Najib looks to transform party and country

Najib looks to transform party and country

MALAYSIA - Flush from the victory of his key allies on Saturday, Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Sunday that the party should move on to work for the future.

"Now that we have settled the issue of party elections, it is time to continue with transforming the party and the country. There is a lot of work to be done," he told a news conference yesterday, in his first comments on the triennial Umno elections.

Some 146,000 grassroots members voted in leaders from vice-presidents to division chiefs to the 25 members of the decision-making supreme council.

Mr Najib's allies retained the three vice-president posts, and swept elections in the Youth and Women wings, strengthening his power in the three-million-strong political party.

Mr Najib said the clean sweep of incumbents was not a sign that his United Malays National Organisation was resistant to change. "It is not a necessity for the present batch of Umno leaders to be replaced in order to transform the party."

reme@sph.com.sg


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