BN lost because of Pakatan's single person attack and single logo, says Zahid

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. -Starpic

PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional lost because Pakatan Harapan focused their attacks on a single person and because they used a single logo, said Umno acting president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Zahid said that the Pakatan tactic of blaming "one person" for the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal and the rising cost of living due to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) led to Barisan's defeat.

The "court of public opinion" had already "sentenced" this person way before voters went to the polls on May 9, claimed the former deputy prime minister in an interview on Astro Awani on Friday (June 22) evening.

However Zahid did not name former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, though he clearly implied it.

.Zahid said that Pakatan's single logo had also given them an advantage.

"Maybe the non-conventional approach taken by our rivals gave them the edge, such as their decision to use a common logo," he said.

"One of the parties was willing to drop the use of their rocket, and they went through with it although there were voices against this in their party," Zahid told Astro Awani.

Although 60% of the seats contested by Barisan Nasional were in rural areas, Dr Ahmad Zahid said many of the voters were from suburban and urban areas who went home to cast their vote.

"These are the people with open minds who no longer get information from physical media – they get information at the tip of their fingers (digital media)," he said.

Zahid claimed that Umno still had strong Malay support as the 46% of the community voted for the party.

If given the mandate to be Umno president, Zahid said he would not sideline the two other candidates – Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Khairy Jamaluddin – and would practice inclusiveness and listen to their ideas to rebuild Umno.

"It is now my responsibility to rebuild the party, and we will become monitors of the new government," he said.- FMT