A former Umno veteran says most Umno Supreme Council members bought votes and now this culture, with the help of the prime minister, is trickling down to the rest of the country.
PETALING JAYA: Cash handouts, revised salaries and other financial perks given to Malaysians as polls approach are just an extension of Umno’s culture of buying votes for party positions, said former Umno veteran Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.
Abdul Kadir, who was an Umno member of 56 years until he quit last year, told FMT in an exclusive interview that most Umno Supreme Council members gained their positions by bribing members up to millions of ringgit.
“In Umno, three million members elect 2,000 amongst them as delegates to the Umno General Assembly who will then elect the members of the supreme council. But these 2,000 members go and sell their votes, not all of them, but some of them. And it works! In Umno, it works!” revealed Abdul Kadir.
“You can really gain top positions in Umno by just buying votes. You don’t have to bother going down to the division, to the branches, to work hard, be popular with the rakyat.”
Abdul Kadir said this practice was so prevalent that when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was elected as Umno president in 2009, the latter joked in his closing speech “Inilah kita Umno dalam dilemma. Beri [wang] salah, tak beri, kalah.” (“We in Umno are in a dilemma. If we give out [cash], we’re in the wrong, but if we don’t give it out, we lose”).
“And everybody down there, the delegates, started clapping and laughing because they have been receiving,” recounted Abdul Kadir.
“And those on stage, the Umno Supreme Council members, also clapped because they have been giving. So it became a joking matter, something light – a culture that has to be accepted. ”
He said not all Umno leaders were comfortable with the culture, but had no other choice if they wished to hold on to their positions.
“Some are very reluctant to use money. I know some friends of mine, they do not like it. But as Najib joked, beri salah, tak beri kalah. So you lose, you lose your menteriship, you lose your menteri besarship, you lose your supreme council position.”
Abdul Kadir said what began as handing out a few hundred ringgit to grassroots members snowballed into millions.
“So in Umno politics, to get position, you need to have money, so you start to close one eye about using your position to acquire money. You’ve got to be corrupted. This is not good at all,” said Abdul Kadir.
Cash for rakyat’s votes
He said that because this culture of cash-for-votes worked so well in Umno, the same culture was now being transferred to the rakyat, through the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) vouchers and other cash handouts.
“And I tell you, if it can work with the elite of Umno, these 2,000 or so delegates, I’m sure it can work with the rakyat. That’s why you see money is being distributed and financial handouts being announced practically everyday,” said Abdul Kadir.
Last Tuesday, Najib had promised that the BR1M programme, which he initiated, would continue to be an annual handout. The one-time cash handouts of RM500 reportedly helped nearly five million families at a cost of RM2.6 billion last year, increasing Najib’s approval ratings up to 69 per cent.
“Politicians will not talk about [BR1M], especially politicians who are going to contest elections. I’m not going to contest, so I’m free to say I do not agree with cash handouts,” Abdul Kadir said.
“I prefer the government facilitate the rakyat to be more productive. Teach them how to fish, don’t just feed them the fish.”
He lamented the billions of ringgit spent on the cash vouchers that could have instead be channelled towards projects with long-term benefits to all Malaysians, including the BR1M recipients.
“For example, increase the funds for Tekun [Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga], Amanah Ikhtiar [Malaysia] by a few billions, and then encourage the rakyat to go and open small business and so on,” he suggested.
These past few weeks have also seen the prime minister promising a slew of goodies to the rakyat, including one-off cash of RM500 to all Telekom Malaysia staff, 1,000 individual permits to taxi drivers, pension to staff of government statutory bodies and 20 minutes of free Internet service to the poor.
Najib had justified the benefits by stating the economy was booming and the government merely wished to share the wealth with the people, but Abdul Kadir dismissed this.
“That sounds so beautiful, but no. Do you want the people to give votes because of the money [the government gave them], or because of policies of the government?” he said.
“I’m very worried about the future. That’s something very sad – that you try to win over votes by giving them money.”
But he said he saw no possible end to this vote-buying culture and corruption within Umno, which was why he eventually left the party and formed Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia last year.
