Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday urged his ruling party to change in order to gain back the support of voters, ahead of national polls, dpa reported. Najib said that the United Malays National Organization, or Umno, stood to face a tragic end in the next general elections if it did not accept or embrace the higher expectations of a new generation of voters. "Umno has to understand the new thinking of voters, in order to gain back their support. "Umno cannot be arrogant or seen to be proud. If not, the voters and the people will hate and shun us," Najib told thousands of delegates at the party's annual assembly in the capital Kuala Lumpur. The party is the backbone of the ruling National Front coalition, which came to power when Malaysia gained independence in 1957, and has enjoyed almost full support since. General elections are not due until 2013, but political observers believe polls may be called as soon as the first half of next year.
