Najib: BN has to adapt to stay relevant

Najib shaking hands with Barisan election machinery members in Pekan. — Bernama

 

PEKAN: Change is imminent and Barisan Nasional has to adapt accordingly if it wants to remain relevant, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said the country’s political landscape would continue to undergo significant changes towards the next general election.

He said among factors that would bring forth changes were urbanisation, better standards of living and education, access to information and communications technology and the use of smartphones and their applications.

“Nothing is constant. Whether it is quick or not, change will happen,” he said at a thanksgiving event for Barisan election machinery members here yesterday.

He said Barisan had to adapt its strategy, attitude, programmes and approaches in line with expectations of the times and the wants of the people.

“We cannot assume that what we used before remains a suitable recipe and formula for the future. We must be open and be pragmatic and not dogmatic. We must solve problems and not deny them.

“If we act in this way, Barisan will continue to be relevant in the 14th general election and the ones after that,” he said.

Najib said that with each election, the ruling party would face even tougher challenges, adding that among the reasons for Barisan’s success was that it dared to change itself before others changed it.

However, he said just because Barisan was in power for so long and had made huge contributions to the people, it did not mean it was entitled to continue ruling the country.

“In a parliamentary democracy, even a big success which cannot be denied does not mean a passport to victory forever.

“We are a unique party in that we have defended our rule consecutively for 56 years. Under this situation, each election we face will get tougher because the length of our rule will also be longer.

“If we do not bring about renewal to freshen our image and make us more acceptable to the people, we will face difficulties,” he said.

Najib said the use of social media would be more vital for support, adding that Barisan had to strengthen its interaction with the people on Facebook because meeting them face-to-face was no longer enough.

The Pekan MP also thanked all voters in the constituency and the Barisan election machinery for handing him a victory by a margin of 35,613 votes.

Najib said in the context of Pekan, the majority of youths had supported Barisan and the coalition had also defended the constituency with a strong popular vote of 76%.

(Source: The Star Online)