Umno grassroots must speak up at division meetings, says party leader

Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah says Umno members must stand up for truth, justice and the party’s original struggles, urging them to speak up at the coming party divisional meetings. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, August 6, 2015.

Right-thinking Umno members must speak up at the party’s coming division meetings, said well-regarded party leader Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, as he appealed to them to stand up for truth, justice and the party’s original struggles.

Saifuddin made this call at a forum last night which discussed the country’s dangerous drift away from the rule of law as some of Umno’s top leaders try to shield its president Datuk Seri Najib Razak from possible corruption charges.

“To my brothers and sisters in Umno, I know that there are many of you who are good and who believe in truth and justice and who uphold the party’s constitution.

“You must speak up at the upcoming division meetings. You must soldier on for a better Malaysia,” Saifuddin said at a forum titled “Malaysia: Where do we go from here”, in Kuala Lumpur.

Umno will hold annual meetings of its 199 divisions this month and September.

The divisions are the collective voice of the Umno grassroots and are an important barometer of how much support its top leaders have.

Disenchantment with Najib, who is also prime minister, is growing after he sacked his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for the latter’s criticism of how the administration was handling the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Umno members have also been riled up by influential former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who wants Najib out of office for mismanaging the government-owned 1MDB, which has racked up RM42 billion in debts.

In his speech at the forum, Saifuddin urged Umno members to make the party competitive so that it could win in clean and fair elections.

“If we win, we win with style. If we lose, we have a chance at coming back,” said Saifuddin, who is a former deputy higher education minister.

He said the country’s civil servants should be impartial so as to strengthen Malaysia’s institutions, especially in difficult times.

Saifuddin’s comments come on the back of intense pressure on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), whose officers are being arrested and questioned by the police.

The dragnet against MACC is over alleged information leaks in its probe into the RM2.6 billion fund transfers to Najib’s personal bank accounts.

MACC has said the money was donation, but this has sparked more questions from Putrajaya’s critics over the origins of the money and whether it came with strings attached.

“We are not asking you (civil servants) to speak up or to go to rallies. We are only asking you to do your job professionally and people will back you,” Saifuddin said.

- TMI