PKR: Book proves 'knives are out for Najib'

While a large part of the blame for the poor state of Umno's affairs has been put on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, PKR vice-president N Surendran has taken this matter a step further by saying that the Malay nationalist party's collective failures are the real cause of its troubles.

Surendran said the newly released book, Kesilapan-kesilapan Najib(Najib's mistakes), accuses Najib of failure as Umno president and as prime minister, and calls on him to "sacrifice himself and resign" before the country heads to the 13^th general election.

"It is obvious from the publication of this book that the 'knives are out' for Najib from within Umno and that the movement to topple Najib from power has gained strength and become bolder.

"It becomes increasingly obvious that Umno/BN are headed for a historic defeat in the coming polls and now Umno leaders and factions are looking for a scapegoat for the failures (in order to) to wrest power for themselves."

"No doubt Najib bears a large part of the blame for the current dismal state of affairs in Umno. However, it is Umno's own long-term collective failures that have brought them to this state," Surendran (above, right) said in a statement.

Surendran was commenting on the book, which was written by a former Wangsa Maju Umno leader, Shahbudin Husin.

The book lists several of Najib's errors and calls on him to step down before the 13^th general election.

The faults include Najib's 1Malaysia, eliminating the Entrepreneur Development Ministry, having a weak cabinet comprising too many senators, cutting subsidies, Apco's appointment, failure to control Rosmah's lavish style, the PM's failure to deal effectively with component parties and the cabinet, and flip-flops.

Downfall started with Mahathir

Others listed include allowing nepotism and cronyism to be practised, having a large amount of officers who failed to help him, failure in dealing with Bersih 2.0, chasing his own popularity, condoning a dirty and filthy political culture,and having too many questionable transformation programmes.

Surendran said in the 1980s and 90s, then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad systematically destroyed the nation's independent institutions, namely the police and the Judiciary, and he sold the country's wealth by privatising state-owned entities to crony capitalists.

"As a collective entity, Umno did nothing to restrain Mahathir or end his reign of oppression and profiteering. Umno chieftains and their relatives and cronies profited immensely from projects, contracts and other money-making schemes using state power and assets.

"Also included in the gravy-train were those from MCA and MIC. By the end of the Mahathir years, politics had become synonymous with business and the needs and grievances of the ordinary, hard-working rakyat had been forgotten.

"Umno has lost sight of what should have been its main job, which is the advancement of the happiness and interests of the rakyat, irrespective of political affiliation, race or creed."

'No vision, except to enrich itself'

Surendran said Umno's collective failure was the real cause of the party's troubles.

For decades, he said, Umno had shown no vision or purpose, beyond holding on to power and enriching itself.

"Guilty as he certainly is, blaming Najib alone and removing him in a 'party coup' is not going to save Umno or BN. Only thorough, ongoing reform and a return to serving the rakyat will save them. And this they are incapable of doing.

"The country is facing major socio-economic issues at home and serious challenges from abroad, including the global implications of Europe's worsening economic troubles.

"Plagued by party infighting, morally corrupt and without purpose or vision, Umno/BN cannot provide the leadership the nation urgently requires," Surendran added.