UMNO members should observe lifelong loyalty, says Najib

He said this would not be difficult for UMNO members as they had been seen as having the basic tendency, that is their love for the party, and hence should stay united in any given situation.

"The move taken by UMNO founder Datuk Onn Jaafar to quit UMNO in 1951, the crisis which led to the party being banned, and the Team A-Team B split in the 1980s, did not shake UMNO, which is why it is important for every member of UMNO to love and stay loyal to the party."

The prime minister said this in the 'Exclusive With Prime Minister' programme hosted by Sayed Munawar Sayed Mohd Mustar, telecast live on TV1 Tuesday night in conjunction with UMNO's 70th anniversary Wednesday.

Najib said UMNO was a resilient party and had remained stable despite the various attacks made by the Opposition.

Najib said UMNO should feel the 'pulse of the people' by serving the people at all levels, as compared to the opposition parties which were only good at making promises.

UMNO must change by making internal reform to ensure that the party would remain relevant and compatible with the political transformation, which occurs at all time, he said.

"UMNO in the past is not the same as UMNO in today's environment. Thus, we must adjust UMNO in terms of approach and methodology, without changing its fundamentals, values, principles and objectives," he said.

Meantime, Najib said UMNO members should conquer the social media in orderto correct the negative perception created by various quarters against the government.

"This is not an option ... we need to conquer the cyberspace, we're doing it through UMNO information technology unit. I hereby call on UMNO members at all levels to be actively involved in cyberspace," he said.

"Although UMNO is a Malay and Bumiputera party, but it is not a racist party. UMNO is the pillar of all Barisan Nasional component parties," he said.

On the issue of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Najib said it was a business problem which had become a political issue to discredit him as prime minister.

"Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister (Adel Al-Jubeir) had recently admitted that the donation made to me was indeed from Saudi Arabia. Four years ago, the government had proposed to declare the source of political funds, but it was rejected by the opposition," he said.