UMNO WILL BE THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION, SAYS PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- Umno will be the champion of the people by
putting the people of all races above itself through the changes that the party
is currently undergoing, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday.

In his maiden speech as Umno (United Malays National Organisation) president
at the party's general assembly, he said Umno would continue to champion the
people's lot in matters relating to their welfare and livelihood and he wanted
the party's initiatives to be in keeping with the times.

"Umno can no longer be seen as a party that leans towards only one group,"
he told the 2,500 delegates attending the assembly at the Putra World Trade
Centre here.

As the backbone of the ruling coalition, Umno could not afford to be
regarded as focusing solely on big business initiatives or mega projects but
instead should be the champion of the people, he said.

"Umno's service must be done evenly. We will definitely be a party that
advocates resilient economic growth, just distribution of wealth, comprehensive
social security network and controlled cost of living," he said.

Umno, he said, wanted to be seen, felt and be given full confidence as an
inclusive party that put the people, and not itself, first.

Najib, who took over the helm of the 63-year-old party in March, said Umno
could not be seen as a party that only fought for a small group.

"The perception of Umno as a party to make a living from must be thrown far
far away, must be discarded," he said.

Najib, who was dressed in a blue "baju Melayu" with light blue "songket"
(Malaysian traditional outfit), said it was vital for Umno to be a party which
upheld the "wasatan" philosophy, that is, moderation or what is described in
political science as a centrist party.

"Umno cannot be an ultra-left or ultra-right party," he said, adding that
since its establishment, Umno had not leaned towards a liberal or a conservative
ideology.

Najib said Umno would also change the criteria for picking candidates for
elections because the key performance indicator for a political party was to win
elections and form a strong and stable government.

The candidate must be a person who was acceptable to the local community
besides having the quality to serve at three important levels, namely the
people, party and country.

"In the final analysis, this is the candidate that the people want and who
will win elections," he added.

He also invited all Umno members to discard negative elements like money
politics so that that the party could be clean and respected after the
constitutional amendments were made at its special general assembly, which would
be held after his policy speech.

The amendments were not cosmetic or patchwork but were substantive and
significant, he said.

Najib said the amendments, among others, would increase the number of
members directly involved in voting for leaders, from 2,500 delegates now to
more than 146,000 people.

"This is a sign that the democratic spirit is alive and kicking in Umno.
Clearly there is no other party in Malaysia which is brave enough to do this,"
he said in his 16-page speech which he took 75 mintues to deliver.

Umno had acted courageously to amend the party constitution to make it more
transparent, inclusive and democratic, he said, adding that the move had drawn
knee-jerk reaction from certain quarters who tried to copy and change their
party constitutions without thorough study.

He said this was their trick, making promises in public without any
follow-up.

In his speech themed "Upholding Tradition, Evolving Change", Najib called on
the members to bring back the service culture and volunteerism to the party.

The past generation was willing to be moderate and to sacrifice material
gains to fight for the party, he said.

This was different from the situation now where everyone wanted comfort and
luxury.

For example, he said, in the present scenario, so few professionals like
lawyers, doctors, accountants and engineers came forward to sincerely help
without expecting any reward when Umno needed volunteers from this group during
the election season although they were Umno members.

On Umno's success in retaining the Bagan Pinang state seat with an increased
majority, he said it showed that Umno was still the party of choice of the
Malays and the people.

It also showed that the people of all races and strata had clearly expressed
their aspiration to continue to be under the Barisan Nasional for its
outstanding administration of the country because it had been championing the
people's cause all this while, he added.

"We cannot feel comfortable or be complacent that we are the people's choice
just because there is no other dependable party, in others words, being the best
among the bad," he said.

Umno would continue to have a place as a party so long as it fulfilled the
people's needs and aspirations, he said, adding that this was manifested in the
drafting of comprehensive government policies for the interest of the people.

No problem would arise if Umno's aspiration and that of the majority of
Malaysians were one, he said, adding that confusion would only occur if Umno's
concept no longer represented that of the majority.

Najib wounded up his speech by inviting all the party members and leaders to
bear the party's big mandate to champion the people's aspirations.
-- BERNAMA