Umno president Najib Abdul Razak wants the Umno General Assembly 2010 to be the beginning of the new culture and political model in Umno so that the party will be more open and inclusive.

He said the general assembly this time, one year after the Umno Constitution was amended, must be followed up with changes in terms of the culture and actions of all party members.

"The role of the party at the grassroots level must be inclusive and capable of reflecting an image that is people-friendly and liked by the people through the various activities.

"We can show that Umno is the facilitator and champion of all activities at the grassroots level," he told reporters after giving a closed-door briefing to members of the Umno Supreme Council and delegates who would be attending the five-day general assembly beginning tonight in Kuala Lumpur.

NONE Najib (left) said that during his one-hour briefing, he also pointed out the challenges that the party was going through as well as the successful efforts to restore the country's economy.

Asked about the acceptance of Umno members to the efforts to transform the party, Najib, who is also the prime minister, said this would take some time because it involved changes in the Umno members themselves.

"Human transformation takes time, physical transformation is easy. Everyone knows that human transformation is most challenging, but we will try to do it. I notice that some have responded, and some are still taking time to appreciate it fully.

"But we should not be frustrated because we are dealing with human beings, and it will certainly be most challenging for human beings to undertake major changes within a short time," he said.

Najib said he had also reminded party members to strengthen solidarity in facing the 13th general election and "we'll begin this journey by strengthening our party, unity at the divisional level is crucial in strengthening the party.

- Bernama