Purge Umno of apple-polishers, says Najib

In an apparent slap at Mahathir and Mukhriz, party chief says ouster more important than Kulim airport.

ALOR STAR: Umno president Najib Razak has called for a purge of trouble-makers in the party, and attacked “jemuan-jemuan” (bad characters) and apple-polishers as being responsible for causing disunity in the ranks.

And in an apparent reply to a warning by Mahathir Mohamad of impending defeat at the next general election, Najib said Umno was capable of remaining in power and win elections if these “unwanted people” were not in the party.

“The “jemuan” are worse than apple-polishers and “batu ronson” (instigators), because they try to pit us against each other, so much so our shortcomings are amplified, party harmony is affected,” he said here when opening a convention of state party leaders.

“Leave them out, if the “jemuan” are not there, the Barisan Nasional (BN) and UMNO will win,” he said according to Bernama.

The two-day convention is attended by delegates from the 15 Umno divisions in the state. Kedah Umno is headed by Mukhriz Mahathir, son of the former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has been a fierce critic of Najib’s handling of the economy and particularly the government-owned investment company 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

In a blog posting on Friday, Mahathir had warned that 1MDB could bring down the Umno-led Barisan Nasional federal government at the next general election.

Last week, in the face of constant criticism, Najib had called a special meeting of all Umno division leaders, which was attended by about 150 of the 191 chiefs. Mukhriz was one of those absent at the meeting, as was deputy Umno president Muhyiddinn Yassin.

It was reported after the meeting that Najib’s brieifing about 1MDB had been well-received by those present.

Bernama reports Najib as saying today that it was important to get rid of these negative elements in order to secure the party’s future.

“This is more important than the Kulim International Airport or a proposal to convert a loan (from the federal government to the Kedah state government) to a grant, although they are no less important. If we are united and work as a team, God willing, UMNO will continue to win, those are the ingredients; unity and teamwork,” he said.

Mukhriz, who is Kedah menteri besar, has proposed to the federal government that an international airport be built at Kulim, near Sungai Petani, as part of his plans for the modernisation and industrialisation of the state. The proposal has been opposed by the state government of Penang, where the nearest international airport is located.

Bernama said Najib had asked party members to ensure that the party’s interests came first and not personal interests, and to reduce internal problems (in the party) so as to ensure Umno received continued support from the people.

“Among the pull factors (people’s support for Umno) is the team spirit inherent in the party. So avoid internal problems and let us not bicker among ourselves. Let there be no factions in a division as this will make us hard-pressed to make our choices,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

Thus, he urged Umno members not to repeat past mistakes in the future.