The failure to listen to the views of youths, finding out their needs and guiding them would lead to Barisan Nasional becoming meaningless, warns Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. The Umno vice-president and Home minister shares his views with SAJAHAN WAHEED and SHUHADA ELIS Q: The majority of young voters believe their votes are not important and that voting will not change their lives. What can Barisan Nasional and Umno do to change this perception?
A: That is the most critical question that we need to answer. Why are we doing all this? Everything is for them because if you do not find out about their needs and guide them, then it is meaningless. So, if they think they are not important, that is not true. We are all aware that they are an important force.
Our children will be led by them. If they are not guided, their voices are not heard and they are not empowered, I am worried how they will lead my children. But how do we engage them? We should not underestimate the youth because they know who are sincere. Time will prove who the voters want, so Umno and BN have a big challenge. Plus, there are different levels of youth -- rural, urban and even Felda youth.
Q: Young voters preferably want young candidates to contest in the next general election. What is Umno's stand on this?
A: You cannot underestimate the ability of young Malaysians to decide on their future and destiny. They want young candidates, but not just about anyone. They want the young leaders to represent them and articulate arguments, to work hard, to be honest and to correct whatever is not right. But if you look at the opposition, many new faces who won in 2008 have been assessed in the past 20 months. Whether they get re-voted in the next general election depends on their performance.
The younger generation will evaluate the performance of leaders not based on their age but on their capability to deliver promises. The younger generation plays an important role and I do not think they look at only the age of the candidates. Youngsters are better exposed and educated now, and the ability to inspire is what they look for in a candidate. This is what BN and Umno have to grapple with. So, that is why we amended the BN constitution so that the youth can participate more.
Q: You say that age does not really matter in an election candidate but the opposition is fielding young candidates to attract voters.
A: Yes, because they think young candidates can represent the voice of the youth. It has been 20 months now and don't tell me that all those young faces have delivered. It is the same for Umno in looking for leaders. Those characteristics of amnesia, arrogance and what not apply to all, no matter how old or young they are. Even the young ones can be corrupt. It is not an age factor but the shortcut -- again, it is the politics of perception. As for the new and young faces who present the young voters, they better know who they are presenting because the future of the party depends on them and the youth who vote for them expect these leaders to meet their expectations.
Q: Let's say you have to address a group of 25-year-olds who don't know who to listen to. What would you tell them?
A: Give us a chance. Give the prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak), Umno, BN and me a chance to show we are here not merely because of politics but to ensure we are able to put them on par with other races out there -- something we can bequeath them so that they can bring the country to greater heights.
What I fear is that if they don't give us a chance, all these things will get squandered off and destroyed. We see that in many countries and that will be something I can't forgive myself; my father and grandfather won't forgive me. Whatever the people may think of the government, don't destroy the very fabric that we live in because at the end of the day, we have to build those institutions again. So, let's start working from within and make the changes.
Q: The rakyat essentially wants better governance.
A: They want us to fight corruption and to reduce crime. And education has always been close to their hearts, so it all depends on the rakyat. They don't want rhetoric. We can promise the moon but whether the people, who are cynical and soul-search, will believe it or not is something else.
So pencapaian diutamakan (Performance First) is performance in the real sense, we have to make sure that the people feel safe. Everything is based on unity and the 1Malaysia concept. Whatever incidents are being politicised, we still have to live together.
Q: Is the fatigue real?
A: The people are tired of hearing everything racial and political, so we talk about the amendment to the BN constitution. It is a long process and the PM decided to look at the bigger picture.
Then, we have the Government Transformation Programme to make sure that the economy stays strong because the majority of Malaysians want us to articulate and to deliver. If we look at the past 20 months, we've done quite a lot.
But, sometimes, when there are sensational issues, people do not really see what we have done anymore. Most people want to believe in 1Malaysia and what we are doing for the rakyat. We want to perform so we still have a lot of work to do.
Q: There is a perception that Umno is stronger now. To what extent is this true and what are the areas that still need to be rectified?
A: I might get into trouble with my Umno friends because I don't agree with that. There is so much more we can do. In a way, we have done the difficult parts -- the amendment to the Umno constitution is one of them. The president has gone on record to say that there are three important junctures in Umno -- the formation of Umno, the banning of Umno and the amendment of the constitution.
And it shows how courageous not only the leaders on stage are but also the delegates because they decided to do away with quotas which are meant to protect them. The delegates agreed to open the decision-making to 140,000 instead of 2,600 people. Not many people are willing to give up their powers in order to make the party more inclusive and democratic. And, if that's not a serious change, then what is?
Q: Is Umno a disjointed party benefiting from a strong leadership?
A: I think I'm benefiting a lot from the leaders, especially the PM. At the end of the day, it takes a courageous, wise and unselfish man to lead at a time like this. If you ask me whether I want to be PM now, I would say no. Who would want to lead the country when the global economy is bad, when the voices of youth are so loud and where everything is interlinked?
So, to be a leader, you need to have strong leadership and a clear direction. It is commendable of the PM to be around, we expected to be ousted on Sept 16 (laughs). Yet, people tend to forget about predictions.
I believe we have an agenda for 2011 and are determined to look into the Political Transformation Programme. I can announce it because I'm assisting in coordinating the PM and deputy prime minister's visits to two states every month. They will touch base with the people and articulate their directions. There is no point in talking about reforms when the economy is not moving and the government doesn't change. There was hikmah (a blessing) that we lost five states or else, we won't learn and change.
