KUALA LUMPUR, DEC 11 – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak feels strongly that it would be cowardly and irresponsible for him to give up his post as UMNO President. He said he can’t just abandon the cause and drop the mission without first ensuring that not only are issues arising resolved but also that the position of the party and members is back to normal. He said this in his presidential address.
His speech, lasting nearly two hours and punctuated by applause, dwelled at length on the duties of a leader and what is due to him, and the need for UMNO to be united. The Prime Minister sees the issues affecting himself and UMNO as tribulations that a president of the party must face. And he referred to a verse in the Quran about tests that a leader has undergo to prove his mettle and raise his stature.
He declared himself well-prepared for the manifold tasks of the president: “However mountainous or awesome the challenges, I can never yield but must bravely face and resolve the problems that arise to continue to lead UMNO to victory.” Touching on the issues affecting UMNO, Najib said: “In the 1MDB affair, I wish to state that it is being handled and is in the process of being settled.”
With the sale of the Edra power company, the 1MDB debt had been reduced by RM17 billion, he said. As for the RM2.6 billion deposited in his bank account, the money – as explained in Parliament and in detail at the briefing for delegates – was political donation from outside the country and not from 1MDB, he added. The UMNO President reminded the delegates of the principle of loyalty to the top leadership which he said had long been practised in Islam.
