Watershed assembly for Umno
THIS general assembly is certain to be Umno's last before the 13th general election, and its leaders have taken great pains to ensure members put on a good show for the whole country.
The party bosses, in the run-up to the meetings which started last night, told the delegates that they were free to speak up on any subject.
And so they should, as Umno assemblies have been noted for the freedom politicians have to speak their minds.
However, the speakers must be aware that whatever they say will reverberate far beyond Merdeka Hall at the PWTC.
From party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, the advice has come for speakers not to say or do anything that might offend other communities.
The leaders remember the Youth-keris incident as well as the fiery speeches of the past few years which the non-Malays had found unsettling, if not threatening.
This cannot happen again if Umno wants Putrajaya to remain under Barisan Nasional. National polls are imminent, and party members must remember that whatever they do will affect Barisan's 13 other component parties.
Every misplaced word and misconstrued action will be exploited by their political foes to the fullest to drive the non-Malay electorate away from the ruling coalition.
Najib has repeatedly said in the past few days that his 1Malaysia concept calls for "acceptance" and not just "tolerance", and the party leadership has re-emphasised this by putting up huge billboards depicting multi-racial scenes with wordings like "Kami anak Malaysia" (We are the children of Malaysia) all over the PWTC.
This is one of Umno's biggest efforts to reach out to the other communities.
The more than 100 speakers at the Youth, Wanita, Puteri and main party's assemblies must also reflect this spirit of accepting all Malaysians so that the calls that their leaders make will not be seen as mere slogans.
The speakers should also pick up on the call by Najib for unpopular elected representatives to "voluntarily" bow out instead of having to be pushed out.
Umno has been, for too long, associated with warlords who refuse to give up their seats or positions that they see as theirs for life, but this will not do in today's modern, connected world.
Voters today want to see changes and abhor politicians who overstay their welcome. Umno warlords must realise this and by voluntarily stepping down, play their part in reinventing the party, and at the same time gain the gratitude of younger members.
Malaysians of every social and political stripe will be watching this assembly and listening intently to every word each speaker makes.
Umno and Barisan Nasional will be measured, judged, punished or rewarded based on what happens in the next four days.
All political parties like to claim that their annual gatherings are important, but few can deny that this Umno assembly is a watershed that could change Malaysia's political landscape forever.
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