Acting UMNO President Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urges UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) party leaders and members to ‘Bite the Bullet’, face reality and move on, to carry on the struggle for the sake of the people and nation.
New Straits Times story:
Zahid tells Umno members to face reality and rise together
Acting Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says party’s survival now lies on the “undivided and strong support” of its members. Pic by AIZUDDIN SAAD
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today called on Umno members to continue giving their support to the party’s leadership, including other Barisan Nasional component parties to ensure survival.
Zahid, who is now carrying out the duties of Umno president, said the party’s survival now lies on the “undivided and strong support” of its members.
“At this rate, the future and survival of our race are at a critical state. Therefore, Umno must be restructured to ensure it remains relevant as a political organisation that can safeguard the Malays and Malaysians as a whole.
“Let us leave behind all the political nostalgia and improve ourselves to ensure our political survival.
“We must think and conduct self-evaluation to find out our weaknesses. The “rehabilitation” process must be carried out at all level; from top to bottom, as well as at the branch and division levels.
“We must eliminate political liability and face this,
“I believe that everything happens for a reason; for us to be better and rise up again,” he said in a press conference with Umno-Online that was published on it’s website.
Also present was Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
Zahid later asked Umno members at all levels to continue giving their support not just to him and Hishammuddin, but also other leadership at state, division and branch levels.
He also called on members to make “adjustment” as the party is now an opposition.
“For that, we have to be a constructive opposition. Our failure this time will lead to another success, if we practise istiqamah and will work harder for it.
“Every branch is obliged to be more open and wise in managing different views of the members, who want fresh change.
“Let us face the reality and rise again together,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zahid said as BN is the only party that has 78 members of parliament, every action from now on will be made as a group.
“InsyaAllah (God willing), every action will be taken as a group. We will not allow BN MPs to be teared apart one by one.
“Any negotiation and discussion will be made in groups. As we are all aware, Umno and BN have been in power longer at the Federal level.
“We must fix all the damages and immediately rebuild the “mansion.”“
“We are at a very difficult phase and our political journey is still far away, but we must remember that this is not the end”.
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The UMNO Vice President and now acting on the President’s role and former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Zahid also asked UMNO leaders and members to change their attitude.
Utusan online story:
Ahli UMNO perlu ubah sikap
AHMAD ZAHID HAMIDI dan Hishammuddin Tun Hussein dalam sidang akhbar khas di Kuala Lumpur semalam.
KUALA LUMPUR 19 Mei – Ahli-ahli UMNO perlu mengubah sikap masing-masing bagi menghadapi fasa getir ketika ini demi kelangsungan dan perjuangan parti.
Naib Presiden UMNO yang menjalankan tugas-tugas Presiden parti, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, atas sebab itu kepemimpinan di semua peringkat parti perlu disusun semula bagi membolehkan UMNO tetap relevan.
Katanya, usaha itu perlu dilakukan untuk memastikan UMNO sebagai parti politik yang masih berupaya memayungi orang Melayu dan rakyat keseluruhannya.
“Kita perlu muhasabah dengan memperbaiki segala kelemahan dan kekurangan parti selama ini, justeru proses pemulihan mesti bermula daripada peringkat atas sehingga akar umbi.
“Kelangsungan politik UMNO hari ini berpaksikan kepada sokongan padu ahli pelbagai peringkat dan keyakinan sepenuhnya terhadap kepemimpinan parti,” lapor UMNO Online, yang memetik Ahmad Zahid dalam sidang akhbar khas di sini, hari ini.
Yang turut hadir, Naib Presiden UMNO yang menjalankan Tugas-tugas Timbalan Presiden parti, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
Terdahulu, kedua-dua pemimpin berkenaan mengadakan perjumpaan tertutup bersama Badan Perhubungan UMNO Melaka dan Pulau Pinang di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC), di sini.
Jelas Ahmad Zahid yang juga Ahli Parlimen Bagan Datuk, setiap ketua cawangan wajib berlapang dada dan bijak menguruskan pandangan yang berbeza daripada ahli yang kini mahukan pembaharuan yang segar.
Kata beliau, ahli-ahli UMNO pula perlu memainkan peranan sebagai pembangkang yang konstruktif dan efektif di setiap negeri selain berusaha menghapuskan ‘political liability’.
“Saya minta ahli-ahli UMNO di semua peringkat memberi sokongan kepada kepimpinan parti dan yakinlah bahawa apa yang berlaku ini pasti ada hikmahnya,” katanya.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin speaks during a press conference at PWTC, on May 15, 2018. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Umno’s biggest mistake in the run-up to the 14th General Election was its failure to acknowledge that the grassroots had rejected the party, said its Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
“What happened was we became delusional; we got drunk on our own Kool-Aid and we got carried away.
