Umno Must Transform Or Collapse - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak has called on Umno members to undertake a complete transformation that is total and tangible in the name of survival of the party.
Addressing the joint opening of Wanita Umno, Umno Youth and Puteri Umno general assemblies at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here tonight, he said the party would lose the support of the people if it did not change.
"We must change. For if we do not, we shall surely falter," said the incoming Umno president to some 2,300 delegates of the three wings.
Delivering a speech entitled "Menakhoda Zaman" (Leader of the Times), he outlined steps to be taken by the party to regain the confidence of the people -- which included changing the process of choosing the leaders, ending money politics and training of political cadres.
Najib, who is deputy prime minister, said the right to choose leaders should be given to the greater number of members to reflect the preferences of more than three million Umno grassroots members.
"To my mind, the time has come for us to review the selection of Umno leaders that will be more inclusive of a greater number of Umno members from all levels. "This move will enable us to end money politics and abuse of power. This is the path we must take, if we are to regain the strength of the party by returning to the grassroots the mandate for choosing party leaders. "When the people are with us, Umno will regain its full strength once again. And we can accomplish this if each and every member and leader in Umno embraces the passion for service to the people," he said.
On the education of political cadres, he said Umno must strengthen the political training and education of its members through well planned courses based on a carefully crafted curriculum which emphasises history, self-confidence and esprit de corps. The modules for such training ought to focus on the strengthening of values aimed at creating honourable leaders. At every level, Umno members must be given sufficient training and education so that they fully understand the history of the party's struggles, he said. "Only then can we foster loyalty predicated on the full belief in what Umno stands for," he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister said Umno must win back the hearts and minds of the people to remain relevant.
"Whether we like it or not, we must change for the benefit of the people. We must dare to change and abandon negative behaviours in favour of praiseworthy attitudes. "Change from being aloof to being friendly and approachable. Change from always thinking of our self interest to instead putting the interest of the people above our own. "Change from laziness to diligence. Change from doing the required minimum to embracing a passion for service," he said.
Najib asked the delegates to pick leaders who were strong and able.
"Present to me a team that has the traits of loyalty, integrity, ability and dedication to duty," he said. He said Umno needed a capable team, leaders who dare to make changes and to accept change, and able to criticise and open to criticism. Apart from that, Najib said there was now a perception that the aspirations of Umno were far removed from that of the people. "They feel that what Umno wants is very different from what the people expects. As such we must correct the perception and we must not get trapped in our own cocoon. We must not get caught up in the internal processes of the party. "We must never be too preoccupied with winning positions in the party, to the extent that we forget that the real measure of success of a democratic political party is whether or not it can win elections. "What is the point of winning party positions within a party that is bereft of authority and is no longer in power?" Najib said Umno would become stronger if it open its doors to as many Malays as possible if it was to become a party that represent their aspirations. "Umno will be truly great if the culture of humility and readiness to serve is embraced by all its members. "Umno will be more resilient if its members stop asking what they can get from the party, but instead ask what they can give to the religion, race and nation through Umno," he said.
As such Najib reminded the delegates of the three wings they shoulder the biggest responsibility in the history of Umno.
"What is at stake is nothing less than the very fate of Umno. The decision we collectively make at this assembly will determine the future of our party; whether we continue to shape and mould history, or just become an entry in the annals of history," he said. But, said Najib, Umno was still very much loved by the Malays. "It is because of this that they have voted to retain Umno as the biggest party with the most number of seats in the Dewan Rakyat even though a two-thirds majority was denied. "Umno must learn from the message that was conveyed to them by the Malays (through the ballot boxes). If we do not heed this message, their anger will become hatred and in the end this may cause them to abandon us altogether."
Najib said it had been proven that Umno was able of bringing hope in place of misery. He said the party was capable of building a proud and civilised nation that was respected the world over. "It has done so much to uplift the lives of Malaysians, extricating them from the clutches of poverty and elevating them to higher quality of life in just one generation. "Let there be no doubt that it is this great party that leads the way forward," he said. Najib said Umno could not afford to be seen as a party that was resistant to new ideas and new people or a party that did not welcome the young. On the contrary, he said Umno had been credited with increasing access to education especially at tertiary level. "These well educated youngsters are the product of Umno's effort and we cannot sit back and allow them to be enticed buy others. "We must capture their imagination and convince them that our party moves in line with their aspirations," he said.

tunku : change or be ready to be changes.umno should really understand this.this is a do or die mission for them.they must prove this time around.umno members and leaders can't take things for granted anymore.put najib's speech in our mind and understand it thoroughly.