KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 – UMNO president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is giving his winding-up speech at the 2015 Umno General Assembly here this afternoon. He said he wondered how this year assembly will turn out especially as several episodes prior to assembly occurred.
“Quoting on the Quran, Allah is the best of planners. As Malays, we are taught to be respectful and to be loyal to our leaders. Advising leaders and voicing views also there is the proper way to do it. If you want advise leaders in Umno, there is the right method to do so,” he said.
Najib, who is prime minister, also urged members not to believe in assumptions that are not backed up with evidence. He said this is to avoid vilification. Making reference to the fall of the Malacca’ empire, he said that internal squabbling cause the empire to fall to a foreign power. He said if there had no loyalty, even a party as strong as Umno can collapse.
“Speaking on the price hike of the Electric Rail Link (ERL), the agreement was signed in 1997 with long-term concession. In the agreement that YTL dominated, an agreement that I saw as one-sided, the price was based not on actual traffic, but projected traffic.” Najib said this to YTL dominance during the time of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s premiership.
Najib said when he became Prime Minister, he said don’t increase. He said this is also why he want to explain to delegates he received the problems of a legacy on my shoulders. He said this at the Putra World Trade Centre here today.
Najib was visibly making reference to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who spearheaded the ERL project, which has seen a fee increase recently from RM35 to RM55.
Where ERL is concerned, he said discounts will be given to various groups such as 30% discount for those who use the Siswa 1Malaysia card to travel using the ERL Transit. He said this is also included OKU and senior citizens. In the meantime, he said he had also ordered KTMB to offer 50% discount to students aged between 7 and 18 years. They will make a statement on the matter soon.