“We didn’t want to bell the cat. Nobody, after former deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was purged, after Datuk Seri Shafie was purged … Nobody wanted to acknowledge we had a problem. That was a terrible mistake on our part,” he told Channel News Asia yesterday.
Khairy said he wished he had told then-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Abdul Razak what it meant after he dropped Muhyiddin and Shafie from his Cabinet after both publicly criticised him over 1MDB.
He said the mistake of failing to speak the truth in order to protect Najib is one he will personally have to live with for the rest of his life.
“Was there a signal? Yes, there were clear signals but we became oblivious to the signals,” Khairy said.
“This must not happen again, we must not ever allow Umno leaders to be detached from reality and not ask tough questions. If we continue with our feudal mindset of protecting the leader from the truth, Umno will go extinct,” he said.
Khairy said the loss was a collective responsibility while at the same time blaming Najib’s leadership for BN’s disastrous showing.
He said both BN and Umno need to accept that they have been systemically rejected by the people.
He said when BN lost its two-thirds majority in 2008, the then-prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was replaced by Najib but the party did not change operationally.
The Umno Youth chief said Umno thought that by changing the head everything will sort itself out.
“We cannot make the same mistake again,” Khairy said.
He pointed out it was not just rejection of Najib, but also the rejection of Umno and BN.
“It was a systemic rejection of what we stand for and if we can accept that, then we can start to rebuild this party,” he added.
Khairy said there were four things Umno and BN would have to do in the next year or two in order to offer itself as a “credible alternative” to the PH government within five years.
He said for starters, Umno and BN need to make sure the numbers are preserved.
Secondly, he said Umno needs to defend itself against any attempts from the PH government to de-register the party for failing to hold its party elections.
He said thirdly, BN needs to learn to be a strong and credible opposition in Parliament by providing checks and balances.
Khairy said finally, the party needs to work on structural changes to reflect the changing aspirations of the people.
He said it was time for Umno to re-look its structure, including the possibility of opening its membership to all Malaysians regardless of race or religion.
“We should seriously consider all options. What model do we want? United Malays National Organisation or United Malaysian National Organisation? What is our DNA, what is our reason d’être?
“These questions need to be asked; we should not be fixed in what model we take. Everything is on the table,” Khairy said.
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That statement surely is not reflective of the right attitude to portray for the benefit and inspiration of the UMNO and BN youth, if not Malaysians as a whole.
The immediate former UMNO President and Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak was quick to respond for Khairy’s banter against him over media.
The Star story:
Najib: Khairy should have spoken up privately about any problem
PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Khairy Jamaluddin and other Barisan Nasional leaders should have spoken up earlier if they had a problem with his leadership.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’ve always practised an open leadership style,” Najib told the Malay Mail.
“People were free to voice their comments, even differences of opinion. I’m quite open about it, except that I wanted it to be done in private, because we should not attack each other as members of the government,” added Najib.
The Pekan MP said that Khairy was free to voice his dissatisfaction or concern to him.
“Khairy was free to come and see me. Then I could then decide, whether to accept or not to accept.He didn’t do that. I mean, he admitted that he didn’t do that,” he said.
Khairy had earlier told Channel News Asia that Umno had been decimated during the general elections because it had become so detached from reality and thought it was invincible.
Khairy said that Umno members were “delusional” and “drunk on our own Kool-Aid”.
He also admitted that he regretted not telling Najib that the grassroots had rejected them.
Najib did not mention names, but seemed to indirectly allude to former Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who were both punished after they had spoken out in public against Najib’s handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.
“He (Khairy) should realise that I’m not going to dictate against anyone with difference of opinion. I only want party discipline, and those who were disciplined by the party, it was because they broke party discipline,” he said.
Najib told the portal that he never forced his ideals on any Barisan members.
“If you attack the leadership openly, that’s against party discipline.
“But if you come and say: ‘Sir, I disagree with you. I think you should do it this way.’ That is not against party discipline,” he said.
Najib has since resigned as president of Umno and chairman of BN. His duties have been taken over by his former deputy, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
It is rather childish for UMNO Youth Chief Khairy to air his comment on BN’s failure to retain its position as the Federal Government and most of the State Governments through media in that manner.
As if it would make Malaysians, especially the youth have more faith in BN from now on.
Amongst thinking youth, that would probably create more doubts on supposed BN’s future steward, for his ability to stand up and tell the truth when it matters.
The Malays have a saying for such, ‘Rumah siap, pahat pun berbunyi’.
It translate to ‘When the house is ready, that is when the pounding on the wall begins’. Khairy as a political opportunist, is shining brighter with such theatrical statement.
