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pg18
The heiress r
and the butle
Caring ... Najib and his wife
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor wave at
the launch of Skuad Sayang (Care
Squad) at Putra World Trade Centre
yesterday. They are flanked by Deputy
Prime Minister and Umno deputy
president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
and Wanita Umno head Datuk Seri
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
P
UTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak said yesterday the
time has come for Umno to be
the main political party to take
charge of the welfare and well-being
of not only the Malays and bumipu-
tras but of all Malaysians.
The prime minister said that
while representing the interests of
the Malays and bumiputras, Umno
had to change with the times to also
look after the interests of the other
races.
This was in line with the 1Ma-
laysia concept of “People First, Per-
formance Now” which was gaining
positive acceptance from all the
races, he said.
“I think we have come to a stage
where Umno is seen as a party
which looks after the welfare and
well-being of all Malaysians,” Najib,
who is also the Umno president, said
in an interview with Bernama here.
Although Umno was a party
of the Malays and bumiputras, it
should be allowed to take charge
of the interests of all the people, he
said.
Najib offered the reply when
asked of the message and image
which Umno wanted to bring to
the party’s general assembly and
special general assembly to amend
its constitution, to be held over two
days from tomorrow.
However, he stressed that this
did not mean Umno would open
its doors to all the races right now,
and added that it would be left to the
members to determine that some
time in the future when they were
ready to do so.
He said Umno had to put forward
the openness in its approach to take
care of the interests of its members
and the people as a whole in under-
going the process of renewal.
“It does not mean that we concen-
Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations (Malaysia)
» Jobless rate to go down pg6
Umno party
for all: Najib
trate on our members only, though
our members are important, but
we must have the capacity and
wisdom to expand what we can do
in terms of delivering our message
and fulfilling all the aspirations
and resolving the problems of the
people as a whole,” he said.
Najib said this was why he em-
phasised “people first” because the
people would support the Barisan
Nasional (BN) government if they
TELLING IT AS IT IS
» North Korea prepares to fire more missiles pg8
were a satisfied lot.
He said the massive BN victory
in the Bagan Pinang state by-elec-
tion on Sunday was a crucial point
in the process to restore the spirit
of Umno members.
However, he reminded party
members the victory did not mean
that everything was back to normal
because “one swallow does not
make a summer”.
“Umno should strive harder
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and in a more organised manner
to achieve bigger victories. We still
have bigger responsibilities and
duties which we have to discharge
with full commitment and dedica-
tion,” he said.
“Only then can we assume that
Umno is on a strong and solid
foundation.”
In this connection, he said,
» Turn to Page 3
News without
borders
No need for
outsiders to
intervene,
says Liow
by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: MCA vice-president Datuk
Seri Liow Tiong Lai says the party does
not need any outsider to intervene in its
internal crisis and that it has the capability
to deal with the problem itself.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak had yet to ask about the MCA
crisis.
“I think the prime minister respects
MCA and has full confidence in us. The
party needs to solve the problem itself. We
know we have the capability to solve the
problem without the intervention of any
quarter,” he told reporters after launching
GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Global Information
Technology Centre yesterday,
“He (Najib) wants MCA to be strong
and able to solve the problem fast and we
promise we will do it as soon as possible
to ensure the party is strong again to help
Barisan Nasional.”
On Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s call for
fresh party elections, Liow urged members
to be calm and “we have to abide by the
party constitution to resolve our present
situation”. “If there is any vacancy, the central
committee (CC) must convene and decide
on the direction of the party,” he said.
On theSun’s report yesterday that he,
vice-president Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha
and several other central leaders had had
a meeting on Sunday to discuss the future
leadership, Liow did not admit nor deny the
meeting took place.
Meanwhile, party president Datuk Seri
Ong Tee Keat said in his blog the 60-year-old
party is capable of solving its own problems
through its own internal mechanism.
Saying the party is now at a crossroads,
he also said he will do what needs to be
done in the best interest of the party.
He said the crisis in MCA is typical of
any organisation that calls for change and
reforms, particularly the eradication of
unacceptable and decadent practices.
“We can either change or carry on at our
own peril. We have to take stock of what has
happened and learn our past lessons. Ulti-
mately, we hope the party will emerge wiser
and more mature.”
» See also Page 2