Najib lauds member’s unity

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday the no-contest motion was the party delegates’ decision, not his, and one which showed members prioritised unity.

“It was done at the request of the delegates, and that was why I did not touch on the matter at all during my speech.

“I was not the one who was the plotter in this. It came from the Umno leaders themselves and it was accepted spontaneously by the delegates.

“No one protested against it at all, and that meant that we prioritise unity in the party.

“We do not want time to be wasted with politicking, which is not constructive,” he said during a visit to the Media Centre at the 71st Umno General Assembly.

Najib said the move by delegates to motion for the nocontest formula also showed their desire to enter the 14th General Election as a united front.

He said the gesture showed that the delegates wanted to be more forceful and geared towards election work with leadership issue resolved.

“Now, the matter will not be playing in their minds.

“They will not have to think of whether there will be this or that possibility.

“Therefore, they will be able to fully concentrate on preparations for the general election,” he said.

Umno permanent chairman Tan Sri Badruddin Amiruldin announced the no-contest formula for the top two party posts after motions on the presidential policy speech proposed by Umno Youth representative Datuk Mohamad Sahfri Ab Aziz and seconded by Umno Perak representative Datuk Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin were passed unanimously.

Najib also urged all Umno members to embrace the five key thrusts outlined in his policy speech to ensure a landslide victory in the general election.

“I hope the delegates will embrace the five key thrusts in my speech, and I hope they will make it (key thrusts) their mantra and keep it in their hearts because we do not only need our warriors to be spirited but they must also possess knowledge.

“They must know the machinery well in order to achieve a bigger victory this time around,” he said.

On the general assembly, Najib said he was happy to see the delegates coming out in large numbers to listen to the debates.

“A big crowd followed the debate. This is a very good indicator of how the grassroots leaders are interested in the proceedings at the general assembly.”