Najib makes last-minute appeal to reform Umno

Najib ... ‘if we put unity above everything else, we will succeed just like how we succeeded in Bagan Pinang.’

By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak today asked Umno central delegates to support the party constitutional amendments scheduled to be tabled this Thursday that will do away with nomination quotas and increase the voting base to more than 100,000.

In his first presidential briefing since assuming the party presidency last March, the prime minister also said that the amendments would make Umno’s top leaders more accountable, as contest for senior posts would be made easier.

“I have explained the current scenario, the political landscape and the challenges faced by Umno,” Najib told reporters after meeting some 2,500 party delegates at its headquarters in the Putra World Trade Centre.

The presidential briefing or pre-council is always held before the start of the annual assembly, and is traditionally used by the party president to set the direction for the meeting.

“I pointed out how important it is for Umno to change for the better, in terms unity, culture and behaviour,” said Najib.

“I gave an example, if we put unity above everything else, we will succeed just like how we succeeded in Bagan Pinang,” added the chairman of the Barisan Nasional about the win that snapped its losing streak in the peninsula since Election 2008.

He explained the reason for the proposed amendment which includes, among others, increasing the number of delegates eligible to vote from some 2,500 to more than 100,000, noting, “so that we can control the behaviour of the members, so we can do better.”

“The amendment can eradicate money politics, because the number of voters is much bigger,” he said adding that it will be easier to detect the practice of vote buying with the higher number of delegates.

Najib said with the amendments, top leaders who don’t perform will also be open to challenges.

The main amendment is abolishing the quota system for aspiring candidates in the party elections, which has been a major obstacle in contesting party posts.

When asked whether the amendments will face opposition from the delegates, Najib said they responded well to him during the briefing.

“God willing, the response was warm, we’ll see in a day or two,” he said.

His reform effort was earlier opposed by Bukit Mertajam division and most divisions in Johor, as it was said to have been done in haste and not seen to be empowering the party grassroots.

The plan to reform the party through constitutional amendment was first unveiled by Najib at its general assembly last March in an attempt to curb money politics.

This year’s Umno general assembly starts tonight with the opening of the Wanita, Youth and Puteri assemblies by deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.