Umno chief Zahid: Party cannot ‘go solo’ at next polls, as it faces challenges to remake its image

KUALA LUMPUR – Umno, Malaysia’s oldest political party that used to predominate politics, will likely be able to govern the country after the next polls only by sharing power with other coalitions and parties, its president said on Aug 23.

The hope that Umno would “go solo” for the next general election is not the best step forward under current political conditions, where it has to remake its image, Umno president Zahid Hamidi told party delegates at its annual general assembly, held from Aug 21 to 24.

Umno leads the four-party Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance that was defeated in the last two general elections in 2018 and 2022.

“If previously we took the ‘go solo’ approach, is it the best step to take under current political conditions? Based on data and sentiment now, what advantages do we have?

“And with the addition of new voters, can we control their perceptions (of us)?” Datuk Seri Zahid said in a speech in front of 6,433 delegates at party headquarters.

Whispers that Umno should contest seats on its own, or under the umbrella of BN, have gained traction among a section of the party following its strong victory in Nenggiri ward in a Kelantan by-election last weekend.

“If we look at the current situation, all parties and coalitions only have around 30 to 40 seats in Parliament. This is a reflection that Malaysia’s democracy is maturing because no single party or coalition can control the simple majority and form a government.”

Said Mr Zahid, who is also Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister: “Studies have shown that this situation will occur in the 16th general election (due in 2027). As a party, this is a difficult road, but it opens the way to find a common cause to benefit the country.”

He mentioned the cobbling together of coalitions by Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, and the parties led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesia’s incoming president Prabowo Subianto, in order to govern their countries.

In its heyday, Umno provided Malaysia with its first six prime ministers. And after each general election, about half of the appointed Cabinet ministers were typically from the party, with the other full ministers from its BN allies.

Umno today has 26 seats in the multi-coalition government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance.

Umno’s BN partners contribute another four seats, for a total of 30 BN MPs in Parliament – or just over 20 per cent of the 145 seats controlled by the Anwar-led “unity government”. The federal Parliament has a total of 222 lawmakers.

Umno Youth chief Akmal Salleh urged the delegates to work hard towards BN regaining beyond the two-thirds majority, or 148 seats, in Parliament.

“We lost badly in the Sungai Bakap by-election (in Penang), but we won Nenggiri in Parti Islam SeMalaysia’s (PAS) stronghold that we lost in the 2023 state election,” he said.

“Politics is dynamic, not only 26 (seats in the current coalition government), but we can obtain the two-thirds majority that BN enjoyed decades back,” he told the media on Aug 22, on the sidelines of the general assembly meeting.

Umno-led BN, headed by former premier Najib Razak, was ousted from power for the first time in the 2018 national polls, winning just 79 seats.

But BN managed to become a member of Malaysia’s governing alliance from March 2020 after it teamed up with tens of lawmakers who hopped from other parties, and from PAS, to form the government.

In the 2022 General Election, though, Mr Zahid failed to lead BN to power, winning just 30 seats. It became a member of the “unity government” by joining hands with Datuk Seri Anwar’s PH alliance and other factions.

An Umno Youth leader from Kuala Lumpur, Mr Mohamad Rajaie Abdul Halim, told The Straits Times that Dr Akmal’s ambition for BN to secure a supermajority in Parliament is a tall order.

“Frankly speaking, the supermajority is impossible and too far-fetched… Maybe we double up from 26 to 52 is okay for the next general election. We need 10 more years to get two-thirds (majority),” the 29-year-old said.

Mr Zahid said in his speech: “Our members alone are not enough to grant us victory. The majority of the voters do not belong to any parties. We must get out of our comfort zone and have the courage to face new ideas in order to remain relevant in a complex political landscape.”

He said the party must work hard to change the negative public perception of Umno since its 2018 defeat, when it was toppled from power due to public disgust with the financial scandal embroiling state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

But Mr Zahid said Umno, a Malay nationalist party, must retain its core value of defending Malay rights, Islam, the Malay language and the Malay rulers, in a subtle dig at its nemesis-turned-ally, the Chinese-led Democratic Action Party (DAP).

He called for its Youth and Puteri (young women) wings to be at the forefront in the battle to win the digital sphere – saying that digital politics, which he termed “handphone politics”, is the way forward.

“Politics based on artificial intelligence will dominate psychological warfare in the next general election. Our Youth and Puteri wings must be the party’s spokespersons in the digital sphere and create content while becoming influencers to change the youth’s perception for the party,” he said.

Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said 42 per cent of the motions received by the party’s 171 divisions around the country urged its leadership to fight for the full pardon of Najib, who is in jail after being convicted in a 1MDB-related case.

“Even the differences with PH doesn’t mean Umno should keep silent,” Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin told the media on Aug 23 when queried on PH and the DAP’s stance against 1MDB.

“Umno will continue to voice out our principle and decisions… It’s inappropriate for anyone to demean Umno (when we) talk about the party’s decision.”