8/14/2019 TheSun 2009-10-16 Page02 Walk the Talk Dr M Tells Party and Govt

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2 theSun | FRIDAY OCTOBER 16 2009

Umno Annual General Assembly 2009

Walk the talk, Dr Mtells party and govt

Reports: Husna Yusop, Maria J. Dass, Tim Leonard, Karen Arukesamy, S. Hemananthani and Eva Yeong. Photos: Raj Kumar, Saiful Hizam Mansur, Kamariduan Mohd Noor and Sharil Amin

PRIMEMinister Datuk Seri NajibRazak yesterday called on Umnoto back his reform programmes, in-cluding efforts to make it inclusiveand relevant to all the races so thatthe Barisan Nasional will be moreacceptable to the people.

Much of what he said in histwo-hour-long opening speech atthe Umno special general assem-bly, themed Upholding Tradition,Realising Changes, including thecall to make the party more serv-ice-oriented, did not surprise thedelegates as he had been articulat-ing them since becoming the primeminister in April.

The loud cheers and stand-ing ovation he received from thedelegates at the end of his speechwere clearly a strong endorsement

of what he is doing and what heis going to do as spelt out in hisspeech.

Najib told the party membersto discard the common perceptionthat Umno is a party which people

join in order to make a living anda party that promotes the interestsof certain groups of people.

He said all members must try tobe people with integrity and mustwork to ensure that the party isseen and trusted as an inclusiveparty that puts the interests of therakyat above all else.

This is veryimportant inconvincingthe peopleto continuesupportingthe party,because ifthe negativeperceptionabout thei n t e g -

rity and ethics of Umno leaderscontinues to grow it will be agreat factor that will cause thepublic to detach themselves fromus (Umno), he said, adding thatan Umno leader should make aneffort to mingle with people atthe grassroots lest they be seen asproud and arrogant.

Najib said Umno is at a cross-roads where its aspirations shouldmatch that of the majority of therakyat.

Slow implementation of changestowards matching what peoplewant may cause Umno to be seenas a party that is not grounded, ar-rogant, ignorant and thus a part ofa problem rather than a solution.

He said past Umno leaders gavetheir all to fight for the causes ofUmno but this service above selfquality is disap-

pearing.

Umno leaders need to revivethis culture of service and volun-tarism for the party and the peopleas a whole, he said.

Najib said history has shownthat the Malays have tended tobe inclusive and have embracedpeople of other races openly. Thusparties that accuse Malays of beingracist should look in the mirrorand check the racial compositionin their own parties first.

He also chided those who havebenefited from the New EconomicPolicy launched in 1971, but failedto distribute their wealth to thosewho still need assistance.

They say they can stand ontheir own two feet and no longerneed crutches but they failed toacknowledge the fact that there are

others who still need the aid. Is thisfair? he asked.

The issue here is no longer aidbut the question of how it is man-aged and distributed, because froma wider perspective, the Malays arestill seen as a community that hasbeen left behind and in need ofaid.

He said the recipe for successused in Bagan Pinang will be usedelsewhere. Najib said the messageto Umno at the 12th general elec-tion was loud and clear and the

party realised and regret-ted its mistakes.

We know therakyat still loves

Umno. All theywant is forthe party tochange. Wehave heardthem. Wewill change,

he said.

UmnoUmno will changewill change, says Najib, says NajibWe know therakyat still

loves Umno. Allthey want is for theparty to change. Wehave heard them.

We will change. Najib

FORMER Umno president Tun DrMahathir Mohamad said it is upto the party and the governmentto deliver their promises to thepeople as what they say and dowill be scrutinised now.

Its relatively easy to givea speech and make promisesbut after this, the people will bewatching if youre able to deliveryour promises. You must walkthe talk, said Mahathir, whenasked to comment on Umnopresident Datuk Seri Najib AbdulRazaks maiden speech at thepartys special general assemblyyesterday.

Mahathir described Najibsspeech as spirited and feltthe prime minister realised theproblems faced by Umno andplanned to bring the party closerto the people.

He spoke about getting close

to the people. This is importantbecause many Umno leadersare isolating themselves fromthe people and are hoping thatby using their powers, they canget support from the people. Butthis is obviously not working,he said.

Asked to comment on theMCA leadership crisis, Mahathirsaid it was vital for componentparties to work together as asplit in these parties will reflectbadly on Barisan Nasional.

He said Umno cannot solelydepend on the Malay communityto rule the country.

We need the componentparties. We have been work-ing together, this country is amulti-racial country, this countrycannot be ruled by just one raceeven if they are in the majority,

he said.Mahathir said MCA is a goodand strong component party butcalled on leaders who are nolonger wanted by the people tostep down.

Recently, he had urged MCApresident Datuk Seri Ong Tee

Keat to step down after a voteof no-confidence against Ong atthe partys extraordinary generalmeeting (EGM) last Saturday.

This culture of steppingdown is not yet developed inthis country. Everybody wants tostay on forever. After 30 years,people still want to stay there,said Mahathir, who was theprime minister for 22 years.

Although he did not nameanyone, it was clear that he wasreferring to MIC leader Datuk SeriS. Samy Vellu, who has been thepartys president since 1979.

Mahathir also said no partyshould allow itself to be split intotwo. He was relating his ownexperience in 1986 when TengkuRazaleigh Hamzah formedSemangat 46 after losing whenhe contested against Mahathir.

From my experience, when

the presidents post is beingcontested, no matter who wins, youre going to lose half theparty. That happened to me in1986 when Tengku Razaleighcontested against me. He lostbut I lost half of the party as theyjoined Semangat 46. So whateveryou do, never allow the party tobe split into two, he said.

Asked if the Umno constitu-tional amendments will get ridof the scourge of money politics,Mahathir said the amendmentswill make the party moredemocratic but he was unsure ifmoney politics will be wiped outcompletely.

I am not so sure that you canget rid of money politics but it isa little bit more democratic per-haps. I know these people, theywill try but I hope they will stop

making use of money in order toget votes, he said.Mahathir was accompanied

by his wife Tun Dr Siti HasmahMohd Ali.

However, former presidentTun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wasnoticeably absent.

DatukMukhrizbows to kissthe hand ofhis fatheras a mark ofrespect atthe Umnogeneralassemblyyesterday.

PPPwantsMaglin

to replaceMurugiahpg 4

Umnodelegatesshow theirsupport for

the proposedamendmentsto the partyconstitutionyesterday.