KUALA LUMPUR - Umno’s top leaders have called for the once-mighty party to embrace its former foes in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government amid growing tensions within the ruling alliance ahead of upcoming elections in six states.
Umno chief Zahid Hamidi admitted on Wednesday that the party was no longer the dominant force in Malaysian politics, and urged members to embrace their role in an administration consisting of strange bedfellows.
Deputy president Mohamad Hasan also warned that joining the unity government despite the party recording its worst electoral result at 2022’s general election could be Umno’s last chance at redemption.
Umno ruled Malaysia for six decades after independence but the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition it leads suffered a shock defeat in the 2018 election. Hopes of a swift return to the top were crushed last November after it won just 26 of the 222 parliamentary seats on offer, with its allies in BN adding a paltry four.
The heads of Umno’s youth, women’s and young women’s wings opened their respective meetings on Thursday with attempts to address unease among the rank and file over political cooperation with Datuk Seri Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, especially with the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP), which has for decades been Umno’s go-to bogeyman.
“We demand DAP ensure that all their insults, anti-Malay, anti-Islam, racist and communist-centric statements will not happen in the unity government,” youth chief Akmal Saleh, a member of Melaka’s state Cabinet, said in his policy speech on Thursday.
“If, when forming the unity government, you can fly to Sarawak to meet Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders to apologise, you can apologise to Umno,” he added, referring to DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s olive branch to the eastern state’s ruling pact after November’s election resulted in Malaysia’s first hung Parliament.
It was a crucial gesture towards PH, the Umno-led BN, GPS and a host of local Sabah parties setting aside past grievances to govern together and end Mr Anwar’s 24-year quest to take power after being sacked from Umno and the deputy premiership in 1998.
Dr Akmal explained that the grassroots feared Umno would no longer be able to speak out on Malay and Islamic issues, as “it must abide by and obey DAP’s direction”.
Since April, several Umno leaders, including those in its top decision-making body, the Supreme Council, have been critical of the DAP as well as PH figures such as Economic Minister Rafizi Ramli, deputy president of Mr Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Young women’s wing chief Nurul Amal Fauzi admitted in her policy speech on Thursday: “We needed time to digest and understand what is the wisdom of our existence in the unity government. Is this the best for us, the struggle of the party and the people?
“Like it or not, willing or forced, we must accept the political dynamics.”
Women’s chief Noraini Ahmad acknowledged the difficulty in working with other parties in the ruling alliance, as they have “long been at odds”.
“We never imagined we would establish cooperation with our political opponents. The reality today is that there are no more friends or foes, only allies or opponents,” she said.
The Supreme Council is set to meet on Thursday night to review the sentiment and resolutions from the three wings ahead of the main assembly on Friday and Saturday.
Still, Umno president Zahid, who is also Malaysia’s deputy premier, is unlikely to move away from his strong embrace of Mr Anwar’s leadership. On Thursday afternoon, he dismissed out of hand his youth chief’s call for a DAP apology.
“We lost twice – in the 14th and 15th general elections. We must rise again. We must rectify our weaknesses,” he said on Wednesday, after briefing delegates ahead of the start of the annual general assembly.
When jointly officiating meetings of the three wings on Wednesday night, deputy president Mohamad repeated Datuk Seri Zahid’s exhortation that Umno must accept the reality that it is no longer the main bastion for the Malay Muslim majority, having taken just 23 per cent of the vote and 11 per cent of parliamentary seats in November.
Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-dominated Perikatan Nasional (PN) is seeking to take advantage of the unease between PH and Umno and make gains at the state elections in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah due by August, which could undermine the stability of the Anwar administration.
In what appeared to also be a veiled warning against those wanting to ally with opposition coalition PN, Datuk Seri Mohamad, who is also the defence minister, said: “Imagine the implications for Umno if we waste this opportunity, if we do not perform, if we become a problem for the unity government. If we fail to make this government a success, who will believe in Umno after this?”
