KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- Umno will be the champion of the people by putting the people of all races above itself through the changes that the party is currently undergoing, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Thursday.
In his maiden speech as Umno president at the party's general assembly, he said Umno would continue to champion the people's lot in matters relating to their welfare and livelihood and he wanted the party's initiatives to be in keeping with the times.
"Umno can no longer be seen as a party that leans towards only one group," he told the 2,500 delegates attending the assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre here.
As the backbone of the ruling coalition, Umno could not afford to be regarded as focusing solely on big business initiatives or mega projects but instead should be the champion of the people, he said.
"Umno's service must be done evenly. We will definitely be a party that advocates resilient economic growth, just distribution of wealth, comprehensive social security network and controlled cost of living," he said.
Umno, he said, wanted to be seen, felt and be given full confidence as an inclusive party that put the people, and not itself, first.
Najib, who took over the helm of the 63-year-old party in March, said Umno could not be seen as a party that only fought for a small group.
"The perception of Umno as a party to make a living from must be thrown far far away, must be discarded," he said.
Najib, who was dressed in a blue baju Melayu with light blue songket, said it was vital for Umno to be a party which upheld the "wasatan" philosophy, that is, moderation or what is described in political science as a centrist party.
"Umno cannot be an ultra-left or ultra-right party," he said, adding that since its establishment, Umno had not leaned towards a liberal or a conservative ideology.
Najib said Umno would also change the criteria for picking candidates for elections because the key performance indicator for a political party was to win elections and form a strong and stable government.
The candidate must be a person who was acceptable to the local community besides having the quality to serve at three important levels, namely the people, party and country.
"In the final analysis, this is the candidate that the people want and who will win elections," he added.
He also invited all Umno members to discard negative elements like money politics so that that the party could be clean and respected after the constitutional amendments were made at its special general assembly, which would be held after his policy speech.
The amendments were not cosmetic or patchwork but were substantive and significant, he said.
Najib said the amendments, among others, would increase the number of members directly involved in voting for leaders, from 2,500 delegates now to more than 146,000 people.
"This is a sign that the democratic spirit is alive and kicking in Umno. Clearly there is no other party in Malaysia which is brave enough to do this," he said in his 16-page speech which he took 75 mintues to deliver.
Umno had acted courageously to amend the party constitution to make it more transparent, inclusive and democratic, he said, adding that the move had drawn knee-jerk reaction from certain quarters who tried to copy and change their party constitutions without thorough study.
He said this was their trick, making promises in public without any follow-up.
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