Let me begin by thanking the organizers of this important meeting for inviting me to be here and to address this meeting today. It is a great honour and a great privilege.

As is well-known, the formation of political parties came about with the development of nation-states in modern Europe and the right given to certain groups of people to vote.

In democratic countries, a political party holds power only after winning elections. As such, this power is not of a permanent nature and can be removed at the people’s will. Thus in the advanced democracies of the West, a two-party system had come into being whereby two major parties govern alternately for a period based on their popularity at the time.

Other than this, there are coalitions of parties of almost equal strength that are elected to run a country. This often can result in a change of government if one of the coalition members decides to withdraw and joins the opposition. Yet stability is not affected by such a move.

In many developing countries, however, a one-party system prevails,allowing for a single party controlled by the ruling elite to dominate the State. This is obvious if one looks at Africa and some countries in Asia. But over time, there has been a degree of liberalization to suit the changing circumstance of a society and the international political environment.

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), when it was formed in 1946, had their support because it steadfastly opposed the British plan to turn the country into a full-fledged colony. Under it, the traditional rulers would be marginalized and the Malays relegated to an inferior position in the country. So wide and spontaneous was their protest, the British had to give in and dissolved the union. What the British did not realize at the time was that their unpopular scheme had unleashed Malay nationalism on an unprecedented scale which was eventually to lead to the country’s independence.

Although UMNO was formed by the indigenous Malays to protect their interests, it was realistic and farsighted enough to have worked with parties of Chinese and Indian community to gain independence for the country. Thus the formation of the Alliance consisting of UMNO, Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC). It was agreed among them that the Malays would maintain certain privileges in exchange for citizenship rights for the non-Malays. These provisions were enshrined in the Constitution.

On the attainment of independence on August 31, 1957, the new Alliance leadership set immediately to build a new nation out of complexities that characterize Malaysia. The most onerous and difficult task was to weld the various races together and cause them to live in harmony.

There is logic to this as a nation embroiled in conflicts would not have the time and energy to focus on development. Hence the constant exhortations to bring about social peace and political stability. This appeal had been well-received by the people and on their continued support the Malaysian nation is being built.

Through concerted efforts, the national income had increased many folds in the 47-year period since Independence. The country became one of the most prosperous in the region, having moved from reliance on primary commodities to mechanized farming and industrialization. With expanding income, it is able to embark on infrastructural development on a large scale to further boost the economy.

To help in the nation-building process, a dynamic education system was introduced with the stated aim of national unity.

In a country like Malaysia, the fields of language and culture are vital in nation-building as they help to integrate the races. It had been agreed that Malay would be the national language and language for all official purpose. But other languages such as Chinese could be freely used in the conduct of business and in the private lives of people. Lately, English is being pursued as a global language of IT, commerce and diplomacy. The national culture is based on the Malay and Islamic culture but there is no hindrance to the development of other cultures.

It was earlier observed that what helped Malaysia to prosper was political stability. But this peaceful state of affairs was interrupted by the race riots following the general election of May 1969. The riots are still remembered as a black mark in the country’s march towards unity, peace and stability. The country was brought under control by the imposition of emergency rule. After a painful process of adjustment and new legislative safeguards in place, the country was again set on the road to development and rapid progress.

The tragic event led to a new experiment in political management. The Alliance, which lost much ground in the election, was enlarged to include six more parties including those from Sabah and Sarawak. The new grouping with UMNO as the dominant party and in every sense the leader was called the National Front or Barisan Nasional (BN). It has ruled the country till today after winning successive elections at the State and national levels. With a strong BN in control, politicking was largely reduced and this freed the government to embark on development.

The concern of the BN, now a 13-member coalition, is that complacency may set in among the component parties after years of being in the government. The leaders may become week due to contentment, corruption and infighting. For the member parties, especially UMNO, to succumb to these malaise would be disastrous for the country, Hence the realization among BN leaders that their parties need to be reinvigorated with continuous infusion of new blood, especially the young professionals.

UMNO, which has about three million members, train the new ones to understand the party objectives, national struggles and aspirations so that they are prepared to take over when their time comes. The party machinery at all levels is constantly spruced up through various activities involving both members and leaders. These activities help to instill the spirit of camaraderie among the rank and file of UMNO so that the party is able to face challenges from within and without.

Like other parties, UMNO is haunted by the spectre of leadership crisis that emerges occasionally through infighting and the jockeying for positions. It fears that a weakened party would result in people losing confidence in it. The party leadership has made sure that any contest for the top posts does not lead to the erosion of party strength and cause it to suffer at the polls. To govern the country effectively, it is believed that UMNO and BN parties generally have to be strong by being well represented in Parliament and the State assemblies.

And as shown by the result of the last general election held in March 2004, the BN was able to achieve this. Under the leadership of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, it obtained 199 out of the 219 parliamentary seats and won control of all the state assemblies except in one state which it lost narrowly. With such a strong mandate — an unprecedented 90 percent of the seats in Parliament — the ruling coalition is working hard to deliver on its election promises. Foremost among these are rooting out corruption, fostering national unity and working for the progress of the nation.

It is clear that overall there has been satisfactory achievements in the nation-building process in Malaysia. Political leaders, civil servants and the people at large have played their roles in creating a viable nation out of diverse and conflicting elements that could easily result in disorder. Malaysia has not gone the way of many countries which slide into chaos once national freedom was obtained. There is no obsession with personal power, rather it is the opportunity to serve the people on the part of leaders. In that way, UMNO and the BN parties have survived many challenges during their existence.