Umno hints of early polls, tells Malays to be independent

comments     Eileen Ng     Published     Updated

Umno leaders today hinted of a possible early general election and told Malay supporters to learn to be independent after three decades of preferential treatment.

The calls came as Umno youth, Wanita and Puteri met on the eve of the party's three-day annual assembly.

Deputy Prime Minister and UNNO deputy president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, launching the wings' assemblies late Tuesday, urged delegates to unite to recapture two states ruled by the opposition PAS.

PAS holds 27 of Malaysia's 193 federal parliament seats and controls two states - Kelantan and Terengganu - out of 13.

"We must be cognisant that there is no use in gaining power and position within the party if we lose in the general elections and UMNO loses political power," he said.

"Our focus must be on strengthening the party and uniting our members. Our common enemy should be the opposition. We must place realistic targets on what we can achieve in Kelantan and Terengganu".

General elections are not due until late 2004 but there is growing speculation of early polls after the government boosted its majorities in two recent by-elections.

Election mode

Abdullah's call was echoed by Umno women wing chief, Rafidah Aziz, who urged delegates today to be in an "election mode".

"Efforts must be made now to prepare the party machinery for a general election at any time. The main focus is to recapture all the seats lost to the opposition," said Rafidah, who is also trade minister.

Umno youth leader Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also sports minister, urged delegates to brace for action "no matter when election is called."

While the party was in one voice over the need to gear for early polls, there was division over Abdullah's call for Malays to stand on their own feet without the "crutches" of special rights.

Abdullah said recent government measures to introduce meritocracy in education were to test the resilience of Malays, build a "culture of courage" and inject competition in the community.

The Malays must "learn to fish in the deep seas and not depend solely on being given the fish to eat all the time" and they must be "able to stand alone and run the fast race without crutches," he added.

Many Umno members baulked at the government's move last month to allow a 10 percent quota of ethnic Chinese and Indians into government junior colleges, for decades the preserve of Malay students only.

Youth opposition

This came on the heels of the implementation of meritocracy for entry into public universities, which previously reserved a 55 percent quota for Malays and other indigenous groups, 35 percent for Chinese and 10 percent for Indians under the New Economic Policy (NEP).

Schools would also use English to teach science and mathematics, now being taught in Malay, from next year.

Both the Umno women and puteri wings supported the government's moves but Hishammuddin made clear that the NEP, developed in 1970 after bloody racial riots to help Malays catch up with the wealthier Chinese, was still needed by the Malays.

"The affirmative policy to strengthen the Malays must be implemented wisely and selectively based on qualification, skills and experience ... not on the old approach based on patronage," he said.

"The NEP cannot be left as a slogan and cannot be erased from the dictionary of economic development."

Umno youth set-up a fund, currently worth RM6.5 million, to help more Malay students enter private colleges, he added.

Umno Puteri chief Azalina Othman Said told delegates to embrace the educational reforms, saying Malays were "rich in material but still poor and ignorant in attitude."

"We have become a subsidy race, we live in quota, we are ungrateful, often complain and blame others when we fail. We are still weak. As a new generation in Umno, we must erase this mentality."



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