Read more: 'Give us a chance to learn, change' http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/6hism/Article#ixzz19L4DH6fj
A: That is the most critical question that we need to answer. Why are we doing all this? Everything is for them because if you do not find out about their needs and guide them, then it is meaningless. So, if they think they are not important, that is not true. We are all aware that they are an important force.
Our children will be led by them. If they are not guided, their voices are not heard and they are not empowered, I am worried how they will lead my children. But how do we engage them? We should not underestimate the youth because they know who are sincere. Time will prove who the voters want, so Umno and BN have a big challenge. Plus, there are different levels of youth -- rural, urban and even Felda youth.
Q: Young voters preferably want young candidates to contest in the next general election. What is Umno's stand on this?
A: You cannot underestimate the ability of young Malaysians to decide on their future and destiny. They want young candidates, but not just about anyone. They want the young leaders to represent them and articulate arguments, to work hard, to be honest and to correct whatever is not right. But if you look at the opposition, many new faces who won in 2008 have been assessed in the past 20 months. Whether they get re-voted in the next general election depends on their performance.
The younger generation will evaluate the performance of leaders not based on their age but on their capability to deliver promises. The younger generation plays an important role and I do not think they look at only the age of the candidates. Youngsters are better exposed and educated now, and the ability to inspire is what they look for in a candidate. This is what BN and Umno have to grapple with. So, that is why we amended the BN constitution so that the youth can participate more.
Q: You say that age does not really matter in an election candidate but the opposition is fielding young candidates to attract voters.
A: Yes, because they think young candidates can represent the voice of the youth. It has been 20 months now and don't tell me that all those young faces have delivered. It is the same for Umno in looking for leaders. Those characteristics of amnesia, arrogance and what not apply to all, no matter how old or young they are. Even the young ones can be corrupt. It is not an age factor but the shortcut -- again, it is the politics of perception. As for the new and young faces who present the young voters, they better know who they are presenting because the future of the party depends on them and the youth who vote for them expect these leaders to meet their expectations.
Q: Let's say you have to address a group of 25-year-olds who don't know who to listen to. What would you tell them?
A: Give us a chance. Give the prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak), Umno, BN and me a chance to show we are here not merely because of politics but to ensure we are able to put them on par with other races out there -- something we can bequeath them so that they can bring the country to greater heights.
What I fear is that if they don't give us a chance, all these things will get squandered off and destroyed. We see that in many countries and that will be something I can't forgive myself; my father and grandfather won't forgive me. Whatever the people may think of the government, don't destroy the very fabric that we live in because at the end of the day, we have to build those institutions again. So, let's start working from within and make the changes.
Q: The rakyat essentially wants better governance.
A: They want us to fight corruption and to reduce crime. And education has always been close to their hearts, so it all depends on the rakyat. They don't want rhetoric. We can promise the moon but whether the people, who are cynical and soul-search, will believe it or not is something else.
So pencapaian diutamakan (Performance First) is performance in the real sense, we have to make sure that the people feel safe. Everything is based on unity and the 1Malaysia concept. Whatever incidents are being politicised, we still have to live together.
Q: Is the fatigue real?
A: The people are tired of hearing everything racial and political, so we talk about the amendment to the BN constitution. It is a long process and the PM decided to look at the bigger picture.
Then, we have the Government Transformation Programme to make sure that the economy stays strong because the majority of Malaysians want us to articulate and to deliver. If we look at the past 20 months, we've done quite a lot.
But, sometimes, when there are sensational issues, people do not really see what we have done anymore. Most people want to believe in 1Malaysia and what we are doing for the rakyat. We want to perform so we still have a lot of work to do.
Q: There is a perception that Umno is stronger now. To what extent is this true and what are the areas that still need to be rectified?
A: I might get into trouble with my Umno friends because I don't agree with that. There is so much more we can do. In a way, we have done the difficult parts -- the amendment to the Umno constitution is one of them. The president has gone on record to say that there are three important junctures in Umno -- the formation of Umno, the banning of Umno and the amendment of the constitution.
And it shows how courageous not only the leaders on stage are but also the delegates because they decided to do away with quotas which are meant to protect them. The delegates agreed to open the decision-making to 140,000 instead of 2,600 people. Not many people are willing to give up their powers in order to make the party more inclusive and democratic. And, if that's not a serious change, then what is?
Q: Is Umno a disjointed party benefiting from a strong leadership?
A: I think I'm benefiting a lot from the leaders, especially the PM. At the end of the day, it takes a courageous, wise and unselfish man to lead at a time like this. If you ask me whether I want to be PM now, I would say no. Who would want to lead the country when the global economy is bad, when the voices of youth are so loud and where everything is interlinked?
So, to be a leader, you need to have strong leadership and a clear direction. It is commendable of the PM to be around, we expected to be ousted on Sept 16 (laughs). Yet, people tend to forget about predictions.
I believe we have an agenda for 2011 and are determined to look into the Political Transformation Programme. I can announce it because I'm assisting in coordinating the PM and deputy prime minister's visits to two states every month. They will touch base with the people and articulate their directions. There is no point in talking about reforms when the economy is not moving and the government doesn't change. There was hikmah (a blessing) that we lost five states or else, we won't learn and change.
Read more: 'Give us a chance to learn, change' http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/6hism/Article#ixzz19L4DH6fj
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