Umno still relevant, here to stay
party to join to become rich, and that the party only pays lip service to the poor Malays. How do you see this?
A: That is not true. Who are the accusers? Umno has about 3.5 million members and I would like to ask the accusers, are they all rich? Umno membership is open to anyone. If the rich want to join, are we supposed to reject them because we are so worried that by them joining, Umno will be seen as a party for the rich? Are we supposed to accept only those who are poor? People with different socioeconomic backgrounds have different needs. We cannot deny this fact. But the majority of Umno members are those who are not rich and are ordinary people. They outnumber those who are blessed with extra money and because of that, Umno is seen as not helping the poor and only provides them with lip service. The accusation is baseless. brainchild of Tun Abdul Razak and Umno, does not appear to have been very successful in lifting the Malays in the field of economy. Where do you think it went wrong? We still hear complaints from Malay trade associations and chambers of commerce that not enough is being done for Malay businessmen. Is this justified? A: As I said, we cannot please everybody. The NEP was meant to nurture entrepreneurship among the Malays and the bumiputras by helping them to improve their standard of living and stand tall with others. What Tun Abdul Razak did was noble, very noble. There was nothing wrong with the NEP, or the policies introduced. But the plan was politicised by many. Some were saying the government only gives emphasis to the target group, which is the Malays, and they began to sabotage it. We also need to bear in mind that despite a helping hand from the government, the Malays themselves must strive to