The Malaysian Insight

AS old as Malaya’s independence, Umi Kalsom’s move from one political party to another three times reflects her own hopes for a better country.

The 60-year-old mother of DAP’s Young Syefura Othman has been a member of Umno, then PAS, and is now with Amanah.

Umi started in Umno, where she said her “soul was one” with the party for more than two decades. But disappointment came with the leading Malay party in the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition during the 1998 Reformasi, when Anwar Ibrahim was sacked from the government and jailed over sodomy and corruption charges.

She turned to Umno’s traditional rival, PAS.

“I grew up with Umno. When I joined PAS, it angered my Umno-member siblings. I was once ostracised by my family,” the mother of seven said.

Umno’s elected reps today, she said, are very different from those in the old days.

“The elected reps from the old days were very close to the people. They did not have big houses. Now, everything (they have) is huge,” said Umi, who used to live in Malacca.

Umi felt Umno’s struggle has reached its end and said senior citizens like her have stopped supporting the BN lynchpin party.

“Senior citizens my age, who don’t mingle around so much, might find it hard to get out of Umno. They just love the party and its brand.

“But those who read (the alternative media) and get information will not stay with Umno any more, even if we may not see them turn.

“In the past, Umno always frightened people in the kampung, saying things like DAP will victimise us if Umno loses. These days, the racial card is not so easy to play any more.”

Umi was disappointed again by politics two years ago when Pakatan Rakyat broke up. It was the opposition coalition made up of PAS, PKR and DAP, which has now been replaced by Pakatan Harapan, comprising PKR, DAP, Amanah and Bersatu.

She left PAS to join Amanah after it was formed as a breakaway party from PAS, led by its former leaders who believed in staying in a coalition with other opposition parties.

“I switched, thinking that we must make a change for the nation. So, I have been an Amanah member since its inception.

“When I went to PAS, I wanted to move towards Islam. I was 40 then. Now, joining Amanah makes no difference to me because the party also speaks of religion,” she said.

Umi, like others who left PAS for Amanah, said she suffered verbal abuse by the Islamist party’s loyalists. She remembered that PAS supporters would not even spare her a look.

“They won’t even look at you. I saw their attitude when I was on the ground helping in a by-election campaign.

“When I left PAS, the other members gave me all sorts of labels. Leaving PAS does not make one an apostate.”

Umi’s daughter, activist Syefura, who is better known as Rara, is among DAP’s well-known young Malay leaders.

The tudung-wearing young woman became a hot topic several years ago when she joined DAP, a Chinese-majority party. She was painted as anti-Malay and anti-Islam by Umno and now, by PAS as well.

Umi said she respected her daughter’s decision to join DAP, believing that youth these days were more attracted to the opposition than the ruling party.

“Of my seven kids, Rara is the only girl – and all of them support Pakatan Harapan. To me, I don’t mind which party they support. They have their own minds and stands.

“Anyway, not many youth today would side with the government.

“I hope I will be able to see Malaysia change. We have development but our cost of living is high. The people are feeling the pinch.”

Umi also hopes that poverty and cost of living issues could be addressed. – September 25, 2017.