Jun 16, 2007

Umno Youth told to safeguard Razak's legacy

(BERNAMA) All members of Umno Youth were on Saturday asked to safeguard the power-sharing concept of the Barisan Nasional (BN), a legacy of Malaysia's second Prime Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.

Umno Youth Deputy Chief Khairy Jamaluddin, in summing up the Seminar of the Legacy of Tun Abdul Razak here, said the power-sharing concept had forged unity of the country's leadership of the past up to the present.

It was one aspect of Tun Razak's legacy that has been maintained, he added.

Tun Razak had formed the BN in 1973 to overcome the shortcomings of the Alliance formula in the 1969 general election that led to the racial riots of May 13 of that year.

In the 1974 general election, Tun Razak as the Prime Minister led the BN to a massive victory, taking 135 of the 154 seats contested. PAS was also a component party of the BN then.

Umno Youth Secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, in summing up the legacy of Tun Razak in government and society, said the power-sharing concept had stabilised the country and led to the formulation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and the Rukun Negara.

The NEP, which was introduced in 1970, was Tun Razak's biggest contribution to the nation in restructuring society and distributing wealth to Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras as well as eradicating poverty.

The two-day seminar, organised by the Akademi Pemuda chaired by Khairy and the Tun Razak Foundation Alumni Association, resolved that the spirit of the NEP should continue to be instilled in the people to ensure national prosperity.

It resolved that the establishment of government agencies, among them the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), was also a major contribution of Tun Razak towards restructuring of the socio-economic position of the people.

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