Friday October 16, 2009
Najib’s speech fulfills expectations
ANALYSIS By JOCELINE TAN
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s presidential speech did not fail expectations and marked his first big moment as Umno president.
THERE was a lot at stake for Umno on the opening day of its general assembly. Two men, who happen to be cousins, were particularly relieved that everything went well.
One is, of course, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the other is vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
For Najib, his big moment resulted in a standing ovation that lasted several minutes and which saw the hall rising to their feet as he recited a rousing poem entitled Bangunlah Bangsaku towards the end of his speech.
It was one of those electrifying and emotional moments in Umno politics and many in the hall, including some men, had tears in their eyes.
“There’s been a lot of suppressed emotions since the March 8 elections. The president dug it out of us.
“Some people had lost their hearts especially after we lost all those by-elections but he has renewed our spirit. That’s why there is all this emotion today,” said former Kedah politician Datuk Rosnah Majid.
Umno executive secretary Datuk Rauf Yusoh said: “That spirit has been missing for some time. They found it again today.”
The president’s annual speech set the direction for the party. This one was particularly important because it was his first.
Everyone from the exacting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to the average delegate were basically waiting to assess whether this new president knew where the party had gone wrong and whether he knew how to take them out of the pit.
Najib has been in this longer than many of those in the hall. He himself had his own wake-up call in Pekan in 1999 when he just narrowly survived the elections.
He clearly had his finger on the party’s pulse.
His speech was dire yet hopeful, introspective yet forward-looking, sophisticated yet accessible.
He spoke intuitively about the Malay Agenda, a subject very close to the Umno heart but he also told them that the Malay Agenda had to be more inclusive for Umno to lead in multi-ethic Malaysia.
He has obviously been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching since taking over in March.
He basically reassured the party grassroots that all is not lost and that they can rise again but only if they return to their originals aims as a party to serve the Malays and the country and if they undertake drastic changes in their attitude and approach.
He dived straight into the reform moves early in the speech because the amendments to the constitution were essentially what this general assembly was about.
“He did not really have to say much. The proposed changes have been discussed at division level in the last three months, even during the fasting month.
“Everyone knows what the changes are about and why we need them,” said deputy Umno Youth chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim.
Hishammuddin, who is heading the reform committee, has been worried about the special sitting to amend the party constitution.
The special sitting was central to the rejuvenation of the party and there had been extensive preparations for this session but this is politics and anything can happen.
Hishammuddin was visibly gratified when the amendments went through with some minor changes and in a record time of one and a half hours.
The way the amendments sailed through offers a glimpse into how Najib and his team operates. They leave little to chance, they do their homework and they are not afraid to crack the whip.
Najib stressed in no uncertain terms that he expected the division leadership and delegates to give their full support to the amendments at several forums.
One was the party retreat at Janda Baik last month and more recently the presidential briefing at the Putra World Trade Centre on Tuesday afternoon.
He will approach the next general election with the same strategic style of preparation.
But many delegates said they gave their full support to the president because he had won their confidence and they were convinced he was the right man to lead the party.
All Umno members have their eyes on the next general election where they hope to regain ground and prestige.
Dr Mahathir sat through the speech as though he was watching an engrossing TV programme, his legs confortably stretched out in front of him.
He found the speech “inspiring” but warned that Umno must now walk the talk.
“Expectations were high. His speech did not fail our expectations,” said Kuala Terengganu chief Datuk Wan Farid Wan Ahmad.
Najib’s speech fulfills expectations
ANALYSIS By JOCELINE TAN
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s presidential speech did not fail expectations and marked his first big moment as Umno president.
THERE was a lot at stake for Umno on the opening day of its general assembly. Two men, who happen to be cousins, were particularly relieved that everything went well.
One is, of course, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the other is vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
For Najib, his big moment resulted in a standing ovation that lasted several minutes and which saw the hall rising to their feet as he recited a rousing poem entitled Bangunlah Bangsaku towards the end of his speech.
It was one of those electrifying and emotional moments in Umno politics and many in the hall, including some men, had tears in their eyes.
“There’s been a lot of suppressed emotions since the March 8 elections. The president dug it out of us.
“Some people had lost their hearts especially after we lost all those by-elections but he has renewed our spirit. That’s why there is all this emotion today,” said former Kedah politician Datuk Rosnah Majid.
Umno executive secretary Datuk Rauf Yusoh said: “That spirit has been missing for some time. They found it again today.”
The president’s annual speech set the direction for the party. This one was particularly important because it was his first.
Everyone from the exacting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to the average delegate were basically waiting to assess whether this new president knew where the party had gone wrong and whether he knew how to take them out of the pit.
Najib has been in this longer than many of those in the hall. He himself had his own wake-up call in Pekan in 1999 when he just narrowly survived the elections.
He clearly had his finger on the party’s pulse.
His speech was dire yet hopeful, introspective yet forward-looking, sophisticated yet accessible.
He spoke intuitively about the Malay Agenda, a subject very close to the Umno heart but he also told them that the Malay Agenda had to be more inclusive for Umno to lead in multi-ethic Malaysia.
He has obviously been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching since taking over in March.
He basically reassured the party grassroots that all is not lost and that they can rise again but only if they return to their originals aims as a party to serve the Malays and the country and if they undertake drastic changes in their attitude and approach.
He dived straight into the reform moves early in the speech because the amendments to the constitution were essentially what this general assembly was about.
“He did not really have to say much. The proposed changes have been discussed at division level in the last three months, even during the fasting month.
“Everyone knows what the changes are about and why we need them,” said deputy Umno Youth chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim.
Hishammuddin, who is heading the reform committee, has been worried about the special sitting to amend the party constitution.
The special sitting was central to the rejuvenation of the party and there had been extensive preparations for this session but this is politics and anything can happen.
Hishammuddin was visibly gratified when the amendments went through with some minor changes and in a record time of one and a half hours.
The way the amendments sailed through offers a glimpse into how Najib and his team operates. They leave little to chance, they do their homework and they are not afraid to crack the whip.
Najib stressed in no uncertain terms that he expected the division leadership and delegates to give their full support to the amendments at several forums.
One was the party retreat at Janda Baik last month and more recently the presidential briefing at the Putra World Trade Centre on Tuesday afternoon.
He will approach the next general election with the same strategic style of preparation.
But many delegates said they gave their full support to the president because he had won their confidence and they were convinced he was the right man to lead the party.
All Umno members have their eyes on the next general election where they hope to regain ground and prestige.
Dr Mahathir sat through the speech as though he was watching an engrossing TV programme, his legs confortably stretched out in front of him.
He found the speech “inspiring” but warned that Umno must now walk the talk.
“Expectations were high. His speech did not fail our expectations,” said Kuala Terengganu chief Datuk Wan Farid Wan Ahmad.
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