Najib: Umno rescued Malays, bumiputera from abject poverty

Umno, the backbone of the ruling coalition which has remained at the helm of power for six decades, will celebrate its 70th anniversary on Saturday.

Its leaders have been issuing a string of congratulatory messages, noting the party’s strength and contributions to the nation as well as the current turmoil.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is also Umno president, noted how the party had rescued the Malays and bumiputera from the clutches of abject poverty.

He said this was due to numerous initiatives implemented by the party since the 1970s.

Though the prime minister did not mention it, among the initiatives during that period was the New Economic Policy (NEP), which was launched when his father, the late Abdul Razak Hussein was prime minister.

The NEP, crafted in the aftermath of the 1969 racial riots, was a social re-engineering and affirmative action programme, which some critics claimed has been abused by the elites.

In his tweet, Najib, who took over the reins in 2009, also provided a graph which stated that poverty among the bumiputera was at 64.8 percent in 1970, but dropped to 0.8 percent in 2014.

Azalina: Some are undermining Umno

In conjunction with the anniversary, Umno supreme council member Azalina Othman Said stressed the importance of loyalty and sacrifice as key ingredients to the party’s strength.

On the same note, she expressed disappointment that certain quarters, among its leaders, members and supporters, are attempting to undermine Umno.

"They are not only criticising through the media, but also making moves to topple the current leadership, and are even willing to meet with the opposition to fulfil their personal interests," she was quoted as saying by Bernama.

This was in reference to former premier and ex-Umno president of two decades Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his son Mukhriz and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Meanwhile, Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin and state Umno liaison chief called on all party members to love Umno as well as to invest their sweat and toil in ensuring its continued success.

“We must do it collectively. One party, one struggle, one race, all mutually supporting, firm and empowering,” he said.

"Finally, let us appeal to the Almighty, to preserve Umno and permit it to be led by the best to create and turn out from it, all the enlightenment for the beloved Malay and Malaysian race,” he added.

On the other hand, supreme council member Ahmad Maslan hoped that the younger generation would understand and appreciate Umno’s struggle.

“They are of the view they can live in peace and prosperity without linking (their lives) to Umno’s struggle. That is a wrong perception.

“Umno is not only for the Malays... Umno also champions all the other races in Malaysia,” he said. -Mkini