COMMENT | There are three ways to know if Umno is in a state of panic.

First, they roll out the cash as if there is no tomorrow. Second, they start identifying and demonising their enemies.

And, finally, which is new to Umno, but nonetheless repeated ad nauseum, is the persistent focus on a royal commission of inquiry (RCI).

As of today, all three have been in the offing, which goes to show that the whole of the Umno supreme council, including Umno Youth, have found themselves backed into the corner. How?

To begin with, Pakatan Harapan's formula of 10 and five has struck terror into the heart of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The formula affirmed that any drop in 10 percent of the Malay votes and five percent of the non-Malay votes is enough to consign Umno to the dust heap of history.

All across Johor, for example, the votes for Umno, and by extension the BN's as well, have dropped consistently by 25 to 30 percent since 2008, and are still dropping.

The likelihood of Umno losing its ceremonial stronghold is strong, especially when MCA has already caved in...