Umno shouldn’t thump chest over Nenggiri win, say grassroots

 

Some Umno grassroots members believe the party still has its work cut out to win over Malay voters despite its victory in the Nenggiri by-election.

KUALA LUMPUR: 

Several Umno grassroots members have played down the party’s Nenggiri by-election win last Saturday, saying the Barisan Nasional lynchpin cannot afford to thump its chest as it still has some way to go to regain Malay support.

The delegates met by FMT at Umno’s 2024 general assembly here agreed with party vice-president Johari Ghani’s view that the Nenggiri victory could not be used to measure Malay support for Umno.

Kuala Langat Umno Youth information chief Khaidir Baharuddin believed that the party needs to continue to work hard until the 16th general election to regain the confidence of the Malays.

With Umno’s electoral performance on the decline since the 2013 general election, Khaidir said, the party needs to be one step ahead of its rivals ahead of GE16 to stay relevant among voters.

We need to wait and see how we fare in other by-elections contested by Umno after this,

 he said.

Umno is contesting in the by-election for the Mahkota state seat in Johor on Sept 28. The seat fell vacant following the death of its assemblyman, Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, on Aug 2.

Umno’s Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani reclaimed the Nenggiri seat in Kelantan on Saturday by securing a comfortable 3,352-vote majority, overturning BN’s loss by 810 votes last year to Perikatan Nasional.

BN had won the Nenggiri seat for four consecutive elections since the constituency was created in 2004, but PN breached the Umno stronghold during last year’s Kelantan state election.

Sepanggar Umno member Latifah Abdullah said the party should not be celebrating its Nenggiri win too much, despite the sweet success of reclaiming a seat in the PAS-led state of Kelantan.

Latifah said Umno still has its work cut out to win over Malay voters, and that it now falls upon the party’s rank and file to ensure the party is restored to its former glory.

Every member must work hard to ensure Umno is accepted by the people again,

 she said, expressing confidence that the tide is slowly turning for Umno.

On the other hand, Tanah Merah Puteri Umno treasurer Amelia Zaid believed that Azmawi’s win in Nenggiri is proof that voters support candidates who are known to them and credible.

Amelia pointed out that the Kelantan Umno Youth chief was already well-known by the Gua Musang residents before the by-election, having been involved in local NGOs.

She said Umno should field similar candidates in other seats in future elections. - FMT