KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Umno should look to its young blood rather than its old guard if it is to remain in power, said former New Straits Times group chief editor Datuk Kadir Jasin in a report by the Straits Times today.
"The party should not rely heavily on veterans like Dr Mahathir," said Kadir.
Instead, he said, it should look to young leaders like Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. He warned that failure to do so could cost the ruling party the next election.
"The opposition Pakatan is full of young people and Umno must keep up with the competition,” he said in the Straits Times report.
“If Umno were to lose, it will be very difficult to win back elections at the federal level and Khairy will then be head of opposition for a long time.”
"Umno used to be full of young people,” Kadir lamented. “Najib was only 21 years old when he was first elected MP. Today, few young people want to join the party.”
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been increasingly vocal lately, attacking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over scandals like the debt-laden state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.
In recent remarks, the former prime minister said he could no longer remain silent and that the days for diplomacy have long passed, adding he will now push for Najib’s resignation openly.
Khairy has since defended Najib, saying yesterday that Umno Youth is fully satisfied with the answers Najib gave on the issues in an interview last Thursday.
