Umno, once regarded as an impregnable fortress, will be celebrating its 77th anniversary tomorrow, two days after the fifth anniversary of its routing from power in the May 9, 2018 general election.
In last November’s national polls, Umno, under the leadership of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, suffered its biggest setback, winning only 26 parliamentary seats after the PAS-Bersatu alliance Perikatan Nasional generated an unprecedented “green wave” that drowned many of its candidates.
PN is now regarded as the preferred choice of the Malay electorate said to have grown disillusioned with Umno due to its corruption.
The party’s past president is in prison for corruption, the current president is facing a deluge of graft-related charges, and its former longest-serving president wants to see Umno eradicated.
Despite the unfavourable circumstances, Zahid had managed to secure Umno and his political position after entering into an alliance with Pakatan Harapan to form the federal government.
During the Umno general assembly in January this year, delegates had raised concerns about the party’s future and urged the leadership to address the trust deficit.
Among them was Raub Umno Youth chief Fadzli Mohamad Kamal, who said the outcome of the general election showed that Malays in rural areas were abandoning the party.
"Those (Malay voters) who live in cities have long left (rejected the party). Now, there is a growing trend among (Malay) voters in rural areas to reject the party.
"The Malays have started envisioning their future without Umno. More Malays have started to feel that they do not need Umno to fight for them," he added.
The upcoming state elections in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan would serve as another litmus test for Umno and its president.
Yesterday, in another bizarre political twist, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke expressed hope that Umno would win big in the polls.
He explained that a thumping victory would strengthen the position of the coalition government.
According to the media invite, the anniversary celebration would be held at the Surau Ar Rahman in the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, which also houses Umno’s headquarters.
Last May, in conjunction with Umno’s 76th anniversary and before its decimation in the national polls six months later, Zahid, in a message to Umno members, stressed that the party was still relevant and dismissed those who claimed otherwise as “daydreaming about something impossible”. - Mkini
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