COMMENT | Can DAP ever work with Umno?

“Now, they (DAP) are finally aware that Umno is the strongest grassroots party in the country. Embarrassed or not, like it or not, dare to admit it or not... they are forced to acknowledge this situation.”

- Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan

COMMENT | DAP Secretary-general Anthony Loke’s recent public comments about possibly working with Umno depending on the results of the next general election reflect the reality of the dead-end politics here in Malaysia.

Bipartisanship is one thing, but I find it difficult to believe that DAP and Umno could collaborate in any meaningful way beyond advancing certain public policies and even then, this is a dodgy proposition.

“I will not rule out anything because what is important is that we (all parties) must be agenda based,” said Loke, which is strange because the only agenda Umno has is race and religion and governing is a byproduct of that which includes systemic corruption and political malfeasance.

And yes, if there is some kind of reform within Umno, even if it remains a race-based party, then something could be worked out. But with this bunch? Even the anti-court cluster cartel is no better than former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and company. It is just that they have not been caught.

The geriatric cartels within Umno want young blood if only to sustain the system in place, which is vital for the bureaucratic structures that Umno took decades to subvert and corrupt.

Would younger Umno leaders be any different from their older counterparts? Would younger Umno leaders realise that the corrosive agenda...