Give Malay majority seats ‘back’ to Umno

Delegate echoes undercurrent among party hawks that non Umno candidates who lost in the 2008 give their seats "back" to Umno.

KUALA LUMPUR: Demands for seats belonging to Umno’s allies in Barisan Nasional again became a topic of a heated debate among delegates attending the party’s AGM today.

A delegate from Penang, Musa Sheikh Fadzir, echoed the undercurrent among party hawks that non Umno candidates who lost in the 2008 election give their seats “back” to Umno.

These are Malay majority seats that Umno believes it could recapture given the return of support from the ethnic majority, said Musa in a tone more demanding than constructive.

“We have made our sacrifices. We even allowed our BN component party members to contest in Malay majority areas,” he said at the presidential policy speech debate session.

“This is because the Malays and Umno, in the spirit of BN, are very accommodating. But they should return the seats to us if they know they cannot win,” he added.

Umno’s hardliners in the past have criticised component parties and blamed them for the waning non Malay support towards the government.

This resulted in intense racial politicking from the Malay party which observers believe had brought about the return of Malay support to Umno.

Votes from the majority electorate had strayed at the 2008 general election.

‘Two thirds impossible with non Malay support’

Party conservatives believe taking back Malay-majority seats would help party president Najib Tun Razak realise his need to return BN’s two thirds parliamentary majority.

This, however, would be impossible without the support of non Malays and “middle Malaysia”.

Najib is now forced to play the moderate in a bid to reconcile the gap between the party’s hardliners and the need for liberal support.

To do this, the prime minister placed emphasis on party reform while urging members to retrospectively look at Umno’s multi-racial history to deflect accusations that it is racist.

Musa, along with other delegates who took to the stage at the ongoing AGM, echoed their president’s sentiment and blasted those who accused Umno as racists.

He said the demands for non Umno seats were not communal in nature but for the good of the ruling coalition.

“What is important is for BN to register a victory as we have to look at the bigger picture and these are things that other component party members should realise.”