Penang Gerakan State Liaison Committee Chairman, Dato’ Dr. Teng Hock Nan today said that UMNO must embrace the change movement in order to keep the Barisan Nasional relevant.

Dr. Teng also said that Prime Minister and former UMNO President, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in his final address as UMNO President should have taken steps to soothe the relationship between UMNO and non-UMNO members.

“While we endorse the advice of Pak Lah that UMNO and BN must change its ways, I had hoped that he would have advised UMNO to move away from ethnocentricity and finger-pointing, and adopt a more bipartisan and conciliatory approach. Instead we had Pak Lah raising the issue of Malaysian Malaysia which can be interpreted by some as questioning the special position of the Malays,” said Dr. Teng.

“Our differences on terminology must not be construed as doubting the substance. We have always respected and will continue to respect the sovereignty of the Sultans and the special position of the Malays as stated in Article 153 of our Federal Constitution. However, the non-Malays also want to see their rights under the Constitution protected with equal vigour and passion and this does not affect the rights of the Malays under the Constitution,” stressed Dr. Teng.

Dr. Teng reminded all parties that the Chinese and Indians had readily supported the BN in past General Elections. However, in the 2008 General Elections, they sent a clear message that the BN seemed too distracted and no longer struggled to uphold the Malaysian cause.

“If March 8, 2008 was anything to go by, even a significant number of Malays who voted for the Opposition did so because they felt let down by UMNO and BN. Our original struggle has lost its dimension when the BN was perceived to have failed in upholding the aspirations of the people. Malaysia is an equitable state and must remain as one. However, blaming the non-Malays or the Malays as causes of BN’s dismal performance at the last General Elections will only aggravate the situation,” remarked Dr. Teng.

“We should be concentrating on what unites us, like the need for greater economic prosperity, an acceleration of ethical governance and accountability, and the efforts to bridge the gap between urban and rural communities. In fact, this is exactly what Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the in-coming UMNO President had initiated via his “One Malaysia” concept. The framework is there. Now, we have to build the building and restore the confidence of the people again,” added Dr. Teng.

Dr. Teng advised all parties to contain their emotions and approach this issue with a rational mind. He said that Malaysia is big enough to accommodate different views and contrasting approaches, but in the end we all seek the same objective: a more united and prosperous Malaysia.