DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang today questioned whether Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will call for moderation at next week’s Umno general assembly.

He pointed out how in the past four years since Najib’s first speech at the United Nations General Assembly proposing a Global Movement of Moderates, it was Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem ( right ) who was the first Barisan Nasional leader to make the call in Malaysia on the country's moderates to unite and isolate extremists.

“It is food for thought that Najib has yet to make a stirring call in the country to moderates in Malaysia to unite against the extremists although this is his favourite topic at international forums,” said Lim in a statement today.

“Will the Umno general assembly send out a clear and unmistakable message that Umno will be the vanguard and not be the major obstacle to a movement of moderates against extremism in Malaysia?”

Lauding Adenan’s call for Malaysians to be united and speak up against extremism in the country, Lim said the chief minister’s speech was like a “breath of fresh air” after the excess of “extremist” statements in recent months.

“Adenan has spoken up. What about the other Umno or Barisan Nasional ministers, chief ministers and menteri besar?” asked Lim.

He opines that four years after Najib ( right ) first mooted the proposal of a Clobal Movement of Moderates, it was still difficult to identify BN ministers who are prepared to be in the forefront in taking  up the cudgel of moderation against extremism.

On Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who said that Umno is at a critical stage and must change or be changed, Lim asked whether he was prepared to take the lead to urge Umno to be in the vanguard against extremism.

As for Umno vice president Hishammuddin Hussein who said that the relevance of maintaining the Chinese school system will be one of the “hotly-debated topics” during the Umno annual general assembly, Lim asked whether another “ferocious bout” of Chinese-bashing was in the works.

“This will be a manifestation of continuing ‘extremism’ and not the triumph of moderation and isolation of extremism, which is the objective of the movement of moderates, whether globally or in Malaysia,” he pointed out.