Umno must leave PN or it will perish, says Najib

 

Former prime minister Najib Razak said Umno was never meant to play second fiddle from the time it was formed in 1946.

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has told Umno leaders and members not to get used to the party’s supporting role in the current government administration, warning that this could kill off Umno slowly.

“Today, we are just followers. As long as we have ministerial positions, we’re content although the quality of the portfolio doesn’t match Umno’s contributions to the current government.

“We have to leave. If we stay, then Umno will no longer be an influential party. We don’t just need a winning mentality but we need to translate that into a winning strategy at all levels,” he said in his speech during the Pekan Umno’s annual general meeting today.

Comparing its lead role in the Alliance government in the early days and then Barisan Nasional for nearly five decades, he said positions related to the economy and finance were not held by Umno ministers.

“Today, we don’t get to decide on the country’s policies. Any success by the government is credited to others and not us,” he said.

Najib said Umno had been a leading component in the federal government since its establishment in 1946 and was not meant to just play a supporting role.

“If we take all that has happened in the past nine months and accept it as the new norm or new reality, then we’re actually killing Umno slowly.

“If Umno continues in this way, only becoming a component party of the government and getting treated like a stepchild, despite the major role we play, then just wait for the demise of Umno.”

He said Umno had always led the way in the agenda and direction of the administration of the government, while lamenting that the party’s role today was not proportionate to the contribution it gave to Putrajaya. - FMT