Najib pledges his faith in his deputy

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak says he has full confidence in his deputy’s ability to continue the party’s struggle.

“This is an Umno man who will fight to his last breath, one who is committed,” said Najib about Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in his winding up speech at the Umno general assembly today.

“I have no doubts when it comes to my Javanese deputy’s loyalty. I know I need never fear him,” the Umno president said, adding that this year’s assembly was the best he had attended.

The five-day assembly saw speeches by delegates and strong support for the party president, in particular when fielding attacks from former party figure Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In a prior speech, Zahid yet again sounded the war drums when he urged delegates to fight for victory in the coming general election.

“Sudah dekat pilihan raya, jentera perlu diperkasa, menangkan calon BN semua, hadiah untuk presiden kita, (We are moving closer to the general election, the machinery must be empowered, to help BN candidates win, a gift to our president)” he said when delivering a poem as part of his winding up speech today.

The deputy prime minister also pledged his loyalty to Najib.

“My loyalty will be unwavering, not only in this hall, but outside this hall as well. Let us rise and give our undying loyalty to our president,” he said before chanting “Hidup Najib!” (Long Live Najib!), a cry echoed by the 2000-strong delegates present.

“I and (vice-president) Hishammuddin are brothers. Before there were three, now there are only two. Stop trying to tear us apart,” he said.

He was referring to former Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal, who was fired from the party several months ago.

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