KTS GROUP BOSS MEETS PM: The managing director of KTS Group Dato Henry Lau (second left) chatting with Najib at the Hari Raya open house of Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia (standing at right) in Kota Belud yesterday. Seated right is Sabah State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak. — Photo by James Tseu
SANDAKAN: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) was set up 66 years ago by leaders of yesteryears on the bedrock of a sacred struggle to defend religious sanctity, the nation and the country.
The Umno president and prime minister said hence, Umno was not similar to other political parties as the bedrock of its struggle was to liberate the country from the clutches of colonial rule to enable it and the people to be free to determine its own future without being dictated by external
forces.
“Umno is not an ordinary party, Umno is not a party born by the roadside, Umno was not born in the midst of unrest, Umno was set up to pursue a sacred cause. Otherwise, the country will not be free, independent.
“So, Umno is not an ordinary party. Umno was not born to grab power perilously for any leader. Umno is not a party born because due to exasperation by a person for the office of the prime minister. Umno was born out of great resolve.
“If Umno members are united, no one nor any power can deny the party’s struggle in the name of religion, the nation and the country,” he said at the simultaneous opening of the delegates’ meeting of Umno Libaran, Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Batu Sapi and Beluran divisions here yesterday.
Najib also reminded Umno leaders and members not to forget the history of colonialism which practised the ‘divide and rule’ policy and that thinking in a non-chalant attitude would only weaken the Malays themselves.
He said the setting up of Umno in early 1946 was an important effort in uniting various Malay ethic groups such as the Javanese, Boyan, Bugis and others in the peninsula on deep consciousness that the Malays were weak due to disunity.
The prime minister said after Umno was set up, the Malays no longer placed the interest of their own ethnic group uppermost in their minds, instead they chose to unite under the banner of
Umno.
“That is why Umno succeeded as a sacred party till today because in Umno we do not glorify ethnicity anymore … It does not matter from which district one comes from, from which state one comes from. We do not think in terms of ethnic groups, as long as one is an Umno member, we vote for him as a leader,” he said.
Najib said the attitude of glorifying ethnicity would weaken the Malays and Umno, and would pedal back the Malays to the era of the ‘divide and rule’ advocated by the colonial power, thus dissipating the original principles and struggle of
Umno.
The prime minister said Umno members could no longer look back, instead they need to build on the values of the original Umno’s struggle rather than pursuing a struggle based on the structure, logo and songs and big Umno buildings.
He said the struggle based on Umno’s principles and values would determine the survival of the party in defending the religion, nation, country, and further develop the country.
“Sow in our hearts that ‘I will sacrifice, I am willing to fight in the name of religion, nation and country’. If there is any leader who wants to advance because ‘I want to fill my
stomach, I want to fill my pockets, I am fighting for a position’, if we have this kind of leader, please leave Umno. We will become stronger without them.” — Bernama
“We do not need to be perturbed because in the history of Umno’s struggle, leaders come and go. No Umno leader (previously) had shown that he is greater than the party… the stronger one is the party, Najib is not strong, Musa (Sabah chief minister) is not strong, the strong one is Umno, and BN is behind us,” he said. – Bernama