As the UMNO and BN Youth Chief, Khairy should prove his mettle now and start working the ground instead of making statements through the media.
UMNO Youth should realise that the past five years at the helm of UMNO Youth Movement, Khairy did not do much, especially working through the youth organisations and student movements.
That is the reality that they have to face and overcome and ‘Biting the Bullet’ should start yesterday!
Former Prime Minister Najib in his first explanation on UMNO and BN’s worst performance since the past thirteen GE, said he was a victim of slander and lies.
The Star story:
Najib: I did not steal, I’m a victim of political attacks
PEKAN: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) said he did not steal from the people and is now the victim of political attacks in order to weaken Umno.
“I’m not a person who steals what belongs to the people,” said Najib when addressing members of the Pekan Umno branch during a meeting he officiated on Sunday (May 20).
“The people of Pekan knows I did not steal. For 42 years I have served the people here.
“Now I am targeted because I was a Prime Minister and the leader of the political party. So if my brand is weakened, then Umno’s name will also be weakened. This is a political strategy,” he added.
Najib added that he would continue to support the fight for Umno’s case, even though Barisan Nasional no longer controls Putrajaya.
“I readily accept the defeat with an open heart but now we must continue to fight for the people and we must show the people that we are sincere,” said Najib who stepped down as Umno president last week.
It was the Pekan MP’s first visit to his constituency after successfully defending his seat during GE14 but which also saw Barisan lose the simple majority in Parliament.
The fact is that all allegations against Former UMNO President Najib has yet to be proven.
Another important fact is that raison d’être, Malaysians voted for of drama, slander and lies.
Khairy is his capacity as the UMNO and BN Youth Chief, did not work against both although he and the movements under his command had almost three years of ample time and space to do it.
At large, neither UMNO and BN led Government policies nor implementation failed the nation and the rakyat, the past 70 years.
Another paramount fact that since assuming the office as the Sixth Prime Minister nine years ago, Najib tried to bridge the gap between Semenanjung and Sabah and Sarawak and introduced serious programs for the economic and development of the rural Malaysians in the two states.
Some serious bullet biting got to be done here, for the future of younger Malaysians and Malaysia.
Bite the bullet!
Acting UMNO President Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urges UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) party leaders and members to ‘Bite the Bullet’, face reality and move on, to carry on the struggle for the sake of the people and nation.
The UMNO Vice President and now acting on the President’s role and former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Zahid also asked UMNO leaders and members to change their attitude.
Utusan online story:
However. as expected the blaming game commences. UMNO Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
The Sun story:
That statement surely is not reflective of the right attitude to portray for the benefit and inspiration of the UMNO and BN youth, if not Malaysians as a whole.
The immediate former UMNO President and Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak was quick to respond for Khairy’s banter against him over media.
The Star story:
It is rather childish for UMNO Youth Chief Khairy to air his comment on BN’s failure to retain its position as the Federal Government and most of the State Governments through media in that manner.
As if it would make Malaysians, especially the youth have more faith in BN from now on.
Amongst thinking youth, that would probably create more doubts on supposed BN’s future steward, for his ability to stand up and tell the truth when it matters.
The Malays have a saying for such, ‘Rumah siap, pahat pun berbunyi’.
It translate to ‘When the house is ready, that is when the pounding on the wall begins’. Khairy as a political opportunist, is shining brighter with such theatrical statement.
As the UMNO and BN Youth Chief, Khairy should prove his mettle now and start working the ground instead of making statements through the media.
UMNO Youth should realise that the past five years at the helm of UMNO Youth Movement, Khairy did not do much, especially working through the youth organisations and student movements.
That is the reality that they have to face and overcome and ‘Biting the Bullet’ should start yesterday!
Former Prime Minister Najib in his first explanation on UMNO and BN’s worst performance since the past thirteen GE, said he was a victim of slander and lies.
The Star story:
The fact is that all allegations against Former UMNO President Najib has yet to be proven.
Another important fact is that raison d’être, Malaysians voted for of drama, slander and lies.
Khairy is his capacity as the UMNO and BN Youth Chief, did not work against both although he and the movements under his command had almost three years of ample time and space to do it.
At large, neither UMNO and BN led Government policies nor implementation failed the nation and the rakyat, the past 70 years.
Another paramount fact that since assuming the office as the Sixth Prime Minister nine years ago, Najib tried to bridge the gap between Semenanjung and Sabah and Sarawak and introduced serious programs for the economic and development of the rural Malaysians in the two states.
Some serious bullet biting got to be done here, for the future of younger Malaysians and Malaysia.
- Commentary
on May 20, 2018 at 22:00 Comments (1)