Very impressed by Abdullah’s UMNO General Assembly speech as this is the first time in UMNO’s 56-year history that the truth has been told by an UMNO President – that the war against corruption in the country cannot succeed if UMNO is corrupt and must be spearheaded from within UMNO itself

Media  Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  

(Parliament, Thursday): I am very impressed by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s UMNO General Assembly speech as this is the first time in UMNO’s 56-year history that the truth has been told by an UMNO President – that the war against corruption in the country cannot succeed if UMNO is corrupt and must be spearheaded from within UMNO itself. 

This calls for great courage and honesty of purpose and Abdullah must be commended for demonstrating such qualities when he did not mince his words this morning and said:

“73. UMNO cannot afford to feel proud or comforted just because it has many members. UMNO has to ensure that these members possess high level of integrity...

“74. The Government’s war against corruption will not be successful if UMNO itself has a culture of corruption. The practice of vote buying is political corruption. UMNO will not continue to be respected if it does not wipe out corruption within its own ranks. The election process in UMNO is keenly observed because UMNO controls the Government. The leaders elected by UMNO will proceed to become leaders in Government. If people have doubts about the integrity of UMNO leaders, then any effort by these leaders to wage war on corruption will not convince anyone…

”76. A corrupt leader will lead UMNO to a culture of corruption. A corrupt UMNO will not be able to impart good values to the community. The Government’s war on corruption must be spearheaded from within UMNO itself. UMNO members must feel disgust at corruption and not allow themselves or members of their family to have a single drop of blood in their body that is tainted by gains from corruption.”

 

The great tragedy this morning is that although he is currently UMNO President, Abdullah seems to be “a lone voice in the UMNO wilderness” as his stern and  “no-compromise” speech against money politics in UMNO and corruption in Malaysia does not seem to have the support, whether full-hearted or even lip-service, of the majority of UMNO Supreme Council members or his Cabinet Ministers. 

The majority of the UMNO Supreme Council members, for instance, cannot feel comfortable or at ease when Abdullah exhorted UMNO members to “feel disgust at corruption and not allow themselves or members of their family to have a single drop of blood in their body that is tainted by gains from corruption”.

All eyes are on the UMNO leaders, Supreme Council members and  delegates in the 56^th UMNO General Assembly in these three days as to whether they will fully endorse Abdullah’s speech that the war against corruption in the country cannot succeed if UMNO is corrupt and must be spearheaded from within UMNO itself, by coming out with specific proposals for a clean-up of money politics in UMNO and corruption in the country for consideration and adoption by Abdullah.

If there is deafening silence on this critical matter by UMNO leaders and delegates in these three days, then it is bad news for Abdullah, the country, the national integrity plan  and the anti-corruption campaign  in the country.

(21/07/2005)