Umno needs fresh ideas, not just fresh faces, analysts say

 Syaza Shukri and Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani say the party must offer fresh ideas and a clearer vision that resonates with younger Malaysians.

Ex-Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said the party is increasingly out of touch with younger voters and should be led by a fourth generation of leaders instead of ‘recycled figures’.

PETALING JAYA:

Simply replacing veteran leaders with younger faces will not be enough for Umno to reconnect with Gen Z and Gen Alpha voters, political analysts say.

Syaza Shukri and Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani say the party must also offer fresh ideas and a clearer vision that resonates with younger Malaysians.

This comes after former Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said the party was increasingly out of touch with younger voters and should be led by a fourth generation of leaders instead of “recycled figures”.

Syaza, of the International Islamic University Malaysia, said Umno’s challenge was that many younger voters grew up during Barisan Nasional’s decline, not its years of dominance.

Syaza Shukri.

“These are voters who grew up watching BN fall. They cannot relate to BN at its height. They need new offerings that show Umno is moving forward, not clinging to nostalgia,” she told FMT.

She also said the party had sent mixed signals by trying to appeal to younger voters through its economic agenda and reform efforts while still falling back on familiar political narratives.

“Even younger Umno supporters want to see a more forward-looking party than one that leans on race-based politics,” she said.

Syaza warned that younger voters would question whether Umno genuinely understood their aspirations if it continued to be led by the same generation.

“If the same old men continue to lead Umno, younger voters will doubt their sincerity to do what’s best for their generation,” she said.

Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani.

Asrul said the issue reflected a broader generational shift in Malaysian politics, with younger voters becoming less attached to traditional party loyalties.

“Age alone is not renewal. A new generation of leaders has to bring new thinking, different priorities, and a political style that feels relevant to young Malaysians.

“Umno needs to give younger voters a reason to vote for it, not simply a reason to vote against someone else,” said Asrul, vice-president of The Asia Group.

While anti-DAP rhetoric might still resonate with some voters, he said, “fear alone is not a long-term political strategy”.

“Umno has changed the medium, but not enough of the message. Being on TikTok is not the same as having a message for young voters,” he said.

He said younger Malaysians were increasingly concerned with bread-and-butter issues such as wages, jobs, housing and their financial future. Thus, economic mobility is an issue Umno should capitalise on to reconnect with them.

On why Umno has struggled to make that shift, Asrul said the party’s internal dynamics could partly explain its continued reliance on familiar political narratives despite changing voter demographics.

He said younger leaders might be more visible than ever, but in a highly hierarchical party, they often lacked the authority to drive meaningful change in its identity, strategy or policy priorities. - FMT