Negeri Sembilan Umno delegate Jalaluddin Alias today urged the party leadership to revise BN’s seat-sharing formula and take over seats that were lost by BN component members.

NONE He said that BN’s dismal results in the 2008 general elections was not the fault of Umno but that of the component parties, specifically MCA, Gerakan and MIC, which failed to retain their seats.

Jalaluddin ( right ) said that in order to ensure a BN victory, he said that Umno candidates should be fielded in such seats.

He further decried Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s decision to accommodate vanquished component party leaders as cabinet ministers and deputy ministers.

“MCA and MIC leaders lost (in the elections) but we gave them cabinet positions. PPP also lost, but they are given a deputy minister’s post,” he said when debating the motion of thanks on Najib’s presidential policy speech at the Umno annual general assembly.

In the aftermath of the 2008 general election, Gerakan and MIC lost the vast majority of their seats while MCA lost two-thirds of the Parliamentary seats constested.

Following this, leaders from the three parties accused Umno of being the source of their defeat due to racial posturing.

Soi Lek flayed

Later, Jalaluddin also criticised MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s ( below ) statement yesterday that the social contract should not be discussed in the open.

NONE An irate Jalaluddin said that Umno had every right to discuss the social contract, in particular Article 153 of the federal constitution, at the party assembly as it deals with the special position of the Malays.

“This is a gathering of Malays which bases its struggles on the rights of the Malays... We are speaking as a family. How can I not speak to my wife in my house?

“I am speaking on the basis of the unity requested by the party president who asked us to look after the interests of all races.

“But we ask MCA to also consider our feelings. It’s true that if MCA doesn’t support us, we cannot win. But if Malays don’t support MCA, it will be worse for them,” said Jalaluddin, to shouts of “ betul ” (that's right) from the floor.

He was responding to Chua’s reaction to Najib’s policy speech, where the MCA leader differed with the Umno president’s views that the social contract was not up for debate.

Chua said that the matter should still be debated, albeit behind closed doors due to its sensitivity, to ensure that the implementation of constitutional provisions concerning the social contract is fair.

Maiden Hokkien speech at Umno AGM

Jalaluddin also urged BN component parties to stop their “psychological war” with Umno and urged Najib to step up as the “political commander” and compel all parties to close ranks and foster national unity.

He claimed that component parties were using various forums to criticise Umno and its struggle and this must not be allowed to fester. 

“Stop it. Don’t touch Malay rights. We have never questioned what the Chinese have. They have it better than us. If we cabut (extricate) all the buildings in Kuala Lumpur, the only thing left are Malay warung (stalls),” he said

NONE Following Jalaluddin’s speech, Umno permanent chairperson Badruddin Amiruldin gave a short speech in Hokkien, urging Chua to close ranks with Umno

Badruddin ( left ) said that the non-Malays already have control of 70 percent of the nation’s wealth and should not disturb Malay 30 percent equity targets.

He said that MCA and Gerakan should “ mai galo-galo ” which is translated as “ jangan gaduh ” in Malay or “stop quarreling” as all parties were in the same team.

Badruddin’s comic delivery, coupled with his poor Hokkien enunciation, sent most people within the PWTC into fits of laughter.

Badruddin, a former MP and native of Kedah, has previously used Hokkien liberally in the Dewan Rakyat, especially to hurl insults at DAP MPs.