New Straits Times (Malaysia)
03 December 2017
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- In Election Mode
In Election Mode
With an eye on the general election, UMNO kicks off its five-day long annual general assembly on Tuesday with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak having a firmer grip on the ruling party.
He will use the caucus to rally the 3.4 million Umno members to gear up for the polls, widely expected to be held in March or April next year, and seek a fresh mandate for his transformation agenda.
Having weathered the political storm, Najib has many things going in his favour. Party unity is at its strongest, the opposition remains in disarray and the national economy is roaring and growing beyond market expectations.
A Bloomberg News survey last week showed the Malaysian economy is likely to grow 5.7 per cent this year and 5.2 per cent next year, in contrast to sub-five per cent growth in 2016.
“UMNO leaders will drive home the point that the government has successfully steered the country through difficult times and that better times lie ahead,” Saleena Begum Saleem, an associate fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told the South China Morning Post.
IDSS / Print / Online
