COMMENT | It occurred to me once, that of all the people in the world, living and dead, I was most likely the one who had written the most words about Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

An odd distinction, to be sure. It’s also probably been years since I’ve written anything about this former Selangor menteri besar, but it’s been mildly amusing to note that, to this day, a certain brand of commenters never fail to mention my association with him, even in completely unrelated articles.

In any case, it was with quite a heavy heart that I read yesterday’s article on Khalid’s latest political stance.

I suppose if one were to look at it objectively, I doubt that Khalid shifting his support to Umno will make much of a difference in any grand scheme of things.

On a personal level though, I suppose my melancholy stemmed from a feeling that this was a nail in the coffin, and a passing of an era – a sign that Malaysian politics had unravelled past a certain, heavy-hearted point.

Drawing the line at Umno

Let me state upfront and early. I will likely never politically support anyone who supports Umno, nor ask or advocate for anyone to do so. This obviously applies in Khalid’s case.

I will say this much though: I believe that Khalid’s latest decision is a reflection of his priorities and principles, perhaps coloured slightly by the treatment he received while in the opposition.

We cannot fault the man for following his beliefs, but in the same breath, we cannot let the principles of others – no matter how much we looked up to them in the past – dictate or overly influence our own principles without just cause.

I think ultimately, one of Khalid’s primary concerns is Malay political clout.

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that he feels we are currently witnessing a fracturing of Malay political power on a dangerous scale.

His comments yesterday about working with both Umno and PAS serve only as more confirmation that those two parties will be working together, one way or another, during GE14, under the guise of perpetuating Malay-Muslim unity.

I’m guessing that this is something Khalid is in fact personally passionate about.

The last choice available

I feel that Khalid is sincere in wanting to contribute to what he believes is the best future for Malaysia.

His time in the opposition showed that Malay chauvinism à la Umno was not a core necessity for him.

He joined PKR in 2006, when it was a one parliamentary seat party, floundering on the brink of irrelevance. I walked with him door to door in the Ijok by-election which he lost, and joined the party myself around that time.

However, after the unjust humiliation following the Kajang Move, I doubt he could be blamed for never wanting anything to do with PKR or DAP ever again.

I suppose he feels he still has something to contribute, and has now joined the only viable platform he feels is available to him.

Race and corruption

This was something I was personally sad to see.

For many years now, I have been arguing that two of Malaysia’s biggest problems are race relations and corruption.

Simply put, I don’t believe that improvement of race relations is possible with Umno, as we know it.

It is the ecosystem of ethnically-based political parties, more than anything else, that has ruined our social fabric, and actively blocked true national unity.

It is this system that has instilled in us fears and distrust that has lasted generations, creating wounds that are becoming harder and harder to heal.

A Trumpesque con job

I’m not Malay, so I suppose my comments on the following will never be seen as credible by relevant parties, but I will make them anyway.

I don’t think it’s wrong at all to look towards the empowerment of a community. However, I do think it’s a mistake to always define that community in ethnic terms.

As has been argued countless times before, a poor Malay has more in common with a poor Chinese, Indian or East Malaysian, than she or he has with a rich Malay.

Speaking of which, Khalid is as rich as Malays come, but when someone like him supports Umno, it feels like he has fallen for the same con job used on the Malays on the opposite end of the economic spectrum.

Ultimately, it’s the same con job that got Donald Trump (photo), of all people, elected to the White House.

I suppose it comes from growing up in a generation where the majority of the information being fed to you constantly has a racial tinge to it.

I think time will show that, as beautifully unique Malaysia is, is it not “unique” in the sense that race-based politics must work here, even as it fails miserably everywhere else in the world.

We could fill an entire book about race in Malaysia, but an important point in such a book can probably be summarised by saying that as long as the “M” in Umno stands for “Malay” and not “Malaysian”, we cannot look to it to provide the leadership we need for a better Malaysia.

Personal integrity

Khalid’s position is doubly tragic when we consider Malaysia’s other biggest problem: corruption.

Of all the things I wrote about Khalid back in the day, I think I can easily stand by my comments on the man’s personal integrity.

I am in no position to judge his administration 100 percent clean. That would require knowledge almost no one can practically possess.

However, I will happily state, for the record, that I believe it was one of the cleanest – possibly even the cleanest – administrations in Malaysian history.

I believe that Khalid was serious and truly passionate about pursuing his ideals of a clean government, by weeding out big bribery, stopping leakages, wastage and excessive spending (a policy which you could say affected me directly), and striving for real efficiency.

I believe it was his unwillingness to bend the rules and “share” state resources for political purposes that ultimately got him ousted by PKR.

The wisdom of Tok Guru

Khalid now seems to believe that those same ideals can be pursued in partnership with Umno.

His stance brings to mind the late Tok Guru, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (photo), who I recall was supportive of Khalid during the Kajang Move.

One of the smartest, most astute positions I believe Tok Guru held most firmly to was: never trust Umno.

I imagine this secretly earned him the derision of many of those in power in PAS today, but it was probably one of his most intelligent, insightful principles.

I believe Tok Guru understood the heart and soul of Umno as an institution today (as compared to, say, when it was first formed), along with the hearts and souls of the men who currently lead it.

I’m not saying that corruption is unique to Umno or BN. Far from it. Corruption in politics is a bipartisan cultural phenomenon.

It may be fair to say though, that no one does corruption “better” or more thoroughly than Umno. By this point, it has become so woven into the fabric of what Umno is, that Umno would barely be Umno without it.

A parting of ways

Sometimes our passions, past experience or emotional tendencies cripple our objectivity. As writers, this is certainly something we should be on the lookout for.

In Khalid’s case, the man has earned his right to make whatever decisions he sees fit. Certainly he has more credentials than say, someone like me, to be making big decisions at a high level.

That said, from what little I know of the world, I cannot in any way agree that this is the best path to take – not even to accomplish what I imagine are his own goals of Malay unity and progress, and government with integrity.

Simply put, to do so would be against everything I have ever thought, and everything I have ever written.

So, I suppose, politically speaking, here we part ways Tan Sri. It has been a long, emotional and meaningful ride. My sincere thanks for everything I’ve learned watching you, and my best wishes for your future.

NATHANIEL TAN is aging. He generally prefers black bean soup to red.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.