Umno losing Malay support – internal review needed, says Johari

 

Despite being and Umno vice-president for five months, Johari Ghani says, ‘I personally take responsibility’ for the party’s electoral drubbing and urges heads of party wings and divisions to also do so.

PETALING JAYA: Umno must review the manner in which it is managed as its disastrous election outing shows the party is clearly losing Malay support, says vice-president Johari Ghani.

“We need to look into whether the party, in its current form, will be able to attract the Malay electorate in future. We need to do this before the 16th general election in 2027,” he told reporters after distributing aid to undergraduates in his constituency of Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur.

Johari’s suggestion for an internal Umno review follows claims by other Umno leaders that the party has lost its relevance among the Malays.

In yesterday’s state assembly elections, Umno won only 19 of the 108 seats it contested across Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan.

The party won two seats in Selangor and in Penang and one seat in Kelantan. It did not win a single seat in Terengganu despite two former menteris besar being fielded.

However, the party had a strong showing in Negeri Sembilan, where it won 14 of the 17 seats it contested, contributing to a two-thirds majority victory with Pakatan Harapan.

Umno’s main rivals, the opposition Perikatan Nasional comprising Bersatu and PAS, retained power in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu and made major gains in Penang and Selangor.

Johari said Umno must accept the fact that it has lost Malay support in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah. The party’s leaders, including the leaders of the wings and divisions, must take responsibility for the massive loss suffered.

“I personally, despite being a vice-president for five months, take responsibility for the losses,” said Johari. - FMT