Umno Secretary-General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor,  think Several Kedah Umno grassroots members registered their unhappiness that  Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir was not included in the supreme council.

The centrality of the speech also creates its own problems for Najib. Given the  Malaysia insider interest in  Tengku Adnan  speech, there is pressure on Najib to perform.   Tengku Adnan’s new act every time  . This is not easy for Najib, for unlike the standard stump speech used by politicians otherwise,Tengku Adnan needs to find something new to say every time without actually saying anything very new. This also results in frequent overreaches- in his quest to make topical and specific connections with the audience and to generate a greater ‘punch’ in one’s speeches, truth is often a casualty, as we have seen in the last few weeks. The disregard for factual accuracy sits comfortably with his larger myth-making attempt but raises troubling questions about anyone who aspires to be the leader of the country. The question is not about an abstract fidelity to the truth but about whether the person in question has the ability to see two sides of an issue, and to take on board some inconvenient aspects of reality that need to be accounted for. To be so sure of one’s own position so as to make up facts that help tell a good story, is a troubling trait. In a speech, truth can be bent in any shape that is convenient, but real life is rarely so accommodating.

UMNO YOUTH ASSEMBLY The government should appoint a minister whose responsibility is solely to advance bumiputeras under the Bumiputera Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy, Umno Youth deputy chief Khairul Azwan Harun said.

“Umno Youth proposes that the prime minister appoint a minister especially for planning, implementing and monitoring policies and programmes under the BEE…,” he said.

The minister must have the required expertise and political will, he said, and not “someone who has a big title but lacks determination and the Malay spirit”.

Khairul Azwan ( left ) also urged that effectiveness of programmes under the BEE be measured through key performance indexes, which are also presented to Umno for monitoring.

He said this while proposing a motion to thank Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for his policy speech at the Youth general assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre today.

While he supported Khairy’s call for the Youth movement to become more progressive, Khairul Azwan stressed that this is not an endorsement of liberal politics.

“A progressive leader is pragmatic leader, but a progressive leader is not someone who is liberal or who practices pluralism.

“What we want is progressive politics which can address the challenges of the time and present solutions in a practical manner,” he said.

Citing the Quran, he said, progressiveness a la Umno Youth is consistent with Islam, as it is about doing good and ensuring the welfare of Malays are cared for.

Echoing Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin’s ( right ) speech to the wings last night, Khairul Azwan said “pluralism, liberalism and extremist groups” threaten national stability and as such should not be viewed lightly.

Proof of this, he said, are attacks on the judiciary, syariah courts and the royal institution.

As such, he moved that the Umno Youth support Muhyiddin’s proposal to include in the constitution that only followers of Sunni teachings are considered muslim.

“Umno Youth proposes that Islam in the federal constitution refers to the religion adhered to by Sunnis,” he said.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin hinted that this may be his last term in leading the wing.

In his policy speech titled “Preparing For Tomorrow” at the Umno Youth wing assembly today, Khairy, who is in his second term as Youth chief said that he is preparing the wing to be able to groom leaders with the same sense of progressiveness, vision and direction through a new caderisation programme.

In a press conference after delivering his address, Khairy said four years before heading into the next general election is not long, thus it is vital for him to ensure that the Youth wing will continue being progressive and relevant.

“I won’t be here forever. I’m already 37. So we need to start now to get the ones in their 20s, the young professionals, the young ulama, the graduates and undergraduates and so on. This is the start of a new generation.

“This is the start of continuity in Umno and although it’s a bit sad for me, it’s the beginning of the next leadership for Pemuda Umno,” said Khairy.

Asked if this will be his last term, Khairy said:”Well it certainly sounds like it.”

Earlier in his speech, Khairy outlined several new approaches, including on key performance indicators (KPI), leadership appointment and how to get young professionals involved in Umno.

He explained that such training is vital in attracting the younger generation into the party as well as to lay the foundation for the future of Umno Youth.

Khairy also revealed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, who is also Umno President had agreed to the Youth wing’s proposal to establish the Captain Hussein Leadership Academy (AKHI), in recognition of Umno’s first Youth Chief.

He said the caderisation programme is to train Umno Youth leaders so that they will continue being contemporary, progressive and relevant.

“AKHI will be the cadre centre for new leaders, ensuring that the next generation has the caliber to lead both Umno Youth and Umno in times to come.

“I am only one man and if I leave, Pemuda might be left without a clear sense of direction and the new chief might have a different leadership style.

