Declining support for Umno a fact, says veteran journalist

 

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin said the prediction that Umno will be ‘finished’ in the state elections should not be taken lightly.

PETALING JAYA: It is a “clear fact” that support for Umno has been gradually declining over the years, says veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin.

Citing the voting patterns for Umno over the past four to five general elections, Kadir said the prediction that Umno will be “finished” in the upcoming state elections should not be taken lightly.

“The figures clearly demonstrate the continuous decline of Umno’s support for almost a decade, culminating in its defeat in the 2018 general election.

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“It further weakened in the last general election,” he said in a Facebook post.

Kadir said Umno’s candidates often contested in seats with fewer voters and, therefore, they did not manage to score well in the popular vote.

Citing statistics available on the internet, he said the voting percentage for Umno has steadily declined since the 2004 general election, when its candidates secured 35.7% of the votes under the leadership of then prime minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“This support then dropped to 29.9% in the 2008 general election, 29.32% in 2013, 20.9% in 2018, and 16.43% in 2022,” he said.

He said the statistics show Malays have been “abandoning” Umno and aligning with other Malay-Muslim-based parties such as Bersatu and PAS, which scooped 38.1% of the votes in the last general election.

Kadir also said Barisan Nasional does not govern any of the states that are due for elections after June.

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Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, and Kedah are expected to dissolve their assemblies by the end of June and head to the polls.

“It can be said that Umno is very weak in all six states, except Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu.

“Therefore, it’s a clear fact that the support for Umno has been declining for a long time,” he said.

On Monday, former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin claimed that Umno will be “finished” in the looming elections.

He was responding to Hishammuddin Hussein’s statement that it is “cynical” for Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to invite members that were sacked or suspended to the 2023 Umno general assembly taking place now. - FMT