Najib: We are the victims of our own success

Barisan Nasional has become the ‘victim of its own successes’ when it lost badly in the last two elections despite years of developing the nation, said BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak today.

Officiating the 42nd Gerakan National Delegates Conference (NDC), Najib said that BN’s successes was not limited to bringing physical development but also intellectual development, that has led to a change of minds of the society, especially the young.

The Prime Minister and UMNO president cited former Gerakan stronghold, Penang, as an example where BN has developed well, till it is today a magnet for Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), but this was hijacked by the Opposition.

“More or less, we have become the victim of our own success,” Najib told the 1640 Gerakan delegates who are voting in their new top leadership today.

“This success has ironically brought a situation where Penang has become a challenge to us, not because of our failures, but because of the successes of the policies of BN,” he said.

Najib also said that it was a failure to communicate BN successes that may have led to a “trust deficit” of the people.

“Even things that don’t make sense such as this so-called 40,000 mat Banglas that came into our country to vote... such a preposterous story but believed by a significant number of people."

"Why is a lie swallowed wholesomely? There is a problem of communication, there is a trust deficit,” said Najib, admitting that these were questions that play in his mind.

On Gerakan, Najib said that he is motivated by the Gerakan’s new slogan “New Way, New Hope, New Gerakan”.

“This is the beginning. What is more challenging is fulfilling the slogan relevance and meaning,” he said.

Najib said that he believed that Gerakan still had fighting spirit. “We must believe in ourselves. We must have courage of our own conviction. That party Barisan Nasional is the best for the people and Malaysia. It is all about communication. It is all about selling what we are doing to the people.”

“Many don’t understand, many don’t know what we are doing. On the other side, they are good at communicating, and spinning.”

Gerakan, said Najib, was a party that was ‘ahead of its time’.

“Gerakan is now seen as a party that is so progressive in its thinking. Putting national importance as its core foundation,” he said.

“Our mutual trust can only be ensured if we rejected politics of race, extremism, communalism and religion. All these will destroy our beloved nation.”