May 06, 2011
SHAH ALAM, May 5 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak told Selangor Umno to win back the country’s wealthiest state with whatever “weapon was at their disposal”, hinting elections was “just around the corner”.The prime minister said last night the party must forget it lost the state to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in 2008 but rise to recapture it.
“We must not allow our image to continue to be besmirched and wallow because of the defeat.
“We must bounce back with a renewed determination to redeem ourselves,” the Umno president was quoted as saying on Bernama Online.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had predicted the next general elections could be held as early as August, before the Ramadan fasting month and said the opposition pact is ready to face BN.
But Selangor and the three other PR states - Kedah, Kelantan and Penang - are not bound to hold elections simultaneously with the federal elections.
PR now holds 35 out of the 56 state seats in the Selangor assembly.
Najib (picture), who is also Selangor Umno chief, said to ensure the BN took back the state, Selangor Umno members must use whatever “weapon was at their disposal”.
He said if Umno could defeat the British in securing independence for the country, winning back Selangor was not too big a task for Selangor Umno.
Najib also reminded that under the democratic system, a party could not be assured of remaining in power forever.
“We must learn from history, because politics is a game of perception and numbers.
“For example, a state might have Malay majority voters, but it won’t mean a thing if they are disunited,” he said.
Najib had again invited PAS to join it for Malay-Muslim unity, saying DAP did not champion the country’s official religion.
But Umno’s senior partner MCA has objected, saying PAS has to drop its Islamic state ambitions. PAS is key to any coalition due to its network of branches and supporters on the ground against Anwar’s PKR which just turned 12 this year.
MCA, where are you?
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