Be Truthful, Muhyiddin Tells Umno Members - Bernama

MUAR, April 5 (Bernama) -- Umno vice president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called on party members to be brave in stating the truth and not to tell lies to make the leaders feel good.

He also said that if a weakness existed in the party, they should accept it with an open heart and be prepared to overcome it, instead of just listening without doing anything.

"It is a lie to say everything is good when we know a weakness exists. It is better to tell the truth and nothing but the truth though it may be bitter to swallow," he told reporters here Saturday.

Earlier, he attended a thanksgiving function for the victory of Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in the Pagoh parliamentary constituency in the March 8 general election. About 3,000 BN supporters attended the event.

Muhyiddin who is International Trade and Industry Minister, also said Umno had to be bold to effect changes to suit the present situation without sacrificing the principle of its original struggle if it wanted to remain relevant. He said Johor Umno had agreed in a meeting this morning to set up a special institute to study and understand the feelings of voters.

The institute should comprise experts and be mobilised quickly to draw up a blueprint that would help Umno regain its strength including in other states, he said.

He said the initiative should start now so that the BN would not lose its existing power the next general election.

"I fear if something is not done, we continue to be complacent, still unaware of the political tsunami out there, we will lose power," he said.

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