‘Feudal values dominant in Umno’

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno must realise that the people have voiced their demands and rejected the party’s struggles, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said Umno no longer formed the government and could not assume that Malays were on its side.

He said feudal values were dominant in the party and had hindered its progress to islah (to reform or improve) and move forward.

“In my opinion, what Umno must be, post-14th General Election and Sungai Kandis by-election, is the manifestation of the party and its reluctance to adjust to the new reality. To islah is to move from a previously unjust state to a better one.

“Real islah demands us to admit our mistakes, recognise what is the truth and strive as well as commit ourselves to it. We cannot commit to this if we are in denial.”

Khaled appeared to support Titiwangsa Umno division chief Datuk Seri Johari Ghani, who had questioned the wisdom behind allowing former party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak to campaign in the Sungai Kandis by-election.

“There is no sense of shame in the feudal landscape. People were not held accountable because of the favours he or she gave when he or she was in power.

“The response to Johari’s letter shows what the party used to be, and it is still now, to a certain extent. We must cater to all Malaysians.

“Therefore, Umno must retreat to the very foundation that the party was built upon — a party that upholds the Malay interests and, at the same time, does not look down on other races.”