BIG TASK AHEAD AS UMNO TRIES TO REINVENT ITSELF

List of candidates is meant to guide delegates in voting for leaders, but the influential can use it for their own interests

IN Umno, there is an age-old tradition called cai (pronounced as chai). It is short for cai dan, which means “menu” in Mandarin. In the past, the future of Umno is said to be written on a cai, which was actually a preferred list of candidates for party positions.

But is the cai still being practiced today?

It is, indeed, as some of the 150,000 delegates from 191 divisions and 21,851 branches — who will be voting for a new president and top leadership of the party today — have already been given a list or two on “preferred” candidates, from the presidency to Supreme Council posts.

The cai is actually aimed at guiding delegates as to who to vote for, but there are some divisions whose chiefs are able to sit down with their delegates to agree on the best person to vote.

Over the years, the cai system has been abused until it became a patronage list. The names on the list have the support of the party leadership at all levels, and it has become a “money-making machine” for delegates as cash does change hands before or after the polls.

Some Umno members backed the use of the cai, saying that some delegates have no idea who to vote for.

“They need guidance. They can’t be voting for leaders based on popularity and word of mouth. This (cai) ensures that they choose the correct leader based on their needs.

“Those who distribute the list are influential party members, and they are the ones who rub shoulders with those at the national leadership. The grassroots follow the cai as some of them have no idea who these candidates are,” an Umno delegate from Perak said.

Another member from Selangor said most delegates continued to follow the “obey the leader” mentality and support those that their division chiefs want to place in top positions.

He said the cai not only included national party leaders but also divisional contenders. Those distributing the cai would ensure only their candidates win.

“This old practice makes it very difficult to allow new faces in. That is why many are trying to break from this tradition. But breaking away from the cai tradition in Umno is just as difficult as eliminating money politics from the party.”

He said those distributing the cai would normally ask delegates to show proof of them voting for the candidates in the list, such as taking a snapshot of the ballot paper, before money could exchange hands.

However, he said, with or without cai, delegates could still swing their own way as those in charge would not be able to check who their votes go to.

Apparently all three candidates for the presidency — Tengku Razeleigh Hamzah, Khairy Jamaluddin and Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi — do not have their own cai for delegates, but there are those who have distributed lists of candidates said to be of their liking.

A Khairy loyalist said he would not refer to any cai as he felt it was up to the delegations to choose the right individuals to lead the party at all levels.

“If the cai has candidates with baggage and who are not liked by the masses, what is the point of listing him in the first place and asking them to vote for him or her?

“If it is a bad apple, then the party should reject the candidate. If they win and issues arise, the party would need to scramble once more to put things right,” he said.

Ampang Division exco member Siti Bainun Ahd Razali, 26, said although the candidates had not officially named their running mates or openly endorsed other nominees for other posts, it was pretty obvious who was on whose team.

She said the delegates could read who was for Tengku Razaleigh, in “Team KJ” or in Zahid’s camp.

Siti Bainun, who is part of the Gerakan Nafas Baru movement in Umno, said those who followed the cai tended to have personal agendas as opposed to having genuine fighting spirit for the party.

A quick check online showed that many Youth and Puteri members have started pushing for a boycott of cai on social media platforms with a hashtag of #BoycottChai.

“I believe the Youth and Puteri delegates would stay away from cai but I don’t see this happening among senior members and Wanita. Some delegates just do not know who to vote for,” she said.

Meanwhile, Gombak Umno Youth branch leader Wan Mohd Hafiq Abd Jalil said Gerakan Nafas Baru did not advocate cai as delegates should be given the freedom to make their own choices.

Based on feedback gathered online and through meetings nationwide, many are on the same page now as they focused on the party as opposed to individuals.

He said this was evident when Zahid’s daughter Datuk Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid failed in her bid for the Wanita Umno executive council last week.

Another example he gave was Umno Rembau’s rejection of Khairul Azwan Harun for the Youth chief post despite the fact that he was indirectly endorsed by Khairy, who is also from the division.

He said the party polls had proven that Umno had become more open and democratic. But with 74 Umno division chiefs having won uncontested in the Umno polls, some of whom are noted as warlords, there is fear that the party will maintain its status quo.

One Umno branch chief, who has been a delegate to a few of the party’ polls, said the division chiefs, especially those who have held on to power for many terms, were “very powerful” people. They can make or break a candidate.

“In my years as branch chief, I have received many cai but I have always advised members in my branch to go through the candidates’ list. I would discuss with delegates from my branch. We would go through the list. I may have my choice of candidates but I do not impose it on the delegates.

“They are free to choose who they want but they must choose the right ones. At the end of the day, it is not for me or for any of us but for the party,” he said.

The future of the party lies in the hands of these delegates who represent some three million Umno members. And how they vote today, with or without the cai, will determine how the party would move forward.

One Umno branch chief, who has been a delegate to a few of the party’ polls, said the division chiefs, especially those who have held on to power for many terms, are ‘very powerful’ people. They can make or break a candidate.