UMNO's tame assembly

Before the event, political pundits had already concluded that the annual summit of Malaysia's ruling party would be a tame affair this year, given that general elections are probably not far off.

And what a tame affair it was. The difference in rhetoric between last year's United Malays National Organisation (Umno) General Assembly and this year's was like night and day.

Last year, speakers warned of Malays running amok, spoke of using the keris (Malay dagger) and bathing in blood. The speeches were so provocative that even Umno's non-Malay partners in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition reacted angrily.

"All this will affect the votes in the next polls," warned Gerakan Youth chief Mah Siew Keong.

To avoid any political fallout ahead of the upcoming general election, Umno took no chances this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak briefed speakers to avoid language that could hurt the sensitivities of other ethnic groups. He also made a point to say that the Prime Minister might call for early polls.

Just to be safe, TV stations were not allowed to make live broadcasts of the speeches this year. Because of such pre-emptive measures, fiery comments from those who did not toe the line went largely unnoticed.

For example, when an Umno Youth leader, Mr Ismail Ahmad, told critics of the government to "apply for citizenship in Singapore", his comment was not reported in the government-controlled mainstream media. It was, however, picked up by independent online media.

In his speech, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the time for championing parochial interests was over. Issues must be addressed "on the basis of the interests of the Malaysian people as a whole".

Ms Rita Sim, deputy chairman of Insap, a political think tank linked to the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), said that while the Prime Minister's message was positive, the Malaysian public is a cynical lot.

Mr Lim Guan Eng, secretary-general of the opposition Democratic Action Party called Mr Abdullah's comments "electioneering rhetoric".

Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein unveiled the keris again. However, he took care to explain that "the Malay keris is a protector to all, just like the government of today will always protect the people of all races".

Mr Khoo Kay Peng, who heads Gerakan-linked think tank Sedar questioned Mr Hishammuddin's sincerity. "If the keris is meant to protect everyone, why didn't he explain that the first time? Why only this year, when elections are round the corner?"

Wanita Umno, the women's wing of the party, also took the unprecedented step of presenting medals and monetary awards to three non-Malay university students. Its chief, Ms Rafidah Aziz, reiterated that Umno can be counted on to uphold the interests of other races.

"Restraint and decorum were the order of the day," wrote Ms Jocelyn Tan, a political commentator at the government-controlled Star newspaper. This shows that Umno was "magnanimous enough to accommodate the feelings of other groups".

Sedar's Mr Khoo said that what it really shows is that Umno realises it still needs non-Malay support.

"I don't think any Malaysians, including the Malays themselves, believe for a second that Umno is remorseful over what was said last year," said Mr Lim Teck Ghee, head of the Centre for Policy Initiatives, an independent think tank. "Once elections are over, the old Umno that we know will come back with a vengeance."