PETALING JAYA: Cash handouts, revised salaries and other financial perks given to Malaysians as polls approach are just an extension of Umno’s culture of buying votes for party positions, said former Umno veteran Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.Abdul Kadir, who was an Umno member of 56 years until he quit last year, told FMT in an exclusive interview that most Umno Supreme Council members gained their positions by bribing members up to millions of ringgit.
“In Umno, three million members elect 2,000 amongst them as delegates to the Umno General Assembly who will then elect the members of the supreme council. But these 2,000 members go and sell their votes, not all of them, but some of them. And it works! In Umno, it works!” revealed Abdul Kadir.
“You can really gain top positions in Umno by just buying votes. You don’t have to bother going down to the division, to the branches, to work hard, be popular with the rakyat.”
Abdul Kadir said this practice was so prevalent that when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was elected as Umno president in 2009, the latter joked in his closing speech “Inilah kita Umno dalam dilemma. Beri [wang] salah, tak beri, kalah.” (“We in Umno are in a dilemma. If we give out [cash], we’re in the wrong, but if we don’t give it out, we lose”).
“And everybody down there, the delegates, started clapping and laughing because they have been receiving,” recounted Abdul Kadir.
“And those on stage, the Umno Supreme Council members, also clapped because they have been giving. So it became a joking matter, something light – a culture that has to be accepted. ”
He said not all Umno leaders were comfortable with the culture, but had no other choice if they wished to hold on to their positions.
“Some are very reluctant to use money. I know some friends of mine, they do not like it. But as Najib joked, beri salah, tak beri kalah. So you lose, you lose your menteriship, you lose your menteri besarship, you lose your supreme council position.”
Abdul Kadir said what began as handing out a few hundred ringgit to grassroots members snowballed into millions.
“So in Umno politics, to get position, you need to have money, so you start to close one eye about using your position to acquire money. You’ve got to be corrupted. This is not good at all,” said Abdul Kadir.
Cash for rakyat’s votes
He said that because this culture of cash-for-votes worked so well in Umno, the same culture was now being transferred to the rakyat, through the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) vouchers and other cash handouts.
“And I tell you, if it can work with the elite of Umno, these 2,000 or so delegates, I’m sure it can work with the rakyat. That’s why you see money is being distributed and financial handouts being announced practically everyday,” said Abdul Kadir.
Last Tuesday, Najib had promised that the BR1M programme, which he initiated, would continue to be an annual handout. The one-time cash handouts of RM500 reportedly helped nearly five million families at a cost of RM2.6 billion last year, increasing Najib’s approval ratings up to 69 per cent.
“Politicians will not talk about [BR1M], especially politicians who are going to contest elections. I’m not going to contest, so I’m free to say I do not agree with cash handouts,” Abdul Kadir said.
“I prefer the government facilitate the rakyat to be more productive. Teach them how to fish, don’t just feed them the fish.”
He lamented the billions of ringgit spent on the cash vouchers that could have instead be channelled towards projects with long-term benefits to all Malaysians, including the BR1M recipients.
“For example, increase the funds for Tekun [Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga], Amanah Ikhtiar [Malaysia] by a few billions, and then encourage the rakyat to go and open small business and so on,” he suggested.
These past few weeks have also seen the prime minister promising a slew of goodies to the rakyat, including one-off cash of RM500 to all Telekom Malaysia staff, 1,000 individual permits to taxi drivers, pension to staff of government statutory bodies and 20 minutes of free Internet service to the poor.
Najib had justified the benefits by stating the economy was booming and the government merely wished to share the wealth with the people, but Abdul Kadir dismissed this.
“That sounds so beautiful, but no. Do you want the people to give votes because of the money [the government gave them], or because of policies of the government?” he said.
“I’m very worried about the future. That’s something very sad – that you try to win over votes by giving them money.”
But he said he saw no possible end to this vote-buying culture and corruption within Umno, which was why he eventually left the party and formed Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia last year.
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Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, is confident that Barisan Nasional (BN) is capable of regaining most of the opposition states, including Penang, at the upcoming 13th General Election.
