In his final presidential address, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi acknowledged that Umno's glory has diminished and the party is now battling for survival.
Addressing delegates attending Umno's 59th annual assembly in Kuala Lumpur, he said members must heed the alarm bells that have rung so loudly, prompting questions such as 'what went wrong?' and 'why and how did we go wrong?'
"My spontaneous response to that question is that we have failed to manage our own success. We were intoxicated by our achievements and we became complacent.
"We believed that we had become all powerful. We have put our own positions within the party first, instead of being concerned over Umno's positions in the eyes of our citizens and the nation," he said.
Abdullah said the current situation requires Umno to be introspective, revisit the basis of the party's struggle and examine the weaknesses and recent missteps.
The president stressed that internal conflicts and greed have also weakened the party, providing fodder to rivals in their efforts to tarnish Umno.
'Mahathirism' will not save Umno
Outgoing Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today expressed sadness that certain quarters in the party believe that reverting to the old order is the panacea to revive the ailing institution.
"Sadly there are still those who feel that we do not need to pursue reforms," he said in his opening speech at the 59th Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.
"They believe that Umno will regain its glory if we revert to the old ways - the old order, by restricting freedom of our citizens and by silencing their criticisms," he added.
Abdullah's remarks come amidst growing concerns that his successor Najib Abdul Razak would emulate the leadership traits of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and come down hard on critics.
There is also widespread fear that the Internal Security Act (ISA) will be invoked to quash dissent.
Abdullah said these quarters are of the view that Umno can continue to be in power if they safeguard the interests of certain individuals and give in to the demands of certain groups.
"There are those among us who gain comfort from these thoughts and are still lulled into a false sense of security," he added.
According to Abdullah, the old path is the wrong path.
Addressing delegates attending Umno's 59th annual assembly in Kuala Lumpur, he said members must heed the alarm bells that have rung so loudly, prompting questions such as 'what went wrong?' and 'why and how did we go wrong?'"My spontaneous response to that question is that we have failed to manage our own success. We were intoxicated by our achievements and we became complacent.
"We believed that we had become all powerful. We have put our own positions within the party first, instead of being concerned over Umno's positions in the eyes of our citizens and the nation," he said.
Abdullah said the current situation requires Umno to be introspective, revisit the basis of the party's struggle and examine the weaknesses and recent missteps.
The president stressed that internal conflicts and greed have also weakened the party, providing fodder to rivals in their efforts to tarnish Umno.
'Mahathirism' will not save Umno
Outgoing Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today expressed sadness that certain quarters in the party believe that reverting to the old order is the panacea to revive the ailing institution.
"Sadly there are still those who feel that we do not need to pursue reforms," he said in his opening speech at the 59th Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur."They believe that Umno will regain its glory if we revert to the old ways - the old order, by restricting freedom of our citizens and by silencing their criticisms," he added.
Abdullah's remarks come amidst growing concerns that his successor Najib Abdul Razak would emulate the leadership traits of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and come down hard on critics.
There is also widespread fear that the Internal Security Act (ISA) will be invoked to quash dissent.
Abdullah said these quarters are of the view that Umno can continue to be in power if they safeguard the interests of certain individuals and give in to the demands of certain groups.
"There are those among us who gain comfort from these thoughts and are still lulled into a false sense of security," he added.
According to Abdullah, the old path is the wrong path.
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