Najib admits rising tensions in Umno: Not enough money for all requests

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he is taking a realistic approach in meeting the rakyat’s aspirations and to resolve internal bickering in Umno.

The Prime Minister and Umno president is compiling all the requests and demands from the ground and listing them according to priority.

“We (the Government) do not have the financial capacity to fulfil everything on the wish list.

“But we will certainly attend to requests based on urgency,” he said, adding that some groups had even given him memoranda.

Najib said most of the requests on the wish list involved minor projects, while others were related to infrastructure, hospitals and schools.

He said this after meeting 118 Umno division leaders who are not ministers, deputy ministers or MPs at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

Party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was present at the marathon eight-hour meeting, where the division chiefs met the prime minister in groups according to states. Each state was given about 30 minutes.

Najib said his meeting with the Umno division leaders was part of the Barisan Nasional’s political transformation plan.

He had met Barisan MPs last month and 62 Sarawak assemblymen last week.

“Today, I am meeting Umno division leaders who are not MPs. We are giving them the opportunity to highlight and help resolve problems faced by the rakyat,” he said.

Regarding the internal bickering among some Umno leaders, Najib said he did not expect the disputes to be settled overnight.

“Rivalry and misunderstandings are bound to occur in the competitive environment of a democratic system. We cannot resolve disputes 100%.

“But we ask them to at least reduce the tension to a point where there is no operational disruption at the divisions,” he said.

Najib, however, added that the internal problems in Umno were not as severe as that in a certain party that had seen a mass exodus of its members.

- Star