Mahathir: Umno must change or see the end of its days

The basis of the party’s political struggle cannot change. Reject nepotism and open doors to the Gen-Y for the party's renewal before it’s too late.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has advised Umno members that unless they are in tune with the party’s struggle of championing Malay rights and upholding Malay dignity, it is better for them to be outside the party. “Those who want to use the party as a springboard for personal wealth and glory are not welcome.”

The party, he added, cannot change the basis for its existence i.e. the Malays must have a place in this nation which they are sharing with others, and that they must have the same standing as others, no higher, no lower. “Those who want to be in the party must understand this history and what the party’s struggle is all about. It is not out of date.”

Mahathir was penning the second of a two-part series in his blog in which he called for the party to reject nepotism and open its doors to the Gen-Y to renew itself before it was too late.

“We can’t change the basis of our struggle,” he said repeating similar calls he made last year for the party to rejuvenate or perish. “What we need to change is our approach so that we can achieve our objectives.”

“Umno leaders must be able to differentiate between the different approaches, whether they help achieve Umno’s objectives or otherwise.”

He warned that not everything from the West was good and stressed that “we can adopt from everywhere including the West but only what suits us”. The Western emphasis on individual rights taking precedence over the collective good, he continued, must be rejected.