UMNO Perlis should speak up like UMNO Johor while UMNO Johor should quit UMNO

A massive national crisis is engulfing Malaysia like never before, caused by one man, Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Najib Razak. UMNO, which gave Najib the post of Prime Minister, owes a duty to Malaysians to remove Najib from office.

UMNO Perlis should speak up like UMNO Johor to call on Najib to account for his misdeeds. In fact, UMNO Johor should go a step ahead to sever ties with the national UMNO body.

Malaysia has been engulfed in an unprecedented political and economic crisis essentially caused by the failed and corrupt leadership of Prime Minister Najib. Among others, the Ringgit fell to RM3.93 to USD$ 1, the currency is still on freefall with no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel.

Former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad told an audience that “the solution is simple but to achieve it is hard. The solution is to remove the man who is the cause of all this. But the problem is how do you do it? That part, I have no answer just yet.”

There is a consensus among most Malaysians that to save the nation from a protracted crisis, Najib must step down. I am quite sure that most UMNO members agree with such a view by now as the reputation of Najib’s premiership is at a state beyond repair among the domestic audience as well as the international community.

UMNO has to do its part to remove Najib, as the Prime Minister holds office on behalf of and in the name of UMNO.

I call on UMNO Perlis, and other state committees for that matter, to emulate UMNO Johor which spoke up against 1MDB, the RM2.6 billion ‘donation’, GST and other issues. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin spoke in the presence of Najib on those issues that deserve national attention.

But I also call on UMNO Johor to go further than mere lip service. The rakyat wants real action to stop Najib from further hurting the nation. And UMNO Johor can dislodge Najib by severing ties with the national UMNO party.

I was asked by a journalist at a press conference by DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang in Penang on 10th August on whether DAP Johor is prepared to work with the Johor Royal House to unseat Najib. I do not wish to comment on the political role of the popular Johor Royals.

But while not commenting on the political role of the Johor Royals, DAP Johor is prepared to work with UMNO Johor to fight corruption and to unseat Najib immediately provided that UMNO Johor is prepared to reject racial politics and to sever ties with the UMNO national party led by Najib.

It’s time for UMNO leaders and members to do the right thing to save Malaysia and not merely to save UMNO. And, UMNO owes Malaysians a duty to remove Najib as Prime Minister. To achieve that, UMNO Perlis should speak up like UMNO Johor while UMNO Johor should take the fight one step further by severing ties with the national UMNO party led by Najib.

* Speech by DAP National Political Education Director and MP for Kluang Liew Chin Tong at the Sixth Anniversary celebration of DAP Perlis State Committee with members of DAP Perlis in Kangar, Perlis, on 10th August 2015