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Do not be misled by the WALI(ness) in UMNO candidates for coming elections. They might not be like the Wali Allah of yesteryears.
By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright October 2022
Wali is an Arabic word. It means guardian, custodian or protector, and is most commonly used by Muslims to mean an Islamic saint, or referred to as a "friend of God". While in Bahasa Melayu it is often used as 'Wali Allah'.
For Malays in general Wali also implies holiness where the term is reserved exclusively for the absolutely devout person, who is almost faultless or infallible.
But Wali among Malays is also colloquially used to refer to a person who is a legal guardian. For example, a Muslim bride would require a wali or a legal guardian to be present to consent to her wedding or to give her away.
At a recent announcement Zahid, the president of UMNO refers to the term WALI which may imply infallibility found only amongst saints as being a quality an individual ought to have to be nominated as a candidate in the forthcoming General Election.
However, what he did was only to play on the words derived from "winnable, acceptable and likeable" only to lend credibility to potential candidates to be selected for the general election.
So be fully aware that the play on words is purely a political ploy to entice voters into thinking that their candidates are indeed "saints" but in UMNO lingo it is far from it.
It just means that they are able to win (W), be acceptable (A) and likeable (LI).
They are not likely to be infallible or holy by any means. We should not expect them to field saint-like candidates either, a quality that is rare amongst mere mortals like us, what more from established UMNO members who had been long exposed to a culture of political Michaelvillianism within the party.
Zahid made clear that Umno candidates representing Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 15th General Election (GE15) must meet the criteria of "Wali", namely winnable, acceptable and likeable.
"Whoever meets these criteria (Wali) will be UMNO candidates representing BN. (Bernama)
He told a press conference after a meeting with 700 delegates from 191 UMNO divisions at the World Trade Centre (WTC) on Tuesday, October 4.
Anyway, if you think that BN candidates are saintly just because Zahid says that they are the chosen WALI, look closely at their past records whether their names appeared in court cases related to 1MDB or any corruption hearings including Zahid's own trials where he was acquitted but awaiting appeals.
Although Zahid is not guilty as charged witnesses did admit to giving cash in envelopes to certain individuals in UMNO and others. These ought to be thoroughly scrutinised by the public because the party might not once their names go on the ballot.
Those whose names were mentioned demand thorough scrutiny from you as the voter.
Do not be easily misled by the term WALI. They might not be what you think.
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