Umno’s future depends on support of other races too
(The Star) – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Umno has never ignored the struggle to promote the agenda of the Malays and the Bumiputeras but, at the same time, it still needed the support of the other races to ensure its survival as a party.
The Prime Minister and Umno president said the implementation of 1Malaysia, a concept that he had promoted, did not mean that Umno’s commitment to champion the Malay agenda would be neglected, because it was introduced to ensure the support of all races in the country.
“When I go down to the ground, the plantations, the estates, the Chinese New Villages, it does not mean that I am less committed towards championing the cause of the Malays and Bumiputeras.
“I do it because we must ensure that our country, Malaysia, gets the support of all the ethnic groups because the future of Umno depends on the support of the other races too,” he said.
Najib said this in his winding up speech at the Umno General Assembly 2011, thus concluding the five-day assembly.
Najib said as the government leader, he must think of the direction that the country was heading so that the rakyat would continue to have confidence and trust in the present leadership.
As such, he said, thorough planning must be carried out to ensure that in the next 10 years, Malaysia would emerge as a developed nation with a high income under the Umno and Barisan Nasional leadership.
“That’s why we undertake many things to achieve the developed nation status such as the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP), whereby we have determined the types of projects required to achieve the status.
“Alhamdulillah, with the launch and implementation of such programmes, if the European economy were to collapse, or if there is uncertainty in the United States, we in Malaysia, Alhamdulillah, will have a sustainable and stable economy and can show a positive growth,” he said.
He pointed out that the success was not a personal achievement but that of the leadership in the country, which should prove to the rakyat the capability of Umno and Barisan to lead the government.
