Sunday September 2, 2012

Adapt to new political reality, Najib tells Barisan

PUTRAJAYA: The Prime Minister has urged the Barisan Nasional coalition to adapt to a new political reality by understanding the mindset and expectations of the post-Merdeka generation.

This, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said, must be done without neglecting the values that had brought Barisan success in its administration of the Federal Government since the country attained its independence.

Najib, who is Umno president and Barisan chief, said this in a fiery speech when opening the Putrajaya Umno division meeting yesteday.

“We cannot live in nostalgia or dwell on sentiments of the past in spite of our rich history.

“There is no such thing as political invincibility in a democracy and there is no longer one party that is gagah perkasa (unshakeable) but the ones that remained strong today are Umno and Barisan,” he said.

Although Barisan won with a reduced majority in the 2008 general election, Najib said the party and its coalition partners had awakened from the “nightmare” and rebuilt their strength.

He brushed aside Pakatan Rakyat's dream of taking over federal power by saying they were not qualified to take over the seat of the Government in Putrajaya.

“If they are planning a road to Putrajaya, we will block that road not by means of a police road block but a political one.”

He said Pakatan was not qualified to occupy Putrajaya as it had failed to fulfil its promises.

“We must win and we must win big in great style, not merely securing a win,” Najib said in reference to the imminent polls.

He reminded party members to defend the country the way they did in the pre-Independence years by holding to values such as unity and readiness to sacrifice and serve.

The country proved many sceptics wrong by attaining success in ways that no other could, even in the recent economic downturn, he said.

“Although we have faced many challenges and have been on a journey where many predicted we would fall short of our dreams to take Malaysia to glory, it is clear in these 55 years of independence that all these predictions did not come true,” said Najib.

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Sunday September 2, 2012

Adapt to new political reality, Najib tells Barisan