Umno VP demands more hard work from BN partners

KUALA LUMPUR — The vice-president of United Malays National Organisation (Umno) has called upon component parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to work as hard as the anchor party in the run up to the next general election.

“I have urged the other component parties to work as hard as Umno. I am confident that they will. Not just in Umno places (where the party has a proven track record) but in other BN areas also,” said party vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday.

“I am confident that there will be a drastic change where they (the component parties) would work as hard as Umno,” he told reporters during a press conference at the sidelines of the Umno annual general assembly.

Mr Zahid, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, added that instead of blaming each other, the component parties should look after their respective “DNA” (constituents) properly so that voters will continue to support BN.

“We shouldn’t be pointing fingers and instead be taking positive action to make sure that all parties’ machinery work together,” said Mr Zahid.

According to Mr Zahid, he has asked Umno’s state liaison chiefs to communicate with the other component parties in order to streamline their machinery ahead of the next polls.

The Umno president, Prime Minister Najib Razak, announced during his speech on Thursday at the party general assembly that elections — which have to be called before 2018 — would be held soon.

But there are signs of dissent within BN, which comprises Umno, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Gerakan and other smaller parties.

Umno Youth vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun had also asked component parties, especially ethnic Chinese-majority ones, this week to buck up for the elections or face consequences such as being denied Cabinet positions.

In return, MCA president Liow Tiong Lai said dwindling minority support is the responsibility of the entire BN and not just the component parties.

In his speech on Thursday, Mr Najib revealed that his government would take up opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia’s (PAS) private member’s Bill to enhance the powers of the Syariah courts.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang last week tabled a controversial parliamentary Bill to raise the punishment ceiling meted out by Syariah courts in PAS-ruled Kelantan.

Despite repeated assurances by Mr Najib to non-Muslims that the Bill would not affect them, BN component parties have resisted it, noting that it goes against the spirit of the federal Constitution.

In Mr Najib’s speech, he also called on all Umno party members to unite, while warning that should Chinese-based opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) come to power, the nation will face “extreme liberalism”. He said the DAP would not uphold the institution of Islam.

Opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan’s chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah — a former Umno lawmaker — said yesterday that Mr Najib’s speech could lead to “racial disaster” in the country.

In an analysis of Mr Najib’s speech, DAP’s National Political Education director Liew Chin Tong wrote yesterday that “Najib invoked the fear of the unknown, the fear of DAP, and the fear of the non-Malays, in order to call on Umno members to rally around his leadership”.

“For all Malaysians who aspire to see the end of Najib’s kleptocracy, including Umno members who disagree with Najib, we should start framing the next election not as one between an Umno-led or DAP-led government, or Malays versus Chinese, but between the 1 per cent of Najib’s cronies and the 99 per cent of ordinary Malaysians,” added Mr Liew.

Mr Zahid said yesterday that Mr Najib champions the cause of all races.

He said that those who criticised Mr Najib’s speech the day before as dividing politics along racial lines were antagonistic.

“Its just a political analysis based on frustration. They should do some soul searching,” he said.

The Umno general assembly will wrap up tonight. AGENCIES