FOR YOU: Najib receiving a portrait of a ‘young Najib’ from former Umno deputy branch chief Datuk Ishak Muhammad (centre) in Pekan yesterday. — Bernama photo
PEKAN: Prime Minister and Umno President Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Umno’s struggle must be founded on honesty and sincerity.
He said a struggle not based on these qualities did not have the blessings of Allah (God) and would end in disappointment.
“In a party, the leaders come and go. But so long as the party is strong, there is no end to our struggle. This is for us our biggest struggle.
“The fate of an individual in politics is decided by Allah. We can do our best, but it only Allah who determines,” he said when addressing the Pekan Umno Division meeting attended by 898 delegates at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Convention Hall, yesterday.
Najib said the reward for the struggle was only temporary, and it was only the practice of honesty and sincerity that would be taken into account by Allah.
“This demands of us to struggle with honesty and sincerity. Even if we are pious, we must be sincere, otherwise the practice will not be accepted by Allah,” he said.
Touching on the Umno elections, Najib said the victors should not be boastful and arrogant but should regard their victory as a huge responsibility and trust placed upon them.
“The losers are not losers in the real sense. This is a friendly contest. Close ranks. Extend the hand of friendship and carry on with the struggle and the future will be more glorious and great,” he said.
Najib also said that the Umno elections this time were historic because 146,000 delegates were involved in electing the party’s leaders, a process previously restricted to about 2,600 delegates.
He said the amendment to the Umno constitution in 2009 paving the way for the electoral college system was a radical change in the transformation of Umno into a more inclusive, more democratic and more open party. — Bernama