Beware of warlords, says Umno man

Is Mahathir the chief warlord?

PENANG: An Umno leader has called on the party to purge itself of warlords and little Napoleons and thereby transform itself into a more effective organisation.

These individuals could cause “untold damage” to the party if its leaders ignored the threat they posed, said Senator Musa Sheikh Fadzir, Penang Umno’s information chief

Without giving specific examples, he said these “self-interested individuals” would pit local leaders against each other to cause discord at the grassroots, using their close contact with national leaders to blind the latter to the reality on the ground.

Musa was speaking at a press conference following the opening of the Bukit Mertajam Umno delegates conference.

He declined to name the warlords and little Napoleons or say how many there were in Penang or elsewhere.

He said Umno should have learnt from its recent electoral defeats that it could not afford to have these politicians wielding their influence in the party.

"Such individuals are worse than the opposition as they operate discreetly,” he said. “At least, we know who the opposition are, but in the case of the little Napoleons, they operate in a subtle manner to discredit us."

Musa also took a swipe at Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, saying he used his warlord status to rise speedily through the Umno ranks.

He claimed that Umno had succeeded in convincing the Malays that Anwar was a chameleon politician, resulting in them returning to Umno “in droves”.

"Anwar was the one who taught us how to fight for Malay rights in Penang,” he said. “Now, he is singing another tune.

"When in Umno, Anwar instilled in us the conviction that we needed to champion Malay rights at all costs. Now, he is eluding his past. This chap has no principles."

Musa heads the Bukit Mertajam Umno. He said branch meetings within the division had been proceeding smoothly.

“Previously, we could not even get a quorum,” he said. “Nowadays, our members are assembling early for branch meetings. Penang Malays still support Umno. I dare say this."

He blamed Gerakan and MCA for Barisan Nasional’s loss in Penang in the last general election. “Umno did not lose in Penang,” he said.