He said this confidence was based on the people’s positive response towards the country’s transformation programmes and their realisation of the government’s determination in improving the standard of living.
We hope voters in Penang now realise the central government’s sincerity. We have carried out various development projects in this state despite its opposition rule,” Nor Mohamed told reporters after launching the 2013 Jom Youth Carnival, here today.
He was commenting on DAP national chairman Karpal Singh’s reiteration of the opposition’s confidence of winning about seven or eight states at the next general election.
We cannot prevent people from having goals. But from a realistic political point I’m confident we (BN) can win, not just Putrajaya but also regain the states we lost in 2008,” said Nor Mohamed.
Meanwhile, touching on the banners stating he should not contest in the Tasek Gelugor Parliamentary Constituency, Nor Mohamed, who is the area’s member of parliament, said the matter did not affect him and should not be made into an issue.
Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir confessed that he was given the responsibility back then, but did he remain quiet to save his cushy position in the Cabinet? He has accused the government of the crime without giving any substantial evidence and even worse, insulting the voting Rakyat by implying that they are equally corrupted for taking the money and voting us in.
The government is on trial based on the words of an ageing politician who wants to remain relevant by declaring alleged wrongdoings of the government while he remained a part of it then. It doesn't make him any noble for making the confession today.
What it does is putting his "shady" credibility in question for not having the sincerity to resign on principle while being an accessory to corruption, if his allegations are correct. As I have said before in my previous posting here Kadir should shake himself out of this hallucination implying that the people do not enjoy the right to free and fair elections in this country.
Lest his memory should be failing him because of his age, please allow me to remind him that it was the truly free and fair elections that saw his brother Abdul Aziz lose his seat in Kulim to an unknown (Zulkifli Nordin) who has today become more recognized in politics than he and his brother will ever be. And it was also because of truly free and fair elections that we saw the opposition become the ruling government in 5 States in the Peninsula.
While he had the audacity to ask UMNO to accept the losses, his own brother could not accept the choice of the Rakyat. He went to court to contest his loss in Kulim, although the leaders were not too keen on such an action.
In response to Kadir’s call, PAS has already been given the right to publish news through Harakah, a publication for its members, however, no action has been taken by the authorities for its wide distribution beyond the party. PKR also has their own publication though they don’t have a newspaper license.
Kadir's action further suggests that no license is required for anyone to spread more lies to confuse the Rakyat. It is not losing that we fear, but misleading and fooling the Rakyat with slander and libel that worries the sincere leaders of this Nation. There is more to this country than just politics.
Abdul Kadir has two other brothers who are holding positions in different UMNO divisions. One of his brothers is said to be close to one of the top leaders in UMNO. I suggest that our leaders be wary of this family and not allow privileges be given to them if their loyalty as proven can be wavering while trying to remain noticed once they become insignificant.
The UMNO Disciplinary Board Too Needs To Constitute Proceedings Against Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir. Perhaps We Can Use This Opportunity In Exhibition To PAS As To How To Expel One Of Our Members With Class…But Then Again In My View, Kadir’s Reputation Is Not Even Worth The Ink On The UMNO Expulsion Papers!
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata, tiada pemimpin pembangkang mampu menandingi kehebatan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak sebagai Perdana Menteri yang berjaya mentadbir negara menjadi lebih makmur menerusi pelbagai agenda transformasi dilakukan.
Timbalan Perdana Menteri berkata, kenyataan itu bukan untuk berkempen tetapi berdasarkan penilaian beliau sebagai orang yang paling dekat bekerja dengan Najib dalam pentadbiran negara.
Katanya, Najib merupakan seorang Perdana Menteri yang hebat pada zamannya dan berupaya membawa Malaysia menjadi sebuah negara maju menjelang 2020.
"Ini soal pokok. Saya bagi kenyataan begini bukan kerana nak kempen, tetapi hendak menyatakan yang hak dan membawa risalah benar. Kalau siapa tidak bersetuju dengan saya, cabar saya. Kalau saya tidak betul cabar saya," katanya.
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