The word ‘cult’ conjures-up images of a group of devil worshippers, sacrificial virgins and weird drug and sex-fuelled rituals. Those are the extreme descriptions of a cult but a more simple definition of a cult, is a group of people who:
> Use brainwashing techniques to create loyalty and control cult members.
> Use mind-control and other psychological tricks to manipulate the behaviour of cult members and to unify them.
> Warn devotees that to ignore the teachings of the cult would lead to dispossession of the soul.
> Tell cult members that absolute loyalty to the cult leader will ensure their salvation.
> Worship the guru, rather than the broader religious principles.
> Are heavily exploited from above.
In other words, a cult consists of members who have an obsessive veneration for the leader and the teachings and principles of the cult.
Does that sound familiar? It should, because it describes Umno Baru.
An American once said that “a cult is a religion with no political power”, but Umno Baru has improved on this and used Islam to demand absolute loyalty from the rakyat, principally the Malays. In other words, Umno Baru has successfully turned a religion into a cult.
The cult’s influence has spread beyond the Malays and Muslims. Deputy Education Minister and the MP for Hulu Selangor, P Kamalanathan, will always be remembered for that photograph, with him showing utter obeisance, when greeting the Education Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin. Bowing low, his back arched, his lips brushed against Muhyiddin’s hands, in a complete sign of submission.
The cult uses destructive mind-control tactics to manipulate the Malays. The fear of religion is useful because few Malays dare to argue about the rights and wrongs of the practice of Islam in Malaysia.
If he questions the religion, the Malay will be denounced, there will be death threats, and he may be incarcerated in one of the religious brainwashing centres in the country. People who question the teachings of the cult or who attempt to leave the cult will be socially humiliated and punished.
The original Umno party was a powerful symbol of governance, political legitimacy and democracy, as it was associated with independence. Then, former PM Mahathir Mohamad hijacked the party in the constitutional crisis of 1988 and formed Umno Baru. After the May 13, 1969 riots, the cult evolved slowly.
In addition to hijacking the original Umno party, Umno Baru hijacked the nation’s constitution and parliament to further the new party’s aims, principally to protect the self-interests of the party and its leaders. Tunku Abdul Rahman and Hussein Onn withdrew their membership from Umno and did not seek membership of Mahathir’s Umno Baru.
Recently, Umno Baru supreme council member Ibrahim Abu Shah (right) warned Malays that unless they united, the party would lose power in the 14th general election (GE14), with Malays facing a “dark and unfortunate” future.
People like Ibrahim have continually failed to explain why “Malays need to be protected & Islam needs defending. Protection from whom, or what?” The irony is that Malays should be protected from the cult teachings of Umno Baru.
Ignoring everything humans hold dear
Most political parties start off as normal organisations with good intentions. As Umno Baru evolved, their members were not allowed to question the methods of the cult leaders, but were forced to act tirelessly for the cult, by ignoring everything that normal human beings hold dear, such as morality, common-sense, human rights, tolerance, cultural norms, the expectations of a modern society and empathy with their fellow citizens.
Cult leaders often have early experience of neglect and abandonment, of disappointment in parental figures and authorities. Most cult leaders fit eight of the nine criteria for narcissistic personality disorder. They have strong paranoia and plenty of sidekicks and aides.
Today, the process of recruiting and indoctrinating cult members starts with the young. Smart Malay children are enrolled in boarding schools, where they learn a warped version of Malaysian history. Brainwashing continues at the public universities, in the civil service, the armed forces, the awarding of tenders, the provision of housing, and scholarships for further study. Access to information is restricted, to try to keep people ignorant and stupid.
Non-Muslims have limited freedom to practise their religion with restrictions placed on their Bibles, temples and churches. This time last year, in the run-up to the Umno Baru general assembly, Shiite Muslims were openly persecuted, because the cult does not approve of them.
Wealth secretly funneled away
Communication and Multimedia Minister hmad Shabery Cheek warned Malays and asked them, “Which racial group owns the big houses, big buildings and has most shares in the big firms?”
In fact, Umno Baru policies simplified the process whereby foreigners can buy real estate in Malaysia, and yet the government complains that the Malays do not have a fair share of the economic pie.
At the bottom of the social scale, illegal immigrants are allegedly given rights to work and live here, allegedly in exchange for voting for BN. At the top end of the scale, people from the People’s Republic of China and Singaporeans are proud owners of expensive Malaysian properties.
Incidentally, Umno Baru foolishly gave away oil-rich Blocks L and M to Brunei, KTM land in Singapore and Pulau Batu Puteh, off the Johor coast. Sand is smuggled to Singapore, for land reclamation. Our trees are chopped-down to enhance the homes of people in Europe and Japan. In certain cities, like Ipoh, people complain that house and food prices are beyond the reach of the locals because of the influx of rich foreigners.
The irony is that Chinese Malaysians are insulted, but overseas Chinese are courted.
The members of Umno Baru belong to a closed, totalitarian society - a cult. Their policies are based on the axiom that the end justifies the means. Unless ordinary, sane Malaysians unite to battle the evil influence of the cult, multi-cultural Malaysia as we know it, will cease to exist. - Mkini
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