INTERVIEW | Selangor Umno needs to help strengthen the component parties in BN in order to regain votes in Selangor in the next general election, said former menteri besar Mohamad Khir Toyo.
Acknowledging that Pakatan Harapan was still strong in the state, Khir said Selangor BN needed to work harder to regain support not only among the Malays but also non-Malays.
This, he said, was because BN's dream to recapture Selangor was difficult to achieve without the additional support of non-Malay voters.
“Therefore, strengthening BN in Selangor by mobilising component parties will be the best ingredient.
“Today, Umno feels comfortable among its Malay voters, but not so with Chinese and Indian voters.
“So, Umno has to help MCA and MIC to get on the ground, infiltrate the Chinese and Indian communities, have more public engagement with the. This, I think, can draw a slightly different perception for the Chinese and Indians towards BN,” Khir (above) said in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini yesterday.
In GE14, Selangor BN only won two parliamentary seats (Sabak Bernam and Tanjong Karang) in addition to four state seats (Sungai Air Tawar, Sungai Panjang, Hulu Bernam and Sungai Burong).
‘Stop denying MCA, MIC’
When asked about the main reasons why Selangor Umno has failed to defeat Harapan since 2008, Khir, who was the menteri besar from 2000 to 2008, said the party's mistake was focusing on Umno's strength in the Malay areas and denying the presence of MCA and MIC.
“Maybe Umno people will be angry with me because of my penchant for telling the truth.
"This attitude is still there… that's why we have to strengthen BN," he said.
Khir replaced Selangor menteri besar Abu Hassan Omar from Aug 18, 2000, until March 13, 2008 when BN’s state leadership lost to Pakatan Rakyat.
Since then, Khir has become the Selangor state assembly opposition leader before resigning due to corruption allegations in December 2010.
He served a 12-month prison sentence for corruption by the Federal Court in September 2015.
Khir was released in May 2016 after serving a parole order starting March 2016 following six months in prison.
Khir once drew controversy in 2007 when he presented a broom to the Hulu Selangor District Council and the Hulu Selangor Land Office for failing to collect assessment tax beyond the 50 percent target, as set for 2006.
The incident drew flak from various quarters, including the Union of Employees in the Public Service (Cuepacs), as the action was viewed as humiliation.
Khir admitted to making mistakes during his administration, which led to BN’s loss to the opposition party at that time.
"So, the issue is, how can we ensure that the people of Selangor are confident that BN represents all races?” he asked.
GE12 experience
Recounting his experience when facing GE12 in 2008, Khir said he was instructed by the leadership at that time to only take care of Umno.
"The question of MCA, MIC was up to the respective presidents, and I would only follow their instructions,” he said.
Khir became the menteri besar at the age of 35 when he became the Sungai Panjang assemblyperson for the first time in the 1999 general election.
In 2008, Selangor BN collapsed by winning only 20 state seats out of 56, while Pakatan Rakyat, which at that time consisted of PKR, DAP and PAS, won 36 seats.
Elaborating, Khir said the voting trend in the state was quite different from other states, where it was influenced by a relatively balanced percentage between Malay and non-Malay voters, a high level of education and a more mature political awareness.
"So, if there is a transition of politics, it will happen in Selangor first," he said.
The Sungai Panjang constituency is located in the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat, along with the Sekinchan state seat.
In GE14, the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat was won by the then-Harapan candidate from Bersatu, Muslimin Yahaya.
This was before Bersatu left Harapan to join Perikatan Nasional, which formed a new government following the infamous Sheraton Move in February 2020.
Umno candidate Mohd Imran Tamrin won the Sungai Panjang state seat while the Sekinchan state seat was represented by Selangor state assembly speaker Ng Suee Lim.
Stand-out leaders needed
When asked about who would be suitable to be menteri besar among the BN leaders, Khir said the coalition must first make their leaders stand out in Selangor, be it from Umno, MCA or MIC.
“It’s not an issue of lacking leaders, it’s just there are no stand-out ones.
“If (Selangor Umno chief) Noh Omar said that there are many stand-out Selangor leaders and that there are young Supreme Council members, I think we should make an effort to bring them out so that they can engage with the public.
“Clearly, they should be exposed to the public by addressing the state-related issues that are often a topic of conversation (but still without) a solution such as water supply issues, floods during the monsoon season, employment opportunities and affordable housing.
“If Noh wants to be the menteri besar, he has to stand out.”
Khir added that BN must not have a leader who is planted in the ground and kept hidden in a room.
"We have to bring them out. We need to organise a public engagement. Let them talk, let them show their capability,” he concluded. - Mkini
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