Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Permanent Chairman and his Deputy

Deputy President and Vice-Presidents

MCA, MIC and PAS Presidents

UMNO Advisory Panel Chairman Tengku Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah

BN Advisory Board Chairman Dato Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak

Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri Chiefs

Secretary-General, Treasurer, Information Chief, Supreme Council members, BN component parties and Associate Members of BN.

Dear delegates,

1. Let me express my gratitude to God the Almighty for enabling us to organise this Conference (PAU) despite restrictions and difficulties arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. Although all of us cannot assemble face to face, you can join us virtually at your respective divisions.

2. According to our Secretary-General, this assembly conforms to party Constitution and the Registrar of Society, and abides by the SOP set by the National Security Council (NSC). The police also issued its permit.

3. I would like to congratulate our Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri wings for their successful conferences. I listened to the Deputy President’s clear message when addressing it yesterday, how he has called for unity among all members.

4. Similarly, I also listened to speeches by respective wing chiefs and debates by their delegates.

5. My special appreciation to Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri for assisting the people badly affected by the pandemic. Their free sanitation program and legal service to those slapped with the RM10000 compound were indeed very encouraging.

Dear delegates,

6. Since its inauguration in 1946, UMNO’s struggle has always been for the people. Its heart and soul are for the people. We are aware of their predicaments during this pandemic. About 800,000 lost their jobs and income.

7. There are instance where former pilots joined the e-hailing in full uniform when they were left to no choice for survival. Many others have resorted to becoming street petty traders to make ends meet. The people are now slapped with petrol price increase, sending them deeper into hardship.

8. UMNO is the people’s voice and is consistent as a check-and-balance agent. The people’s problems are ours too. And for that, UMNO has endlessly fought for their bank loan moratorium and the one-off EPF RM10000 withdrawal. However, sad to note how they only got a ‘half cooked’ assistance.

9. We do sympathise with a youth in Batu Berendam, Melaka who was issued with the RM10000 compound for just inquiring about the right medicine for his sick mother at a grocery outlet.

10. So was the spiralling electricity bill over the extra usage of water dispenser, refrigerator and air-conditioning during the CMO and the dry spell that I have to ask the authority to give power rebate to consumers.

11. We read the news about how some motorcycles got confiscated over modified exhaust. How are the owners going to survive when the motorcycle was the only thing they had to earn a living? This is far more frustrating.

12. For many decades now, UMNO is for the people to seek solace. This remains as our DNA. UMNO was brought down through lies, slanders and defamations. However, God Is Great, the regime who framed us has finally tumbled down.

13. They tried to buy us out. However, as your President, I declined each and every offer to dissolve UMNO. UMNO will not change its master, its master are the members and the people. And it is not for sale either. We will never crumble under pressure!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

14. I am glad for having a good team. My sincere gratitude to members and leaders at all levels for assisting me strengthening UMNO all this while. We are not gullible to offers and other persuasive tactics by others to make us change our mind.

15. Let me explain the Supreme Council decision on 12 March 2020. We agreed for all UMNO Members of Parliament (MPs) to give an en bloc support for the formation of a new government after Pakatan Harapan fall. 

16. We wanted the Parliament to be dissolved and return the mandate to the people via a fresh poll. However, since the pandemic was fast escalating international and Malaysia was of no exception, we agreed to give the premier post to a person whose party holds the least Parliament seat. 

17. We also made clear of our conditions that, should the pandemic subsides, the Parliament must be dissolved by January 2021 and a general election takes a due course during the first quarter of this year.

18. Unexpectedly, the whole nation was put under emergency order, merely a day after announcement of the new Movement Control Order (MCO). The people were taken aback and couldn’t help but thinking the government must have something up their sleeves.

19. It is necessary for me to reiterate all over again the Supreme Council decision at the early stage of cooperation with PPBM under the new government, that this cooperation will cease once the Parliament is dissolved.

20. Everybody understood, and so did them. This is a major decision we cannot abandon amid some accusations that I applied my veto power. To tell you the truth, I never used that power. In fact, the party’s Constitution does not have any provision for veto power. It is the Supreme Council decision. Whatever decision made, will stay.

