Malays become outcasts if Umno falls from power, says Najib

Speaking in Kangar today, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak picked the word 'bangsat' to describe what would happen to the Malays if Umno loses power. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, August 23, 2015.The Malays will become outcasts in their own land if Umno loses power, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.

The Umno president said the best word to describe the situation, should Umno fall, was 'terbangsat'.

The Malay term "bangsat" can mean bastard, villain or in this context, an outcast.

"If Umno loses power, what will happen to the Malays? In all words in the dictionary, there are people who have used words like 'tersungkur', terjongkang, tertiarap.

"But I pick the word 'terbangsat' should Umno lose its power. There is no other word that can reflect the situation if that ever happens.

"We lose our power, our future, our everything. You all must defend Umno in the government of the country," he said in his opening speech at the Padang Besar, Kangar and Arau Umno divisions' meetings in Kangar today.

Najib said he could not imagine a Malaysia without Umno at its helm and urged party members to stand united with the party to defend it.

He said Umno was like a ship that had sailed through choppy seas over the decades but it still managed to bring progress to the nation and its people.

He said whatever troubles Umno had faced – from their president and religious bureau quitting the party to form new ones, to dealing with communist insurgents and the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 – the party braved through those troubled times.

"Whatever troubles we face, we will find solutions," he said, citing how bad things were during the financial crisis in 1997, which bankrupted companies, caused the growth rate to fall to -7%, the ringgit to plunge and reduced the country's foreign reserves to just US$20 billion.

"What is the current economic and political crisis that we face today? It is impossible that we cannot overcome it, if we have our strength," he said, adding that the country was still recording 4.7% growth.

Najib said other currencies like the Australian and New Zealand dollars were also falling like the ringgit, and both countries had no debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to deal with.

"I merely want to put things into perspective. The real reason for our present economic situation is due to external factors, which we cannot control.

"Can we control the fuel prices? If the United States wants to increase its interest rates, can Malaysia do anything about it? China, which has a foreign reserve of US$4 trillion, could also do nothing about the Chinese yuan, which is also in trouble.

"It is not our fault, although I admit that we do face internal challenges, but I ask for time to be given to the government," he said.

Najib, whose public image and that of his administration have been severely hammered over the 1MDB financial scandal, promised that the government will inform the people how the issue would be resolved.

He said if the party remained united in mind and action, there was no reason why they could not be successful in retaining Umno in government.

He also said he would stay put himself and continue to lead Umno as long as the people and the party remained with him, regardless of the attacks against him.

"Believe me that I am committed to the nation and the party and that commitment has never faded. I will have 'istiqamah' (be consistent).

"The blood in my veins is the blood of a true Umno man. My father (the late prime minister and party president Tun Abdul Razak Hussein) was a defender of the party. I am not a son who will ruin the party," he said.

Najib then joked that since he had received funds for the party, he would surely work to help the party progress.

"Just do not do two things – steal from the people or break the law. I have committed neither.

"Just do your best for the party, and I will also do my best. Let us all continue in our struggles," he said at the event, where he was received with a big welcome from local delegates.

Due to the 1MDB scandal, and the controversy surrounding the RM2.6 billion donation he claims to have received from a Middle Eastern donor before the 2013 general election, Najib is being pressured to resign as prime minister, especially by the opposition, civil society, and his biggest critic former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Next weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections Bersih 2.0 is organising rallies to push for his resignation.

- TMI