Former federal deputy minister Saifuddin Abdullah believes that despite the commitment of BN chief and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak toward reforms, his work may be hampered if people close to him are not as gung-ho for change.

“Najib is committed to good governance. The question is how far has it (reforms) been implemented.

“And is Team Najb truly with Najib, walking the same path and at the same pace?” queried Saifuddin at a forum in Shah Alam today.

Speaking on the panel of the Malay daily Sinar Harian -organised discussion on ‘The direction of Malay politics post-GE13', Saifuddin believes that while the original aspirations of the rakyat is for development, what they aspire to now is democratic ideals.

Addressing the call for democratic values like freedom and justice, he admitted, is BN’s greatest challenge, as the coalition while adept at delivering development, pales next to Pakatan Rakyat when it comes to answering the hunger for such ideals.

Arguing that Najib’s reforms, while it may be too little too late, are what had saved Umno and carried BN to victory by the skin of their teeth in the just-concluded GE13, he worries that “not enough” change is happening to see BN bridge their ‘democratic’ gap with the rakyat.

As such the Umno supreme council member urged Team Najib and the BN to embrace reforms and embody democratic ideals, if they are to taste electoral success again, if at all, in GE14.