KUALA LUMPUR: Gua Musang Member of Parliament Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said the government must be sensitive to the demands made by the Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties from Sabah and Sarawak to resolve whatever misunderstandings there may be.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Adullah Ahmad Badawi and the Umno leadership must be diplomatic and hold discussions with the leaders from Sabah and Sarawak.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Umno leaders from the Federal Territory here Wednesday night, Tengku Razaleigh said without the component parties from the two states, the present government would not have obtained the mandate to govern the country as Umno's strength now was due to the success of the component parties from Sabah and Sarawak in the March 8 general election.
He said this when asked to comment on the announcement by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee that his party had lost confidence in the leadersip of the Prime Minister.
"From my understanding, the best way out now is for the Prime Minister to step down so that a more suitable candidate can take over and regain the people's confidence in Umno and the BN," he said.
He also alleged that there were Umno divisions in the peninsula that were dissatisfied with the Prime Minister's leadership.
"At a closed-door Umno meeting in Glenmarie, Shah Alam, recently there was also no unanimous decision reached whether to retain Abdullah in his current position," he said.
When asked whether he would withdraw from standing for the Umno presidency at the party's election in December if there were another candidate offering himself, he said: "I continue with my stance and I am not retreating. What I have started, I will finish it."
Meanwhile, in a separate statement faxed here, Tengku Razaleigh said he wanted the best for Umno and had put himself on the line to reform Umno.
"I want what is best for Umno and I have put myself on the line to reform Umno, if our leaders refuse to face reality, I fear the worst for the party and this government," he said.
BERNAMA
19/06/08
1 comment:
There is a difference between UMNO and Barisan Nasional. I want to make it clear that it is not the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, but the UMNO government. It is not the government, but UMNO. Barisan Nasional is a coalition of unequals, not equals. UMNO is the big brother in BN. Therefore UMNO must be held responsible; and more importantly, UMNO must not be allowed to hide behind the BN banner. UMNO is the enemy, not BN.
I have come to the conclusion that the easy solution is to completely defeat UMNO in the next elections.
In the 2004 elections (11th General Election), the voters gave good support to Mr.Abdullah Badawi. But reforms did not come. Why? Probably because UMNO had done well in the elections. If UMNO had done well in the elections, then the election results tell UMNO that the voters are satisfied with the status quo. If the voters are satisfied with UMNO, then no reforms are necessary. In the 2008 elections (12th General Elections), UMNO did not do well, but she managed to win. UMNO did lose the 2/3 majority in the Parliament, but she did win, nevertheless. Will UMNO undertake reforms now? I would not be surprised if she did not. Why should she? UMNO is still the winner in the elections; and she can plan to rise and may even succeed to rise again. So, as long as she wins, she will never undertake the reforms. So, how do the voters get the reforms that they need? The voters will get the reforms when UMNO is completely defeated in the 13th General Elections. If UMNO wins zero seats in the next elections (13th General Elections), then some other party would have to rule Malaysia. Let us call it Party B. If UMNO is completely defeated in the next elections (13th General Elections), then Party B would rule Malaysia. Would Party B undertake reforms? If Party B does not undertake reforms, then voters would know what to do.
So, the next step for Malaysians is to completely defeat UMNO in the next elections.
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