From Malaysia Factbook
| "UMNO's worldview is that UMNO's position in the country must be protected, even if it means destroying the country and its institutions. In this worldview, nothing is sacred. Not the Federal Constitution. Not the truth. Not facts. Not even the Almighty. The only thing that matters is every Malaysian should submit to the will of UMNO." — The Malaysian Insider [1]
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The United Malays National Organisation, or UMNO, (Malay: Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu), is a right-wing party and Malaysia's largest political party. A founding member of the Barisan Nasional coalition which has ruled the country uninterruptedly since independence, it is known for being a major proponent of Malay Supremacy (Ketuanan Melayu) and moderate Islamism. UMNO owns and controls both the country's largest media groups: [2]
2. UMNO was formed as a nationalist party on 11 May 1946 in Johor Bahru, with Dato' Onn Jaafar as its leader. Its objective was to oppose the formation of the Malayan Union by the British colonial government as it allegedly threatened Malay sovereignty. In 1951, Onn Jaafar left UMNO to form his Independence of Malaya Party (IMP) after failing to open its membership to non-Malay Malayans, and Tunku Abdul Rahman became its next President.
3. In 1951, the Radical Party won the first election in Malaya in the George Town municipal council election. UMNO then formed an agreement with the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) the following year to avoid contesting the same seats in the Kuala Lumpur municipal council elections, dealing a crushing blow to the IMP. After several other local council election successes, the coalition was formalised as the "Alliance" in 1954. Elections for a Federal Legislative Council were held in 1955 and the Alliance, which had now expanded to include the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), won 51 of the 52 seats contested. The Tunku then became the first Chief Minister of Malaya.
4. In 1956, Tunku Abdul Rahman led a group of negotiators to broker a deal with the British for independence. The date of independence was set as 31 August 1957, on condition that an independent commission be set up to draft a constitution for the country. Although the Tunku and the Malay rulers agreed that "all nationals should be accorded equal rights, privileges and opportunities and there must not be discrimination on grounds of race and creed," the Malay privileges were cited as necessary as a form of affirmative action that would eventually be phased out. These measures were included as Articles 3, 152 and 153 of the Constitution.[3]
5. Winning an absolute two-thirds majority in Parliament in Malaya's first general election in 1959, the Alliance coalition performed less than satisfactory in the 1969 general election. Tun Abdul Razak became the Prime Minister in September 1970, and he began shoring up his government by bringing in several former opposition parties into the fold of the Alliance. The coalition, renamed the Barisan Nasional (National Front), was formally registered in 1974.
In February 1988, the Kuala Lumpur High Court declared UMNO an unlawful society under the Societies Act of 1966, due to the existence of several unregistered branches presumably created to ensure Mahathir's continued election as UMNO President. Mahathir showed no interest in reviving UMNO but instead, registered a new surrogate party, "UMNO (Baru)". UMNO (Baru) became both the de facto and de jure successor of UMNO, with the old UMNO's assets handed over. Eventually the suffix "(Baru)" was dropped.
| "Everything considered, it is perhaps not wrong to suggest that UMNO politics have become dirty." — Chandra Muzaffar [4]
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See also:
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