NAJIB TO GALVANISE UMNO
He will remind 3 million members that BN backbone is still strong
DATUK Seri Najib Razak has a lot to talk about when he takes the rostrum on Thursday to open the 2017 Umno General Assembly as the party revs up for the 14th General Election (GE14).
More than 5,700 party faithful, who will converge on the Putra World Trade Centre here for the gathering, will be all ears as they and other party members prepare to swing into high gear to win the hearts and minds of voters.
Expected to be a hotly-contested affair by those eyeing the Putrajaya seat of power, it is already dubbed the “mother of all elections”.
Expect the Umno president and prime minister to remind Umno’s more than three million members that the Barisan Nasional backbone party is still strong despite facing challenges, and is more than capable of delivering on its promises to the people.
Najib will likely drive home the message of Umno’s central role in championing Malays and other communities, as well as bringing progress to the country, a role that is well embedded in the history of the 71-year-old party.
“Umno is a party that champions the people, loves this country and is willing to sacrifice to the last drop of blood for Malaysia. Umno belongs to the people and its members, and not to certain individuals,” Najib said in a recent blog post.
Observers said Najib would underline the need for party members to cast aside any sliver of doubt that theirs is a strong party going into GE14, and to arm themselves with a winning mentality as they canvass support for Umno and BN.
With Umno as the backbone, the Najib administration has a proven track record when it comes to delivering the goods through initiatives crafted to ensure the wellbeing of Malaysia’s more than 30 million population as well as the country’s prosperity.
Umno leaders, including the grassroots, may well equip themselves with knowledge about these achievements to disseminate them when they spread out to garner support for the party and BN, of which Najib is chairman.
But what would be more interesting for them is to hear how Najib has handled the slew of negative narratives about him and his administration over issues such as 1Malaysia Development Bhd, the Goods and Services Tax, Malaysia’s sovereignty vis-a-vis foreign investment and alleged mismanagement of the country’s economy.
He may also take a swipe at his detractors over their sustained efforts to discredit him and his government, including by distorting facts and resorting to fake news, with the complicit involvement of international media at times.
It would be hard for him not to highlight the fact that the country will continue to be in safe hands with Umno and BN at the helm for another five-year term.
Najib has every reason to believe in Umno and BN’s ability to keep the promises of further stability and prosperity for the country, given the state of disarray the opposition is in right now, with members fighting for different causes and agendas.
Despite all parameters — such as economic growth, political stability, the country’s international standing and the state of the opposition — appearing to be in Umno and BN’s favour, it is worth reminding that the opposition will fight tooth and nail to deny the ruling coalition the satisfaction of a successful GE14 outing.
The Dec 5 to 9 Umno gathering kicks off tomorrow with the closed-door Umno precouncil briefing (majlis taklimat presiden), followed by the simultaneous opening of the Wanita, Youth and Puteri general assemblies.
A special Umno Supreme Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, while the opening of the general assembly is slated for Thursday.
A number of side events has been organised in conjunction with the general assembly, such as the National Student Leadership Conference 2017 (Pemanas 5.0), Kuala Lumpur International Youth Discourse, International Conference on Women in Politics 2017 and those related to Umno Overseas Clubs. Bernama