deer crossing

Darwin wrote and I quote, “Survival goes not necessarily to the strongest or most intelligent, but to the species that adapts and adjusts most rapidly to changing circumstances”, unquote. Going by this statement, I think UMNO will definitely head for doom. Darwin’s “Origin of the Species” may be a hypothesis as the “missing link” has still not been found but his study on survival of various species on earth can shed some light on survival.

“Change is the only thing that remains constant”. My management lecturer, one Dr. DM Love told me so. I guess he was right as I have since seen a number of management gurus mentioned the same thing. That was more than twenty years ago. Now, a company I work for is on the brink of extinction because of excesses and world class stupidity and I suddenly find myself indulging in the subject of “Transformation” or “Change” and greatly admire the work of JP Kotter. His work became my source of reference in my bid to transform an ailing subsidiary company. Today, after a long three years’ struggle, I am heading a strong and profitable outfit, thanks to a step by step guide from Kotter.

In the aftermath of eleventh general election in 2004, I spoke with Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad, the director of PAS Research Centre. Being apolitical, I quipped that the party perhaps need rebranding now that it lost badly. He was quick to retort the brand was right and that all the party needed was “repackaging”. And then after the twelfth general election and the party was immensely successful, I was told that Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad now talk incessantly about “managing change” which is essentially a form of “transformation”. With these events as backdrops, I can’t help but feel rather pleased that the good doctor is right in his stride. PAS has shown a great deal of maturity over the years and embracing change is perhaps what is keeping the party relevant. PAS adapts rather well to changing circumstances and true to the words of Charles Darwin it will survive these turbulent times.

The father of Social Science, Ibnu Khaldun theorised that civilization reaches maturity after forty years and then will rapidly decline due to mainly excesses and internal conflicts. We are already seeing this happening with UMNO. It has to change to remain a viable party but change is exactly what it is fighting to avoid. Going by Ibnu Khaldun’s Theory of Social Science, we will witness the demise of UMNO in our lifetime, God willing. While PAS has managed to continually reinventing itself, UMNO chooses to ignore changing circumstances and remain a parochial party beseeching Malay supremacy and racists’ policy. It is little wonder that its members are leaving the party in droves and choose to remain apolitical leaning towards opposition if not openly embracing oppositions’ ideology.

Crossing over boundaries that divide distinct ideologies or set of beliefs, is analogous to migrating from one normally miserable state to a far superior form. It has to begin with an acceptance that current condition is dreadful and followed by a desire to move to a situation that is universally acceptable the very least or a far better one. The process of transformation ends with a successful acceptance and eventual embrace of a new form. The term embrace that is normally applied to acceptance of religion is used here signifying that one has to wholeheartedly accept it first and then go about understanding virtues of the new way of life. The new set of practices or behaviours is then anchored to the culture of the society or organisation. Understanding this transformation process clearly allows us to evaluate events before our eyes concerning UMNO and ascertain whether or not they will be successful. So far chain of events point towards disaster, for them that is, and a welcome sight to proponents of a birth of a civil society.

Thirteenth general election may be a long three years’ away but opposition alliance is bracing for a long struggle and look set to be able to keep the momentum going. Many bystanders are watching with keen eyes and secretly wish and pray for a swift change of power. When the day comes, UMNO will be like a deer caught on headlights while attempting a late crossover where it freezes, stunt by the headlights and get knocked down dead and left to rot along a wretched tolled highway that they helped design, build and milk the population dry. That day will come, as sure as the sun rises tomorrow morning, God willing.