Umno died in 1987, only superficial changes were made after, says Tawfik Ismail

SHAH ALAM - Tawfik Ismail, the son of former deputy prime minister, the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, said Umno died in 1987 after it had strayed from its original purpose.

He said the current political landscape was creating "confusion" as the country has never experienced two prime ministers and two different governments in one parliamentary term.

"This raises various questions regarding the political stability of our country," he said in an interview with Sinar Harian.

Asked by moderator Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar if political stability is often used as an excuse for an autocratic leader and on ways to balance the country's democracy, Tawfik said: "we don't want to empower one institution or party more than the rest.

"Check and balance is part of the Federal Constitution. For 60 years, Barisan Nasional (BN) ruled, this was because they had a two-thirds majority win. Has the country progressed much? Just because a party has a two-thirds majority, does not mean that they are the best leaders for the country," Tawfik said..

When asked if the country has progressed economically, Tawfik said: "If women put on makeup, they seem prettier than the first time we laid eyes on them. Malaysia is exactly the same. When we make superficial changes to ourselves, it may seem like we are progressing but our societal structure needs a lot more work."

During the interview, Tawfik further said Umno died in 1987 and the present-day Umno is not what it used to be. "I will not align myself with any party that declares themselves to be Umno because that is not Umno. They have strayed from Umno’s original purpose," he said.

The supreme court in the years leading up to 1988 had been increasingly independent of the other branches of the government and many saw his removal has the end of judicial independence in Malaysia.

On diversity, Tawfik said politicians must encourage the country's diversity as even among the Malays, there are various kinds. "Malays in the north are not the same as Malays in the south."

"How many leaders stated that the Malays must be united since we gained independence? Once the Malays have done so, they form parties to break them apart again," Tawfik further said.

Tawfik further said politicians need to be kept on their toes as they remain silent on many issues. "The voices of these representatives are suddenly silent when the rakyat voice out their concerns," he said, citing the controversial Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 amendment bill, better known as RUU355.

The RUU355, which is a Private Member’s Bill by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, mainly seeks to increase the criminal jurisdiction of the shariah courts.

Tawfik said not many elected representatives stood up to uphold the Constitution.

Asked over what would Gerak Independent do when such matters arise, he said: "We are senior citizens. All of us are over 50 and 60 years old. We can be considered as post-independent babies.

"All of us were born in the 1950s. We have felt what it was like to be led by leaders like Tunku Abdu Rahman. We know what has been promised and what has yet to be fulfilled.

"Our job to restore the country’s moral compass," he said.

He said his movement set up for independent candidates to contest on the 15the General Elections is to remind the public of what was originally set and what has been achieved so far.

"People who have just entered the field of politics do not know our history. But as seniors, we can come in, and remind this person of our original purpose," said Tawfik.