Khairy praises Najib for acting on wing’s demands

You’re the man: Members of the Umno Youth exco, led by the wing’s deputy chief Khairul Azwan Harun (seated third from left), clowning with Khairy during a photo session at the Putra World Trade Centre. — Bernama

UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamalud­din, once dogged by chatter about his somewhat cool ties with the party president, led his men in conveying their backing for Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He thanked the party president for taking up the movement’s views and turning them into government policies.

Najib, he said, had not allowed Umno Youth’s suggestions to lapse into mere idle chatter.

Delegates at the Umno Youth assembly yesterday were shown past video clips in which Khairy spoke on issues such as a need to boost vocational training and give a second chance to bankrupt youths.

“Do you remember when the movement demanded for the University and University Colleges Act to be amended to allow freedom of participation in politics?

“Do you recall how we voiced out concerns of graduates who could not find employment? And discounts in public transportation to reduce the people’s burden?” he asked.

Video footages were then shown of Najib making announcements on government policies related to issues raised by Umno Youth.

After each clip of Najib, Khairy said: “Thank you, Prime Minister”.

“This is why Umno Youth continues to back him to remain at the helm of the party and Government. He is a leader who always listens to voices of the youth, and more importantly, a leader who delivers much of the youths’ aspirations,” he said in his policy speech.

While there was talk over the past year that Khairy’s relationship with his boss had cooled somewhat, his speech showed that the Youth chief is fully behind Najib.

Khairy said the movement was no longer about being a “pressure group” or taking to the streets, which he described had become a routine and “easy peasy”.

“Today, young people hunger for ideas and solutions.

“They want arguments which are factual and not racial threats. They want a thinking leadership,” he added.

Being tasked with the National Transformation 2050, Khairy said young Malaysians would have a voice in charting the country’s vision for the next 30 years.

This flow would happen from bottom up and not top down, he said.

On the Malays, Khairy said that for decades their political identity was dominated by the need to defend the special rights of Malay-Islam and the need to improve their lagging economic status.

“The time has come for us to be a race that can change the tone and set the agenda. To realise the aspiration of the TN50 Malays, we need to shape the identity of our people towards a bigger cause and sharper distinction.

“Come 2050, let the Malays make their mark in all fields; Malays who are confident and brave in all aspects, mighty with not just a bellowing voice but also the courage and hunger to work towards bigger glories instead of fearing failures,” he said.