Pakatan Rakyat and NGOs criticised prime minister and Umno president Najib Abdul Razak's stinging speech calling for Umno to defend Putrajaya.

They feel that the rallying cry suggests that Umno and the BN will not admit defeat graciously via the democratic process, should they not be voted into power in the future.

Here are some of their responses:

Idris Ahmad, PAS information chie f

The speech reflects Umno's on-going nightmare that the people will rise against BN in the next general election.

The reality is Umno does not have the interest of the rakyat at heart. The party does not bother whether the peope have food. It does not care for the rights of the Malays. Umno is merely afraid of losing power.

Learn from PAS, which respects democracy after the party lost in Terengganu in 1959 and again in 2004. We must bow out graciously.

Najib should realise that Malaysia or Putrajaya are not Umno or BN's assets, inherited through Amanah Raya. They are the assets of the people, who will determine through elections.

Mustaffa Kamil Ayub, PKR vice-president

NONE If Pakatan Rakyat comes to power, we will ensure that the constitution is respected and we would administer the country harmoniously and peacefully when we capture Putrajaya.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders respect the rights of the people as Anwar Ibrahim, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng have demonstrated.

Anwar has tried to save billions of ringgit wasted through various mega-projects carried out by Umno.

Similarly, Hadi had advised Najib against building mega sky-reaching towers, while Lim wanted the formation of an independent commission to study the RM52 billion losses in bumiputera equity.

I would like to invite the people, Malays and non-Malays to believe in Pakatan. Pakatan promises that the constitution will be respected and all people - Malay, Chinese Indians, Kadazan, Iban and others - will not be discriminated (unlike what) Umno and BN have done.

We'll build Malaysia, without racism, or wastage

Nurul Izzah Anwar, Lembah Pantai MP

The call by the Umno president to protect Putrajaya will in turn be to free Putrajaya from Umno.

nurul izzah interview 090910 It is timely and the time is now. All the monarchs and the peope hold the key to Putrajaya and not only Umno, which is a hypocrite in declaring itself the protector of the Malay race and people.

What is said is only directed to benefit Umno and to make the people much poorer, as what has been highlighted by the Umno Youth chief, who admitted that despite being independent for 53 years 60 percent of Malays in the rural areas are living in poverty.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, Malay NGO Teras president

Teras is surprised that Najib ended his speech in such a manner. Although we do not question Umno in protecting Putrajaya, the tone used is certainly questionable.

Is Najib trying to paint a picture that Umno is preparing a war and is willing to sacrifice its blood, even though it is not accepted by the people?

The people will also view such statements as arrogance and as the narrow-mindedness of Umno in not accepting that politics has changed. Where is the voice of moderates, which Najib had called for?

Teras is worried that Najib's call is a strategy that may seem undemocratic and calling for anarchy if Umno loses Putrajaya. We regret such statements made by the Umno president and prime minister.