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So is Najib saying it’s okay to be duplicitous?

YOURSAY | ‘He should rectify what’s wrong with his party instead of allow it to continue to be parochially racial.’

Najib's dilemma when speaking to Umno

Pemerhati Bebas: I can truly understand PM Najib Abdul Razak's dilemma because Umno and Malaysia have conflicting agenda. Yes, it's not easy being the president of the party and at the same time, the prime minister of the nation.

However, Najib can always use the tried-and-tested method, which is to say anything to please the Umno crowd and later claim that he has been misquoted and his words twisted.

This strategy has never failed before. My hat's off to you, Najib. You're the man.

Kee Thuan Chye: He sounds like the leader of the Ku Klux Klan who also happens to be the leader of the country. Can you imagine the PM of Britain or Singapore saying something like this?

He’s a leader, he should lead, not be thinking of his own position. Instead of saying what he thinks his party wants to hear and perpetuating ethnocentric supremacy, he should say things that would teach them to think Malaysian rather than just Malay.

“The people must understand this is PAU (Umno assemblies), not a budget speech, eve of Independence and others. This is a speech as Umno president,” he said.

Why must the people understand? If he is aware that as Umno president he can say things that could be insulting to non-Malays, then something is dreadfully wrong with his party.

And this is the party that is dominant in ruling the country. If he is aware of that, he should rectify what’s wrong with his party instead of allow it to continue to be parochially racial.

Restless: Isn't his dilemma and candid admission reflect his state of mind? This confirms the allegedly conniving character of a person who can't and won't keep his words. In short, he has no principle/integrity.

If he can use the race and religion card freely when faced with different audience, when speaking on different stage, what stops him from perpetuating his grip on power with actually executing actions premised on such sensitivities when a dire situation arises.

Vision2020: Playing the race and religion narratives are typical agenda of the allegedly corrupt Umno-BN government that put self-survival and grip of hegemonic power above the interest of our beloved multi-racial and democratic nation.

Fair Play: It’s pathetic. Even Donald Trump did much better after he was declared the winner in the November 2016 presidential race. His first statement was, “An America for all Americans.”

Najib, your statement only conveys one fact, and only one fact - there is no future for a small nation of some 30 million people living in a racially and religiously-divided country called Malaysia.

Onlooker: Are not all Malaysians entitled to the same rights constitutionally? I don't mean those originally time-limited special privileges.

So why should he have a dilemma - Umno elected him as president knowing it would make him the PM (for now). So why should he not be a statesman for all Malaysians, instead of singing a narrow racial and bigoted tune when he speaks to Umno.

If he were truly a PM for all Malaysians, he would have far wider support than he does now.

Enggang: Oh, you wish you could insult non-Muslims and non-Malays, so that you could score some political points with your Umno members?

So as PM you cannot insult the non-Malays, but as Umno president you can, and should? You should just resign from both posts for the sake of our country. The longer you stay, the deeper our financial crisis.

JD Lovrenciear: Dear PM, there is no dilemma. Speak as a leader. What is good for ‘Malays, Muslims and bumiputera’ must be good for all Malaysians. That is the ultimate hallmark of a true leader.

Hipsters and other Umno problems, according to Zahid

Ib: There is only one problem in Umno. And it is easy to solve. Kleptocracy has taken over from meritocracy.

With that, how can any leader go down to the grassroots with any meaning, while allegedly having to lie and avoid difficult questions?

Anonymous S303: Nothing new that we don’t know, Umno acting deputy president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

All you have to do is eliminate racism, corruption and favouritism; even the hardcore Chinese DAP supporters will vote for BN. Are you ready?

Shunyata: I am not sure how ‘hipster culture’ made it to item eight, unless the oldies in Umno are freaked out that youngies nowadays (and in fact, since the 60s) don't really need to be told how to dress, what ceramahs to attend, which political party looks down on them rather than to them, and to which political party the many datuks who are currently under Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations belong.

Umno's ‘segregate and judge’ attitude towards our nation's youth should be the second reason why it is not getting new membership from the below-40s. The first reason has been uttered to death.

Annonymous: Oh my gosh, like an ostrich still in denial mode. This is certainly not PhD material and just ‘syiok sendiri’ kind of stuff.

Whatever happened to the serious and real problems like zero transparency, zero meritocracy and the hideous corruption and racism that is the crux of the issue destroying the country the last 50 years?

Pemerhati Bebas: Excuse me, Zahid, you have missed out another factor - perception.

The general public have the wrong perception about Umno being corrupt and the leaders in the party are only interested in amassing wealth for themselves by whatever means.

Sorry, I made a mistake there. This is not a perception. My apology.


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