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At 67, Umno needs some good remedies Posted: 10 May 2013 11:26 AM PDT Umno turns 67 today. For someone who lives at this age, he needs to do a lot of calculations in order to stay healthy or just die before reaching 70. However, Umno is a political party, the one that fought for Independence and charted the path Malaysia has taken over the past 56 years. Its cooperation with other parties in Barisan Nasional and the stiff challenges it faced in the just concluded 13th general election, need some adjustments if it wants to stay relevant. Umno will not demise. It will stay on for the Malays and Malaysians but as to how significant can Umno be, depends on how it is being steered from now on. In four or fives years toward 14th general election, Umno must be able to find remedies to some of the major problems or pay a heavy price for being ignorant. I have written a series of articles about Umno but this one by Bernama is also a worth read: KUALA LUMPUR: As Umno celebrates its 67th anniversary tomorrow, the party must take new steps to ensure that it will stay relevant, especially in the aftermath of the 13th general election, according to political analyst Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak. The National Professors' Council politics, security and international affairs cluster chief said one of the most important steps that should be taken by Umno was to give extra focus on the aspirations and needs of middle-class Malays. For that, he said, Umno should prepare a more inclusive framework for the group. "Umno is close to the hearts of the people in rural areas and Umno still managed to defend rural seats in the 13th polls, but the number of middle-class Malays are increasing and they mustn't be sidelined by Umno. "The aspirations and expectations of these middle-class Malays also differ from the aspirations and expectations of the rural community and other groups," he said. Mohamed Mustafa said Umno must have an interesting package to offer the group and efforts to reach out to the young people - especially the Y generation - must be intensified. "If not, the Umno rejuvenation process will be hampered because these two groups, the Gen Y below the age of 40 and the middle-class Malays, are very important," he said. At the same time, he said Umno must also continue reaching out to other races, including the Chinese, so that it won't be seen as an unfriendly Malay party. "Umno must find ways to maintain racial harmony in the country," he said. The professor said as long as Umno continued to take good care of the Malays and the Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak, uphold Islam, ensure justice and combat all forms of corruption, Umno would continue to get the people's support. "Don't let Umno's image be smeared by corruption or as a party for the rich or for certain groups of Malays. "Umno must take an inclusive stand and approach by protecting the interests of the Malays, Malay rulers and Islam, while at the same time be fair to all Malaysians. That way, Umno will continue to be appreciated," he added. - Bernama Happy anniversary, my Umno!

Give Home Ministry to KJ Posted: 10 May 2013 06:10 AM PDT "I'm offering myself to be given a role, any role that can help him (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and I leave it to him to decide". That was the response from Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin when asked on a suggestion by certain quarters for him to be included in the new cabinet to represent the youths. The Rembau Member of Parliament, who was met after an interview on Bernama TV's talk show "Hello Malaysia" in KL last night, said his presence in the Cabinet would not only be to represent the youths, but to form a strong team capable of implementing transformation. My comment: Why not? Several Pemuda Umno candidates had fared well in the just concluded 13th general election, among them are Reezal Marican and Abdul Azeez Rahim. We also have two 'young' leaders as chief minister and mentri besar in Idris Haron (Melaka) and Mukhriz Mahathir (Kedah). I believe PM Najib's gamble to rejuvenate Umno has paid off, hence it is possible that these people be considered positions in the Cabinet. After all, KJ is Pemuda Umno chief who had no portfolio in the pervious term when his deputy and exco members held positions in a few ministries. But which ministry is best for KJ? My immediate answer - Home Ministry. Make him a Home Minister to replace his old Pemuda boss Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. What about Hisham? Leave it to his cousin brother to decide. I am also of the opinion that Pemuda Umno chief should first take the Sports and Youth Ministry. Yucks! Time to change that! In the just concluded 13th general election, Khairy retained the parliamentary seat with an increased majority of 18,357 votes, compared to only 5,746 in the 12th general election. He garnered 43,053 votes to defeat Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Radzali A. Ghani, who obtained 24,696 votes, and Independent candidate Abdul Aziz Hassan (325 votes). Also read A Kadir Jasin's Kabinet: Satu Lagi Pendapat Yang Tidak Diminta...

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