NEW Umno president Najib Tun Razak was blunt in his message to his party members last week. First in Jerantut, he spoke of the need to champion the plight of the people if the party wants to remain in power. Individualistic attitude and internal politicking must be averted in order to strengthen Umno, he stressed. He revisited the same argument in his own constituency of Pekan where he warned the prima donnas in the party not to score own goals but instead to be important team players. His argument was that only a party with strong teamwork can reap more successes.

Barisan Nasional’s abuse of the court system, like many of its other abuses, is as blatant as belacan, to borrow an expression from an old Salleh Ben Joned poem. Like belacan, it stinks to high heaven. But at least belacan does not insult your intelligence.

When former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein came up with the idea of setting up the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), he had the welfare of the poor in mind.

His big-hearted plan was to give land to the rural poor for them to cultivate and “earn themselves a decent living”. But 60 years later down the road, with Najib Tun Razak in the driver's seat, the son is harvesting and spoiling the fruits of his father's labour.

What is it about being Malaysia’s Education Minister that prompts even the dullest politician to imagine himself an out-of-the-box thinker with a brilliant idea that everyone should listen to? Muhyiddin Yassin, like other education ministers before him, has proposed a major change in the way we educate our children so that they can get a “holistic education” and become “creative, innovative and interactive” citizens. Presumably, he is addressing the issue of our declining educational standards. He thinks the answer lies in relieving students of examination pressure until they are in Secondary Five.

As the clock ticks down to the 13th general election, the burning question is whether Barisan Nasional would be able to form the government again or would Pakatan Rakyat seize control of Putrajaya. Lest we forget, there is also talk of a third force taking shape.

The 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) will set the course of the country's economic growth for the next five years. This is a major master plan that is crucial for national development, especially in these challenging times.

The country must compete in a knowledge-based global economy and must survive in the swirling mass of competition. Every five-year economic plan must reflect this evolving environment.

Despite the loss of lives, the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza did achieve one of its objectives, which was to highlight the inhumanity of the Israeli-imposed blockade of that region. Does the oppression of Palestinians need any more highlighting? Indeed it does, because memories are short and one atrocity can blur the memory of a previous atrocity as well as cool the outrage over it. Some of us may remember the Sabra and Shatila massacres, but how many can still feel the pain as intensely as we felt it then?

Imagine that Umno is still in power a dozen years from now, with a nuclear power plant under its control. That’s scary even if you delete the words following the comma. We’ll still have the ISA and other satanic laws. The police, judiciary and mainstream media will still operate as Umno bureaus. Lucrative government contracts will still go to the Umno-connected. Things will remain the same because Umno is stubbornly — and sometimes militantly — resistant to change. If an Umno apologist disputes this, then he must give an alternative explanation of why Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was kicked out.