|
>From The Singapore Straits Times
27th November 2000 'No office in Umno is for sale'
On Nov 30 last year, a day after the United Malays
National
Organisation (Umno) suffered its biggest rejection from the electorate, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi spoke on the need for the ruling party to heed the lessons of the election. Sitting in the patio of his single-storey bungalow, he spoke on the need for change and reassured Malaysians and foreigners that the party would not become Islamic extremists to win back the Malay ground. A year later, the leader sits down with The Straits Times at his office in Putrajaya and takes stock of the past 12 months. BRENDAN PEREIRA, our Malaysia correspondent, gives us the highlights. Q: What has Umno's response been to the results of the
general
election? A: Islam was a major factor in the elections. Our party
was regarded
as non-Islamic and secular. There appears to be a preference for PAS. We have been rearticulating the role of Islam in Umno. We are not saying that politics and religion must be
separate. Islam
is a way of life. We cannot abandon our religion but we must be mindful that we are in a multi-racial country. We have been somewhat successful in getting people to understand. This is an area where we have been doing a lot. We have had hundreds of ceramah (lectures). Q: What about improving the image of Umno politicians?
A: We have to make sure that our party is sensitive to the
problems of
the rakyat (people). There have been accusations that because of our privatisation policy and big projects, we have forgotten the small man. At every Supreme Council meeting, Dr Mahathir reminds
members to go to
the ground, be close to the people and understand their concerns. That is something that is being drummed in repeatedly. Q: What about perceptions about government politicians?
A: The main perception is that people in power are
corrupt. That
perception must be tackled. Money politics in the party has become an issue. We are beginning to realise how bad it is for Umno. No office in Umno is up for sale and the qualification of leadership is not money. That message must be sent out. Q: Is Umno at the end of the road?
A: I hope not. We have been in the government for a long
time. Because
of that, people tend to add up the few mistakes that have been made over a long period. But really people should ask themselves 'Are we improving or not?' and 'Are we doing things better?' We are better today than we were a year ago. But we must be much much better than we are today. Q: Would the political equation be changed if Umno was
rejected by the
Malays? A: Whatever analysis you make, the Malay factor is very,
very
important. If the Umno leadership maintains a strong influence among the Malays, the non-Malays can continue to be comfortable. At the same time, the confidence level of non-Malays will be eroded considerably in Umno if the party does not have the support of the Malays. |