“But if I can leave a caderisation programme, God willing those that come after me will have the vision and leadership style,” said Khairy.

When asked whether or not he has chosen a successor, Khairy said it’s still too soon.

In his speech, Khairy stressed that being progressive does not mean one forgets their fundamental struggles.

“To believe in a different and modern approach does not mean that Umno Youth is losing its identity or forgetting the Malay cause,” he said.

Khairy, who is also the Youth and Sports Minister said Umno Youth must take a moderate approach and appeal to every segment of society, instead of being a “pressure group” as in the past.

Khairy also appealed to the top leadership for an immediate post-mortem of the recently concluded party polls in October.

He said while the new party election system is a manifestation of transformation, improvements are necessary to ensure results of the selection is regarded as fair and accepted with no room for contention.

“Let there not be a situation where candidate A wins at the division, but candidate B is announced as the winner at the headquarters,” he said receiving loud cheers from some 989 Youth delegates at the Dewan Merdeka in Putra World Trade Centre.

Here are two areas where we will remain on opposing sides of the argument unless Najib get rid of Tengku Adnan  not in a drift, Najib in danger of When the tail seeks to wag the dog There is a saying in Tamil: The sins of a father will also befall on the son.  Like Mahathir have killed the future of many aspiring politicians during his autocratic rule. Now his own son is reaping the consequences of that sin. This is Karma!Tengku Adnan had killed aspiring and qualified young UMNO leaders

 Snaky Minister Tengku Adnan  can   be trusted to trade diatribes on which one has effectively addressed issues of urgent concern to voters: development, inflation, corruption and governance. Each one will also have to spell out what differentiates it from the other. Two battle-lines are in sight. One will pit ‘inclusive development’ — or Mahathir model — against ‘growth at all costs’ for cronies Competence matters less than loyalty. It pays to be in politics or to get on with the political masters. Or is it because these people are indispensable ? Or is it a reflection of the shortage of talent in our country today?Malaysian voters threatened to beat  Tengku Adnan   with shoes after he did not to heed voters demand  Minister Tengku Adnan  will remain divisive and moribund.  He said all the talk about transformation remains a figment of Najib’s imagination, with due respects to his hardworking  snaky Minister Tengku Adnan

Tengku Adnan Mansor has a bunch of issues confronting him How the power of one became  the poison, for FT Minister Ensure that the tail wags the dog: that appears to be the mantra of  Tengku Adnan  to promote its national-level interests  where it has a negligible presence. The strategy is to woo (with financial largesse) or intimidate  the deployment of central investigation agencies  against  rival  UMNO division leaders. Let them be at each other’s throats on their home turf, runs the argument, but make sure that  .

A group of lawyers will be taking Kuala Lumpur City Hall to court to compel it to open up its books and show the public how taxpayers’ money had been spent in the past 10 years.

This is in relation to the local authority’s move to raise assessment fees for all property owners in the city.

“Kuala Lumpur City Hall has stirred a hornet’s nest by seeking to raise assessment fees, now they are being taken to court,” said Chang Kim Loong, the National House Buyers Association honorary secretary.

“If they are asking us to pay more, they should show us how they have been spending the money all this while.”

Chang said the case will be through a declaratory order to be filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court next month. City Hall, its advisory board and the mayor will be named as respondents.

Chang said that so far, they have 80 ratepayers that will be part of this public interest litigation, with the help of nine lawyers.

Before the end of this year, the legal team will also challenge the revision notices sent out to the 507,800 ratepayers in Kuala Lumpur with new valuation amounts when it comes into effect on the last day of the year.

Chang is also calling for more lawyers and forensic accountants to join the battle against City Hall, saying that with more legal help on the team, they could organise more groups of ratepayers in the legal challenge.

City Hall had started sending out notices to all property owners in Kuala Lumpur informing them of the proposed hike in the property valuation.

The notices, however, stated that if there are objections to the proposed hike, property owners must register their objections with City Hall before December 17.

The public had been outraged by what they complained was an exorbitant increase in assessment fees.

City Hall’s defense was that it had not increased the fees in 21 years.

Local government legal expert Derek Fernandez had previously said that City Hall was not allowed to spend any money unless budgeted for.

As such, he added that it was essential that they open their budget to public scrutiny in order to justify the need for additional funds derived from rate revenue and how it is to be used to provide better services.

Fernandez had also said that failure to do this would make it difficult for the local authority to justify the need to increase rate revenue by revaluation of the annual rental to derive more assessment income