KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — As Malaysia’s embattled ruling party began a crucial meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak challenged Umno to look after the interests of all Malaysians.
The party had to change with the times, while representing both Malays and non-Malays, he said. “I think we have come to a stage where Umno is seen as a party that looks after the welfare and well-being of all Malaysians,” he said in an interview with the Bernama news agency.
“It does not mean that we focus on our members only, though our members are important, but we must have the capacity and wisdom to expand what we can do in the way we deliver our message and in fulfilling all the aspirations and resolving the problems of the people as a whole.”
He issued his challenge to Umno as the party, fresh from a by-election victory, struggles to ease tension with its partners in the Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition and to deal with criticisms of internal vote-buying.
Yesterday, deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin alluded to the fact that the party had initiated moves to reform its constitution.
Addressing the joint opening of the Women’s, Youth and Puteri Umno wings at the start of Umno’s four-day general assembly, he said Umno had already taken steps to “seriously evaluate” itself in order to remain relevant.
But he also emphasised that Umno was not the only party that needed to change.
“Barisan Nasional’s component parties must also change. We must be ready to undergo a deeper transformation including achieving a new level of cooperation between the BN parties,” he said to thunderous applause.
Umno’s relations with its coalition partners are uncertain at the moment. The Malaysian Chinese Association has been left without a leader and the Indian-based Makkal Sakti party, instead of the Malaysian Indian Congress, has emerged as a potential partner.
Umno is also struggling to regain support in the wake of massive losses suffered by the BN in the general election last year.
The party has proposed constitutional amendments aimed at curbing internal vote-buying, which it hopes will help win back public support.
Some 2,500 delegates will be voting on a proposal to extend voting rights from 2,500 to more than 140,000 members. That would effectively make it almost impossible to buy votes.
They will also be asked to vote to remove the requirement that contenders for top party posts need at least 60 nominations from 192 party divisions nationwide before they are allowed to run in an election.
As the biggest BN party, Umno’s own polls are significant as its leaders head the government.
In his interview, Najib, who will deliver his speech to the delegates tomorrow, noted that this was the first time in Umno’s history that such radical changes were being proposed.
“I feel that it is difficult to change human beings, but what we can do is to put in place a tighter and more transparent system of elections,” he said.
Universiti Teknologi Mara lecturer Shaharuddin Badaruddin called the move to let grassroots members vote a “drastic change” but said it was not enough.
“You might have a good and visionary constitution,” he said, “but if your behaviour is not in line with that, then you’ll be back to square one”. — The Straits Times
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