21. A total of 124 divisional meetings endorsed the grassroots decision not to cooperate with Bersatu in the next general election. And in fact, 147 out of 191 division heads have agreed to. So, shall we not listen to the majority?

22. We are sincerely grateful to the Malay Rulers for rejecting the first emergency, and faithfully abide by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong decree when approving its proclamation upon the prime minister’s second request and advice that it was for the wellbeing of the people during the pandemic.

23. We are also grateful to The Royal Highness Yang di-Pertuan Agong for giving his consent that the Parliament session can convene during the emergency. However, there are parties giving all sorts of excuse not to allow the Parliament session to resume. It is the people’s wish for the session to resume since the nationwide vaccination program has begun.

Dear delegates,

24. Today’s political reality summons UMNO to subscribe to major adjustments in charting its future. The Supreme Council decision not to work together with PPBM in the next general election reflects its maturity to reject dishonesty in the political cooperation and their insincerity toward UMNO.

25. I would like to assert that our support for the formation of the Perikatan Nasional government was for the people, Malaysians. It was also to depose the Pakatan Harapan regime who had oppressed Malaysians and failed to keep up to their manifesto promises during that 22-month in power.

26. UMNO will never support the political pact in Perikatan Nasional. The grassroots had spoken and this was endorsed by the Supreme Council. Their rejection for UMNO to cooperate with PPBM was reflective of their uneasiness toward PPBM. Let’s not forget. PPBM was part of PH and almost the same people sit on the current PN Cabinet.

Dear delegates,

27. Malaysians need stability and security in all aspects of life, from internal and external threats, a good healthcare system, economic and politics. They are now blasé with the political uncertainty around them.

28. The government has full responsibility in ensuring that the people have enough food to eat, making their ends meet, good education and comfortable homes. We don’t have all this now.

29. Unfortunately, our national stability lost its steam when Pakatan Harapan began attacking UMNO and Barisan Nasional, not only politically but also from all dimensions. The new media platforms were used to spew slanders and lies about us. And finally, they became a government installed on evil deeds.

30. However, such methods didn’t help them last long. They cracked under their own games, and the people were expecting another poll to quash them out.

31. Indeed, the remedy for our politics is stability. The nation has achieved it under UMNO. We must not deny the fact that political stability is the key to success, not only the national security but also in social and economic advancement.

32. We observed this when UMNO and Barisan Nasional administered the nation for 63 years. Stability is hard to come by these days. And for that, we must learn how to appreciate it. Stability has to start here. A stable UMNO will ensure the government’s stability too. 

33. We are aware that PPBM doesn’t have the grassroots support. They became a minority ruling and dictating the majority. Remember how they dodged us during Sabah state election! Once bitten, twice shy!

Dear friends,

34. The political pact between UMNO and PAS is based on mutual philosophy. The Penyatuan Ummah on 14 September 2019 that paved the way for a Muafakat Nasional charter, met with joy and tears among members of both parties. Just imagine it, after 60 years at odd, we are able to bury the hatchet.

35. However, since joining the government, the political stance took a sharp turn. Let me be assertive that we supported the formation of a government known as Perikatan Nasional. However, some parties also establish a political coalition, the Perikatan Nasional later on, without even consulting us! So, where does UMNO stand?

36. We had agreed that any party in Muafakat Nasional shouldn’t be too hasty to join any political pact. UMNO is firm with this, and we will not allow ourselves to sway easily. Our cooperation has yet to fully-bloomed. But still, it’s never too late to continue what we had started with. Being with the other side doesn’t bring any gain, let alone getting more seats.

37. We are convinced MN is widely accepted now and can open the doors to UMNO and BN to lead again. MN carries a lot of weight due to its success in the last seven by-elections. It is also a political dynamism, a political reset.

Dear delegates,

38. Let us rekindle the history when Barisan Nasional was established in 1974 in the wake of racial riots that left a black spot to our history. The tragedy had extremely ruined our stability and harmony built since our Independence. To be precise, the establishment of Barisan Nasional was the first political reset carried out by the late Tun Razak Hussein.

