Umno to take more steps to check money politics

Umno will take several more measures to check money politics which should be tackled in a more comprehensive manner, said Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Realistically, however, the problem could not be resolved in the very near future and efforts to eradicate it should be supported by a strong political will and commitment, he said when asked to comment on the statement by former Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that money politics was still haunting Umno even when Najib takes over the party leadership.

He said this to Malaysian journalists after attending the last day of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit here yesterday.

Najib, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said efforts to address money politics should be “supported by a strong political will and commitment in whatever way we can”.

Efforts in tackling money politics involved a process that needed a certain time frame, he said.

“Because even during the time of Tun Dr Mahathir, he had also initiated efforts to eliminate money politics and when he had relinquished the posts of prime minister and Umno president, he had expressed his disappointment for failing to check the problem," he added.