Rais Yatim: Form commission to probe Umno's losses
Malaysiakini.com
Apr 23, 2008

Since this is the season of commissions, Umno supreme council member Dr Rais Yatim is calling for one to be formed on the party.
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He said Umno, which is considered the backbone of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, is in dire need of a commission to look into the heavy losses it sustained in the March 8 polls.

suhakam religion culture conference 090906 rais yatim speakRais, who is also foreign minister, said the party should also "change" the way it operated.

"If you can create a commission for judges and now you want to create the anti-corruption commission, why can't you create a commission for Umno," he said, adding that Umno should go forward now.

"I am always here to say the quota system should go. The creation of the overlords, the barons at state levels of Umno should also be looked at again, so that we should not have to serve too many bosses when it comes to election," the veteran politician told Bernama.

Rais, 66, was referring to the quota system which stipulates that for a leader to contest the positions of president, deputy president, vice-presidents or supreme council member, he or she must obtain a certain number of nominations from Umno divisions.

"This I think may not go well with some, we have to say what we believe in. Again I am not blaming anybody, but the system must be fair," he said.

Fond of blaming others

On former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's call for his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down as prime minister and Umno president and take the blame for BN's dismal election performance, Rais said this was not the time for bickering but the time to work.

"It is the time to forget and forgive. Everybody has a sanctum somewhere in his inner thinking to be enforced and to be said aloud.

"I think the time has come for all levels of leadership to accept and love Malaysia and allow the working process to take place," he said.

Rais said while he was not pointing fingers at anyone for the loss, Malaysians were "very fond of blaming people."

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