Najib: Safeguard Umno presidency, not me

Party members urged to take good care of the party and the institution of Umno president.

TAIPING: All Umno members were reminded today to safeguard the institution of the party president because failure to do so will cause the party to become weak.

Umno president Najib Razak said if there was interference with the presidential institution, Umno’s elected leaders would have difficulty in leading the party and carrying out their duties.

“Take good care of the party and the Umno presidential institution, not me. Love me as the president because one day my successor will take over (duties of president).

“If the party is weak, who will become the leader to bring us forward? So to make sure that the party is not weak, all divisions need to keep the harmony,” he said.

Najib said this when opening the delegates meeting of the Bukit Gantang, Taiping, Bagan Serai and Parit Buntar Umno divisions today.

“As long as Umno is in power, we can head towards a good future. Don’t ruin Umno, don’t underestimate Umno, make sure Umno stays in power and be the greatest party in the world,” stressed Najib.

He also reminded Umno members to have the strength to face the current challenges because any weaknesses would affect them psychologically.

“There must be confidence, but don’t be arrogant, must be humble and don’t show off. We must be humble because we want to serve the people.

“If Umno cares for the people, then safeguard the branches well. Don’t have factions. This is our family, if we are big hearted, a lot of problems will be solved,” he said.

The Umno President also advised its leaders and members to adhere to the principle of morality to continue to be respected.

Najib said Umno members could have differences of opinion, but any clash of ideas must be addressed preferably in accordance with the party’s system and constitution.

“Follow the Malay culture. The difference of opinion is normal, even husband and wife sometimes pull a long face. If there are differences of opinion, there are borders that cannot be traversed. Don’t try to bring down Umno’s institution. We can disagree, but don’t ever betray the sacred struggle,” he said.

In his 40-minute speech, Najib also challenged Umno leadership in Bukit Gantang, Taiping, Bagan Serai and Parit Buntar divisions to ensure victory for the Barisan Nasional at the next general election.

In the 2013 elections, opposition candidates won three of the parliamentary seats except Bagai Serai.

“After the assembly don’t claw each other, please…remember how hard it was for us to get Perak back from the opposition,” he said.

Perak Umno chairman Zambry Abd Kadir urged members not to let any quarters tear the party institutions apart. He said among Umno’s biggest challenges currently was to deal with the people who tried to weaken the party.

The meeting was attended by more than 3,000 delegates from the four divisions.