From an impregnable fortress, Umno is now fighting to remain relevant. Its president, for whom daggers would come thick and fast if he fails to deliver in the upcoming state polls, has called on the party’s wings to double and re-strategise their efforts.
According to a source, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi described the Aug 12 elections as the last chance for Umno to rise again.
“The president said the wings' contribution has not been encouraging, especially for the state elections.
“He told the wings to inform the leaders of the truth (about the ground sentiment) if Umno wants to rise again in the polls.
“He also said the wings cannot function in a conventional manner, concentrating its focus on the machinery but ignoring the voters,” the source added.
Zahid, the deputy prime minister, spoke at a closed-door BN meeting last night. The Umno president is also the chairperson of BN.
Meanwhile, the source, who attended the meeting, said Zahid had urged the wings to change their campaign strategies.
“He was firm that unlike past elections there would be no vast allocations for the wings.
“The president also compared Umno wings to Pakatan Harapan’s machinery, which despite being much smaller and lacking in funds as well as manpower was still able to attract more voters than Umno,” the source added.
After losing federal power in 2018 under his predecessor, Najib Abdul Razak, Zahid led Umno to another devastating electoral setback in last November’s national polls, winning only 30 seats.
Regarding seats, Umno is now ranked third among the Malay parties behind PAS and Bersatu.
However, Zahid, facing a deluge of corruption charges, managed to secure a place for himself and Umno in the federal government by allying with Harapan to form a coalition government.
For next month's elections in six states, Umno will contest 108 seats using the BN logo. - Mkini
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