‘Umno not a one-man party’

(The Star) – Umno is not a one-man party and its members must be dedicated to the party’s struggles, says its president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Umno is not a one-man party where the opinions of an individual have to be accepted by others.

“That is not democracy as we have to listen to the majority voice in the party. If the party makes a decision that is not in line with our personal interests, we have to accept it if we practise democracy,” he said in his speech during the opening of the 2016 Sungai Petani Umno division meeting yesterday.

Najib said it was important for Umno members to be dedicated to the party’s struggles if they wanted to succeed.

He also stressed the importance of loyalty, and cited Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah as an example of a loyal party member.

“I still remember the time when he was the Kedah Umno liaison committee chairman. When I told him ‘Please give way to (former Kedah mentri besar) Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’, he did not object, but with a sad face, he responded: ‘I understand your decision’.

“He accepted it with a calm heart and that’s why in the end, he became Kedah MB,” he added.

Najib also said he, too, had to work from the ground up.

“I did not become the party president straight away although I am the (former) prime minister’s son. I rose from the bottom. I was the Umno Youth division head. I moved up at each step and in my history, I’ve never fought against other people.

“I was loyal to his (Mukhriz’s) father, loyal for 22 years,” he said of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In Penang, Najib labelled Dr Mahathir as being “obsessed about control”.

“In a recent interview in Jakarta, I said I only have two options – to be a prime minister who has to refer to him when making big decisions or be a prime minister whose work is based on the needs of the people and the party.

“If I choose the second option, sooner or later, he will attack me. Just like how he attacked Pak Lah (former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).

“He attacked Pak Lah because he did not listen to him. When I did not listen to him, he also attacked. How long must we live under such a situation?” he said in his speech at the opening of the Tasek Gelugor Umno division meeting.