Najib: We will maintain momentum into GE

The prime minister told reporters he was confident Umno would be able to sustain its spirits well into the general election

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak expressed confidence today that Umno members would maintain the momentum they gained from the party’s general assembly up until the general election, but again remained mum on when it would be held .

“We can sustain [the momentum] until the big day, I’m confident,” he told reporters at a briefing after delivering his winding-up speech to an audience of over 2,000 here today.

But when reporters tried to prise the election date from the premier by asking if the momentum could last for several months, Najib said: “Depends on when the big day is.”

The general assembly will be the Malay party’s last gathering before it faces the 13th general election, said to be the toughest yet for Barisan Nasional in the face of a slew of exposé from the opposition coalition in the past few years.

The upcoming general election, which must be held before April 28, 2012, will be the first for Najib to secure his own mandate. But he has yet to announce the date, sparking speculation that the premier is not confident of a win.

“But the momentum is growing and I’m sure, I’m quite confident they will take back with them the spirit of this assembly,” said Najib.

“What I said, what the deputy president said and also the mood of the whole assembly has been very energising, I would say.

“So Umno is ready and the party spirit is strong,” he added.

When reporters pressed on the date again, he said: “[I will hold the election] when the time comes.

“Why are you so eager to have elections? Why, you want to go for holiday, is it?” he asked the reporters with a laugh.

But Najib said that once the polls are finally held, the target would be for Barisan Nasional to regain a two-thirds majority – a record that had been broken in the 2008 general election when Pakatan managed to win five states.

When asked about internal sabotage, Najib said he was sure Umno members would be able to be rational over the matter.

“This is all in the heart and mind. If in the heart they love Umno, in the mind they know that their actions would hurt the party and themselves, then I believe they will act rationally.”

Earlier, Najib had in his speech expressed “slight” concerns over internal sabotage, and urged members to give full support to candidates once they were announced.