A deliberate backwardness: This is how Umno-BN stays in power

Why are the majority of the Malay and other bumiputra communities still lagging behind even though their so-called champion, Umno, has been continuously victorious in the past general elections?
By Viktor Wong, Malaysia Chronicle
Why is it that after more than 50 years of independence, the majority in the Malay and the other bumiputra communities still lag behind? Why is that after more than 50 years, they are still suffering from backwardness despite hundreds of government corporations and agencies specially established to enhance their livelihood?
Or perhaps the key question to ask should be, why are they still lagging behind even though their so-called champion, Umno, has been continuously victorious in the past general elections?

Even until now, many in these communities do not have access to the basic comforts that their counterparts in the urban areas take for granted, as a matter of right as citizens of this country. Yes, many Malays and bumiputra still live in areas that do not get water or electricity. Neither can they afford basic education for their young and have to live in old and dilapidated huts. The New Economic Policy (NEP) did not reach them at all. Why and how come?

Sadly, the answers are very much connected to how Umno brought about their continuous electoral victories and the methods they adopted to maintain their influence in the villages and other rural parts of our nation.

One of the main factors contributing to the party's success is to keep the communities they claim to represent in the dark - for decades. And we are not just talking about the lack of electricity. There is a greater darkness - from the standpoint of education, blackouts of information and distribution of deliberate misinformation.

Indeed, the rural folk have been denied the pace of development enjoyed by the town and city dwellers - quite often, it is deliberate. For example in the development of information technology, or rather, the lack of so as to make sure that the rural communities are solely dependent on government TV and RTM channels for their daily consumption of news and data. In the eyes of the official media, everything about Umno and BN is good and benevolent, all others especially Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim are traitors and enemies of the state.

Also, despite all the cheap funding and loan facilities offered under the so-called bumiputra schemes, special share option schemes, special economic assistance, by and large, the majority of the Malays and bumiputra do not get to tap these opportunities to create a better livelihood for themselves. Instead, the facilities end up being enjoyed only by the Umno elite and the families of the mid-level leaders. These people become wealthier and more powerful, finally entrenching themselves into the "golongan bangsawan".

What about the non-Umno members and the ordinary man-in-the-street bumiputras? No doubt, some of them have been lucky enough to get some benefits, but the fact is most of them do not. That is why the poor are still very poor today, those uneducated are still uneducated, while those living in backwardness are still totally backward.

Yet, despite these terrible conditions and outright marginalization, why do they still vote and support Umno-BN?

The reasons are simple. One of these is because they are constantly fed information and data sourced only from RTM, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian. No Internet - this means they are unable to get any news from opposing or independent sources. The excuses given by the government include no coverage, or coverage is too expensive, or the villagers will just have to wait.

That is the official line but what they don't tell you is that they don't really need any sudden explosion of progress in their traditional bastions of support. After all, to these Umno-BN leaders, prolonging their vested personal interests come first. As far as they are concerned, independent sources of information and news are lies anyway - defamation in disguise from traitors and so on!

So, brainwashed is the word. Malaysian villagers and rural folk, due to limited development through the decades, have been co-opted into supporting Umno-BN blindly and continuously. This is why many of the rural constituencies are still firmly controlled by Umno leaders and their local warlords. The votes for Umno are indeed 'controlled, manipulated and guaranteed' in these areas.