Umno divided over unity govt role, Najib’s future, as assembly begins

Analysts say delegates will likely want to remain in government rather than revive a short-lived alliance with PAS.

Umno delegates will gather even as campaigning intensifies for by-elections in Kinabatangan and Lamag, scheduled for Jan 24.

PETALING JAYA:

 Umno opens its four-day general assembly today against a politically charged backdrop, with debates expected to centre on the party’s continued presence in the unity government and jailed former leader, Najib Razak.

Now into its fourth year in the unity government, Umno has reaped tangible benefits from the partnership — including senior Cabinet positions and renewed access to federal power — despite a poor showing at the 15th general election (GE15) in 2022.

Yet its alliance with Pakatan Harapan, particularly DAP, continues to divide the party’s grassroots.

That tension has been further stoked by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh’s renewed call for the party to quit the Anwar Ibrahim-led government and revive the defunct Muafakat Nasional pact with PAS, a position party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has firmly rejected.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said debates over Umno’s role in government were inevitable.

“(However), I think most delegates will be siding with Zahid (on this issue),” he said.

Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) described such debates as little more than rhetorical posturing.

“While grassroots members may sympathise with Akmal’s stance due to discomfort working with DAP, the party’s culture of hierarchical stability means Zahid’s decisions are likely to be respected,” she said.

Instead, Syaza said delegates were expected to focus on more fundamental concerns, particularly Umno’s struggle to regain relevance and voter support.

Once a dominant force in Malaysian politics, Umno has yet to recover Malay voter confidence following historic setbacks suffered since GE14 in 2018.

While it has eked out modest gains in recent by-elections, Barisan Nasional’s weak performance in Sabah — winning just six of 41 seats contested — underscores the scale of its challenge.

Those anxieties will be heightened by the upcoming Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections, scheduled for Jan 24, exactly a week after the assembly ends, making this gathering the party’s last major internal platform before voters head to the polls.

“It is very important that they discuss their performance in the Sabah election because this is a precursor for the (next) general election,” said Azmi.

Najib factor to dominate again 

The assembly also convenes with Najib having spent more than three years behind bars, with many grassroots members showing little appetite to move on from issues pertaining to his continued imprisonment.

Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki revealed that 104 of the 662 motions submitted to the assembly relate to Najib, with a number calling for the former prime minister to be granted a full royal pardon.

Analysts, however, doubt delegates will go so far as to demand Umno’s withdrawal from government over Najib’s fate.

Azmi warned that it would be “foolish” for delegates to use Najib’s conviction and imprisonment in the 1MDB and SRC International cases as grounds for an exit, saying such a move would run counter to the party’s interests.

“I think these issues will be brought up to (highlight) how frustrated Umno members are with these two particular issues,” he added.

Syaza cautioned that any push to seek a pardon would likely alienate moderate Malay and non-Malay voters, stressing that such efforts reflect only the wishes of Najib’s supporters rather than broader public sentiment.

Both analysts also dismissed the likelihood of challenges to the party’s top two posts, noting that members appear largely content with Zahid and his deputy, Mohamad Hasan.

“The focus is on making Umno relevant again by using government resources and all available machinery.

I think calls for party election would be loud around GE16 when we can gauge whether this leadership, and its partnership with PH, is right for Umno or not,” Syaza said. - FMT