Malaysian minister calls for "soul-searching" over election setbackKUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (AFP) - A Malaysian minister Friday urged the ruling party to conduct "soul-searching" over its loss of support in general elections."We need to do plenty of soul-searching to ensure UMNO stays in tune with the struggles of the Malays and the multiracial society in the country," said Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar after the Monday polls. Syed Hamid is a member of the supreme council of the United Malays National Organisation, the dominant party in the ruling National Front coalition. The National Front won 148 out of 193 parliamentary seats but its percentage of the vote fell to 56.5 percent from 65 percent previously. UMNO won 72 seats compared to 88 in 1995 polls, while its seats in 11 state assemblies shrank to 175 from 231. Most of the losses were at the hands of the Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS). Syed Hamid said UMNO, founded in 1946, should realise that people now viewed it differently from previous generations. "We want UMNO to be a party that not only serves the people well but also remains relevant to the times," he said. PAS's ultimate goal is to make Malaysia an Islamic state. Syed Hamid, quoted by the official Bernama news agency, called for "an Islamic country that is not isolated so that it can contribute to the formation of a new world order." The foreign minister, speaking after opening a seminar on "The criteria for a country based on Islamic principles," said an Islamic state should be based on moderation by taking into consideration the ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds of the people. More than 50 percent of the population are Muslim Malays. Chinese make up about 30 percent and Indians about 10 percent. The National Front in its election publicity depicted PAS as an extremist party which would threaten the culture and traditions of non-Malays. |
