Umno should not be playing the racial card as it will be detrimental to the party in the long run, Gerakan Youth deputy chief Andy Yong said today.

"Malaysia's achievements today are the result of the cooperation of all races.

"Malaysia will truly not become an advanced nation if its development is based on one race alone," Yong said in a statement.

Yong told Malaysiakini that he was responding to the racial slants made at the ongoing Umno annual general assembly, such as yesterday's speech by Umno Youth deputy chief Khairul Azwan Harun (photo).

In Khairul Azwan's speech to the Umno Youth assembly, he said the continued support for DAP by the Chinese community may alienate them from other ethnic groups and from the government.

Also yesterday, a Wanita Umno delegate questioned why non-Malays are appointed to top positions in government-linked firms.

Umno leaders, Yong said, should heed the lyrics of their party song, which says "Umno moves forward for the Malaysian rakyat".

Sadly, he said, there are still those in Umno who believe that their party should only fight for the rights and the betterment of the Malays.

Perhaps they feel they do not have a choice, Yong mused, because many non-Malays, especially the Chinese, no longer support BN.

Even non-Umno parties would agree with Umno trying to play the racial cards, as they know it would benefit them in the long-run, he said.

"Umno needs to see that it is still relevant, even as it faces various issues damaging its credibility and image.

"I agree with the view that it is only a small group of Umno members who are damaging the name of the party and of BN," Yong said.

BN has proven that its component parties can work together well since the nation gained its independence, he said, unlike the opposition parties.

Umno needs to show that it is still able to provide an agenda for the future of the country and to listen to and fulfil the rakyat's aspirations, he added.