Emulat Gorbachev, Najib advised..

Koh Jun Lin
8:55AM Jan 12, 2012

INTERVIEW Former minister and veteran Umno leader Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir has called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to brush Umno hardliners aside and press forward with his reform agenda, even if it means losing power.

NONEThis is because there is a lot of unhappiness among Umno's three million members aware of government corruption, cronyism and leakages and were clamouring for "radical changes".

"The people who will revolt against this (reform) are just the leaders with vested interests. They are probably, what? 10,000 people? 5,000? That's all " said Kadir, who is deputy president of the newly formed NGO Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah).

"If Najib is brave enough to do the right thing... the majority of the Umno members will stand by him," added the 73-year-old veteran, who had been active in the party since the 1970s.

Kadir conceded that Najib had made a number of "interesting statements" and seemed to be well advised on current issues.

"But what I don't see... while I appreciate all these beautiful announcements, is implementation, which seems lacking. Then, the sincerity of the reforms becomes questionable," he said in an interview with Malaysiakini on Tuesday.

NONE After taking over as prime minister from his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2009, Najib (left) has been trying to portray himself as a reformer to recoup the middle ground against a stronger opposition coalition, by introducing a series of ostensibly liberal reforms.

However, his reform agenda is said to be hamstrung by pressure from Umno's hardliners and right wing groups, resulting in the continuous flip-flops in his initiatives.

Among others, one significant example was the second part of the New Economic Model introduced in the end of 2010, which failed to scrap the 30 percent bumiputera equity and approve the proposal of an equal opportunities commission blocked by Malay rights group Perkasa's lobbying.

Walking tall with history's giants

NONE Kadir said he prays that Najib would emulate the great leaders of history, such as French President Charles de Gaulle and Communist Party of the Soviet Union general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev (right).

"(If) you are there to make money for yourself, then you will really miss the the goal post.

"If you are there to do things for the rakyat and you get kicked out, never mind, you lose nothing But you can walk tall," he said.

De Gaulle relinquished French control on its colonies after the Second World War, while Gorbachev refused calls for military intervention in the affairs of the Warsaw Pact states and eventually dissolved the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.

"In Malaysia, I just hope Najib will give true Merdeka to the rakyat as (first prime minister) Tunku Abdul Rahman and Najib's father (second prime minister) Abdul Razak Hussein had fought for.

NONE "Whatever the result, he will be a great man... he can walk tall if he truly works on that for the future generations.

"Great leaders should think like that," Kadir said.

The veteran politician is now active in Amanah, an NGO led by Umno veteran and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Kadir is the eldest son of one of the founding members of Umno and has been active in the party since the Razak administration.

He served as culture, arts and tourism minister under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and as information minister under Abdullah.

THE ABDUL KADIR INTERVIEW