UMNO is doomed if it allows itself to be controlled by the ruling party, said former party president Najib Razak.

Declaring that the party was formed to lead and not to be led, the Pekan MP said the party had to get back into the driving seat in Putrajaya.

Although Najib did not specifically name any party, his speech is believed to be directed to its splinter Bersatu, which currently controls the federal government and is also believed to be in control of several Umno ministers in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

“Umno was not formed to back any party let alone to be an opposition party. Umno was formed to lead, not to be led.

“If Umno continues to be a component party backing the government but is treated as second-class, we will soon see the end of Umno.

“We once set the agenda in Barisan Nasional but today are just supporters and backers, as long as there is a position (minister) we are already happy.

“We have to get out of this state of uncertainty and to create our own success, if we fail to do so, Umno will never be an influential party as it was before,” said Najib opening the Pekan Umno division meeting today.

Najib is not the first Umno leader to attack Bersatu in the party’s divisional meeting.

Yesterday, Pagoh Umno division secretary Kamarul Ariffin Mohamad said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will not get a free ride in Pagoh in the next general election as the party will field its own candidate in its traditional seat.

Kamarul said although Pagoh division chief Ismail Mohamed told delegates that the Umno state leadership has decided to contest all seats except Pagoh, they rejected the state’s decision.

Contesting under a PKR logo, Muhyiddin defended the Pagoh seat for a sixth term in the last elections after defeating Ismail and PAS candidate Ahmad Nawfal by 6,927 votes after winning 23,558 votes.

Citing difficulties working with the Chinese-majority party DAP, Muhyiddin then took Bersatu out of Pakatan Harapan last February, triggering the collapse of the federal government and subsequently the state governments in Kedah, Perak, Malacca and Johor.

Umno elections director Tajuddin Abdul Rahman also made it clear yesterday that Umno will not work with Bersatu in the 15th general election.

In addition, Pahang Umno state liaison chief Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail told Bersatu not to contest in Pahang because the party has no seat in the state.

Meanwhile, Free Malaysia Today reported that Pulai Umno in Johor became the first division in the country to pass a resolution asking party leaders to quit the PN government immediately to force a general election.

Its head, Nur Jazlan Mohamed, said delegates at the annual general meeting on Friday had unanimously decided that it would be in the best interest of Umno and its reputation to leave the ruling coalition before the party is also blamed for the failure of PN to govern properly. – January 3, 2021.