Monday May 11, 2009
Reach out to those who shun us too, Najib tells branch heads
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD
PEKAN: Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has urged branch heads to not only think about the well-being of their supporters, but also of those who shunned them.
“Ask yourselves why these people do not support you. You may have helped your own supporters only or overlooked the needy when providing aid, even when they were living right under your nose,” Najib said at the opening of the Pekan Umno branches’ annual general meeting here yesterday.
He said it was time for them to touch base by attending kenduris, funerals and religious gatherings, adding that it was about working and servicing the people.
Najib said it was the first time that all Umno branches under one division held their official openings simultaneously.
To a question on whether the younger generation was showing signs of rejecting Umno, he said the inclination did not necessarily go in that direction.
Warm welcome: Najib being embraced by Peramu Jaya resident Hamzah Bakar, 74, when he arrived for a meet-the-people session at the Pekan Umno branch building yesterday. – Bernama “They are like a piece of white cloth; if you provide them with the right information, they will lean towards us,” he added.
Earlier in his speech, Najib reminded Umno members not to be too sentimental about the party’s past glories in contributing to the country’s independence.
He added that harping on the past was not enough to regain popular support, and that Umno should find ways to remain relevant.
“There is no other party that has made as much contribution to nation-building as Umno, and this has been proven,” he said. “But if we only rely on sentiments, past contributions and nostalgia, these may not be enough to sustain our position as the ruling party.”
He added that the political settings had changed since the days of independence and that the party would be facing another set of voters next general election whose reflections of past significant events were mainly through textbooks.
The new media is one way to reach out to the younger generation as many of them prefer to glean information from the websites and blogs, said the Prime Minister.
“We are seeing a new set of voters who are well-educated and well-informed,” he added.
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