39. The political landscape is very dynamic. Changes to Johor, Melaka, Perak and Sabah state governments are testimonies to this. UMNO dominates administration in these three states and as a partner in Sabah. This is the political reality we need to fully-comprehend.

40. The two political resets are much related to national stability and the people’s security. The nation was still in turmoil in 1974. Although there is no recurrence today, instability is pushing us deeper into economic fiasco. What we have built all these years has gone to ashes.

41. Is it impossible for UMNO and its political partners to start a political reset which will augur well for Malaysia? Although no negotiation of whatsoever has taken place with anybody thus far, I can feel the people’s aspiration to see a stable unity government for the nation.

42. UMNO is ever ready to introduce it after GE15. However, UMNO must stay relevant and dominates domestic politics after the general election. Be dominant first in order to stay relevant.

43. All of us must embrace this political reset with an open heart and pragmatic mindset. Go back to the drawing board, fortify UMNO and make it relevant again.

44. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to BN component parties MC and MIC who have been with us for 65 years, and also the PBRS. We rise and fall together.

“A Friend in need is a friend in deed”. 

Dear delegates,

45. Stability can only be achieved with Barisan Nasional. Look what happened when BN is no longer in power. The World Bank produces a report stating how Malaysia sinks further as compared with other ASEAN countries in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) and development.

46. Foreign investments dropped by 56 per cent in 2020. The United Nations meanwhile said Malaysia received the least FDIs in the region or a 68 per cent drop.

47. Before GE14, we were among the biggest recipients of FDIs in Asia but today, we are even the biggest loser in ASEAN region. It is stability that secures economic advancement. Only Barisan Nasional can do it.

48. In order to govern again, we need to make new offers that will resurrect what the people have lost. Give them their rights back. Barisan Nasional’s economic agenda was disrupted when the government changed hand after GE14.

49. UMNO must come forward to introduce a new economic patriotism which will stabilise their economy and progress the nation further. It will help spur our economy again, and it must be an economic model for post-Covid.

50. Realising and understanding the current politics, BN must be prepared to contest alone in GE15. Let me say it once and for all that for UMNO to become dominant again after GE15, firstly we must win the most seats, and secondly able to choose the right sincere and honest partners in forming the next government.

51. Being dominant does not mean we are a proud lot. UMNO is the largest Malay party. When UMNO was no more in power, the people did not enjoy stability.

52. They suffered for 22 months, the Palace was mocked, the Malay interest was sidelined, the official religion Islam was challenged, the national language ridiculed while national assets were sold to their whim and fancy. And recently, the Muslims lost their exclusivity over the word ‘Allah’.

53. We are not egoistic but we are not so naive to be bullied. Not even being apologetic. Party-hopping is getting rampant of late. Position and personal gain are exchange for dignity. The politics of ‘knife, pen and cheque book’ is applied by the government. Is this what we want to inherit?

54. Open up our mindset and look more forward in the name of our present and future generation. Bear in mind that politics is determined by the people’s cluster, not by the power-crazy, broker, opportunist and frog clusters.

55. Another main concern is the postponement of automatic voters’ registration for those already reached 18 years of age. We don’t know what the motive was although the government had brought it to the Dewan Rakyat earlier. However, the Election Commission announced a few days ago that it will be implemented sometimes in September. Why not now?

Dear delegates,

56. Today, UMNO is being ridiculed internal and externally. UMNO cannot remain fragmentised or left at rickety. Unity must become its strength. UMNO is of no exception and this summons us to stay united.

57. The grassroots and the masses are now longing for UMNO and BN to become dominant again. And for that, we must turn it into reality. We cannot allow differences to wreck the party. External forces will never stop from trying to wipe out UMNO. It is our duty to put a stop to it. Flush them out together, correct the adverse perception.

58. Your camaraderie to stand high and low with the party is highly commendable amid some events that jolted the top brass. As we all know, there were offers being made, cash exchanging hands and even intimidation at the branch level but they were undeterred.

59. You are all heroes! Let us close ranks and stay loyal to the party. And I want to make our stance clear, which is NO PPBM, NO ANWAR, NO DAP. We will go all out as Barisan Nasional! In God we trust!

 

THANK YOU