhaps the reason why Umno was adamant about building another extension to its headquarters complex, lucrative contract work for its in-house contractors aside, it would mean expanding this PWTC-la-la-land to be bigger and perhaps more deluding.

A land where the Umno members saw themselves as "Firdaus 2050", the fictional character being touted by a booklet distributed at the AGM, as the iconic Malay for all to aspire to be come 2050, with overseas education, a private jet, lucrative corporate job, an office next to Trump Tower, and other material trappings.

A slip perhaps, but it showed how despite its claim to serve religion, race, and the country, it would seem that the ideal Umno member was one that pursued worldly things, though the depiction of Firdaus did have him donating some of his wealth to charity, in the great Saudi donation tradition perhaps.

I guess it would make the perfect theme park for Umno supporters, a place to come and refresh their Umno-ness and live in the "Firdaus", which is one of the names of Heaven.

Bully for them, but unfortunate for us perhaps, because the excesses of Umno have this funny way of ending up on our bill, which we will have to ultimately foot.

And no, it is actually not funny at all.

HAZLAN ZAKARIA is a member of the Malaysiakini team.