Ismail Sabri blames poll losses on Umno choosing DAP over Muafakat, says party turning into ‘MCA and Gerakan’

 

Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Umno’s defeats in the state elections last week was because the party has strayed from its original aim of championing the Malay community’s interests. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Umno’s defeats in the state elections last week was because the party has strayed from its original aim of championing the Malay community’s interests.

In an opinion piece published in Utusan Malaysia today, the former Umno vice-president said the rejection of the party in the Malay heartland states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu made it appear as though it was now dependent on non-Malay votes for survival.

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Ismail then said Umno must avoid becoming exactly like MCA and Gerakan that must pander to Malay voters in order to win elections.

“The true source of the Malay voters’ rejection is when they perceive Umno as having deviated from the idealism of its original struggle.

“Worse still is the Umno leadership that destroyed Muafakat Nasional that was the Malay community’s hope for Muslim unification. Even worse than that is the top leaders who dragged Umno to join DAP, even urging the machinery to work for and vote for that party,” he wrote in the piece.

Mufakat Nasional was the informal charter that Umno formed with PAS after the 2018 general election, which collapsed after the Islamist party joined Perikatan Nasional formally as a component to indicate its preference for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

Ismail Sabri, who previously became the prime minister with the support of PAS and Bersatu, said Umno required urgent reforms and a new narrative in order to win back support.

He also said Umno does not have much time left to turn itself around and must do so urgently.

“To recover, Umno needs dynamic leadership, capable of restoring the idealism of the party’s struggle.”

Ismail Sabri’s opinion piece appeared to be adding to the call for Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to resign as the Umno president following his party’s defeats in state elections of Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Terengganu last week.

The party lost heavily in the Kedah and Kelantan, and was completely wiped out in Terengganu. - malaymail