The Malay Action Front assembly held in Kuala Lumpur yesterday is a wake-up call to Umno, said Umno Supreme Council member Shahrir Samad.

Shahrir today told malaysiakini that the gathering for Malays at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) intended to communicate the views of the grassroots to the top leaders of Umno.

The gathering, with the theme "Malays will not perish from this earth" ( Tak Akan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia ), drew a crowd of 3,000, all Malays, 30 percent of whom were women.

Shahrir, head of the Johor Baru Umno division, said that he could not attend the gathering as he was back in Johor.

"Even after the general elections in 1999, the party leaders in Umno continue to behave as before. This causes a problem to the grassroots leaders who are finding it difficult to attract members," he said.

Shahrir said that if people are unhappy with the government and since Umno is the core of the government, the party grassroots leaders have to continually shoulder the burden of trying to appease them with various explanations.

Two sides

Barisan Nasional, which comprises 14 components with Umno as the dominant party, is perceived to have lost its popularity among Malays during the last general elections.

"We (Umno) have been so long in power that we think it is our right. We forget that the power we have is derived from the popularity of the party. There is also the tendency that those in power think they are bigger than the party," said Shahrir.

He claimed that the voices that spoke up during the gathering were those of the party.

"There needs to be clear understanding that there is the government side of the party and the non-government side of the party," said Shahrir, adding that that if the government side and non-government side collide, steps need to be taken to rectify and explain the situation.

He said that "it is refreshing and unexpected to know that there are still independent and open-minded members in Umno" and that the gathering shows there is an internal willpower to rejuvenate and restructure the party.

Talking sense

Shahrir also said that one should not look at the gathering as one of the rebels of Umno as one need not have positions in the government to talk sense.

"This is the problem among the top and middle leaders of Umno. Just because I do not have a government position, it does not mean that I do not talk sense. These are credible voices to be heard and the top leaders must be prepared to listen to them."

On the call by former deputy prime minister Ghafar Baba to take a second look at the New Economic Policy to ensure that Malays benefit from it, Shahrir said that Ghafar was probably referring to the improper implementation of the policy.

"Earlier, the Malays benefited through scholarships and all, but then it was used to create a privileged few. This is also because of the 'de-emphasising' on training the Malays and focus on entrepreneuring."

Shahrir also said that he does not know what Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad meant by saying that the gathering had nothing to do with Umno, as reported in the newspapers yesterday.

"The Umno constitution amendment said it is the right of every Malay to be an Umno member. I do not know what he means when he said the MAF gathering is not an Umno gathering as Umno is seen to be Malay," said Shahrir.

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