Azmin attacks Najib, rejects Malay supremacy

PETALING JAYA, Nov 28 — Newly elected PKR deputy president Azmin Ali questioned the legitimacy of Datuk Seri Najib Razak leadership as prime minister today, and proclaimed his party’s rejection of Umno’s Malay supremacist position.

Taking an aggressive stand in his new role as a senior leader in his party, Azmin pointed out that Najib did not have a mandate from the public or from Umno members.

Azmin (picture) said that Najib was never elected as Prime Minister and said the prime minister is yet to be tested in an Umno election.

“We should not forget that Najib never stood for election. Utusan listen to this, Najib never stood for election. He was appointed by Dr Mahathir as the deputy prime minister. They then threw Abdullah Badawi out. He became prime minister because he was appointed and not elected. This is because he is not brave to face his own party members,” he said during his winding-up speech at the party’s national convention here.

He said unlike PKR where each member has one vote, the Umno leadership only received their mandate from 0.07 per cent out of the 3.4 million party members.

He also ridiculed Najib’s 1 Malaysia, accusing Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) of continuing to condone racist policies in its administration.

“If we want our country and people to march forward then we must ensure the end of racist policies brought by Umno and BN. The national agenda should be based on needs not on race. This is very important.

“We must not be defensive when we want to reject the concept of Malay supremacy. Even though the media have relentlessly attacked us that we are traitors because we want to reject Malay supremacy but I want to proclaim today that we will reject Malay supremacy. We will carry people power to become the basis of the party’s struggle,” he said.

Azmin said party members have the conviction to topple BN and capture Putrajaya.

“We must safeguard our sense of conviction. We are confident not because we are paid. We are confident not because we will get senatorship. But we are confident because if we do not act now then all the systems in this country under Barisan Nasional will worsen,” he said.

He added that public welfare should be measured not by race but by needs.

“The Indian community is poor in the estate, Malay community is poor in the villages and the Chinese are also poor in towns. This is the responsibility of PKR to help all races including Bumiputera Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

Azmin said that he is not apologetic with his stance because it is the public that will decide the future of the country and party.

“I am not apologetic and is not worried with attacks by Utusan Malaysia because those that determine the future of the country and our party is not Utusan Malaysia and TV3 but the Malaysian people of different races,” he said.

Azmin denied that PKR consists of traitors and was anti-Malay because it wants to abolish Malay supremacist policies.

“We want to help the Malays but only Malays with dignity but not Malays that practices rent seeking, nepotism like Umno and Barisan Nasional,” he said.

“If we ask Umno leaders who do they think are the real Malay patriots? What will be their answer? Rosmah Mansor,” he said.

Azmin was officially announced today as PKR’s deputy president after defeating his only contender, Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, with 19,543 votes.

The third contender, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, withdrew from the deputy presidential contest after claiming fraud in the party’s first direct election.

Zaid also quit PKR and claimed the party had failed to uphold democratic principles.