NAJIB: UMNO STILL RELEVANT

It has contributed a lot to race, nation, says party president

UMNO, despite being a 71-year-old political party, remains relevant as a contemporary party for youths. Its president, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said in terms of age, it might be considered old for a human, but for the party which was responsible for bringing independence, it was considered young.

“Alhamdullilah (praise be to God), although this party is still young, it has accomplished a lot for the Malays, Bumiputeras, Islam, as well as for the country.

“In several days’ time, the 71st Umno General Assembly will be held. This is a party which fights not only for the fate of Malays, Bumiputeras, and Islam, but also for our beloved country, from the day of the (country’s) independence until today,” he said in his latest blog post in NajibRazak.com yesterday.

In conjunction with the 71st General Assembly, Najib urged everyone to reflect on how far Umno had led the Malays, Bumiputeras, and the country towards success, which everyone is enjoying today.

He added that the Bumiputeras, as a majority group which comprised 60 per cent of the population, must remain prosperous and successful to drive the country forward.

“Since I took over the leadership in 2009, the government under Barisan Nasional had implemented numerous initiatives. There were some initiatives which we had improvised from the previous leaders, to continue reinforcing the Bumiputera Agenda as the National Agenda.”

Najib said the continuous effort by the government had seen the household gross income for Bumiputeras increasing from RM3,624 in 2009 to RM6,267 last year.

He said the poverty rate among Bumiputeras had decreased from 5.3 per cent in 2009 to 0.5 per cent last year.

“More than that, we always ensure that the Malays and Bumiputeras remain competitive, be it in education, career, asset ownership and many more. All of these I encompassed in the Bumiputera Economic Transformation Roadmap, which was launched this year.”

Najib said the achievements were the result of the struggles and efforts of Umno grassroots and leaders, as well as the rakyat.

Umno, he said, was a party that loved and was willing to sacrifice for the country.

“Umno is the people’s party and it belongs to its members. It’s not a party owned by any individual.

“Insyallah (God willing), Umno will continue to carry the responsibility to helm and bring the Malays, Bumiputeras, the people and country to victory. Our fight is genuine and sincere, for the religion, race, and country.”

Umno is the people’s party and it belongs to its members. It’s not a party owned by any individual. DATUK SERI NAJIB RAZAK

Umno president