Hold the line on moderation, Mat Hasan tells Umno after trouncing

Umno must remain steadfast on the lane of moderation as this is a “crucial bulwark” for multiracial and multireligious Malaysia, said deputy president Mohamad Hasan.

The Umno number two’s reminder comes in the wake of the party’s decimation of the Kemaman by-election in the PAS stronghold of Terengganu on Dec 2.

Mohamad, who is popularly known as Mat Hasan or Tok Mat, also acknowledged that it is difficult for Umno to counter Perikatan Nasional’s race and religion-based narrative.

“It is not easy to present the path of moderate politics. Extremist right-wing ideologies, race and religious rhetoric are easy to exploit to garner popularity,” he said.

Mohamad also called for immediate action to be taken to win over the hearts and minds of the Malay youth.

He said the by-election showed that Umno is still unable to “resonate” with this demographic, whose rejection of the party is becoming “consistent”.

“There is still potential to win over the support of the younger generation. The approach must be in line with their aspirations and needs,” he added in a statement.

Mohamad conceded that Umno, which once served as the lynchpin of the impregnable fortress BN, has a long road ahead in terms of winning the support of the Malay electorate again.

“We featured a national warrior with an excellent service record but were still defeated,” he said, referring to the party’s candidate Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor.

Although difficult, an optimistic Mohamad believes that reclaiming the trust of the Malays is not impossible.

What happens in Kemaman, stays in Kemaman

Mohamad, who is also the defence minister, said the election result revealed that Umno must remain resilient to continue its fight in the Malay political arena.

“The Kemanan polls is an indication that reclaiming the trust of the Malays will be a long road, (a struggle which is) not linear and time-consuming,” he noted.

According to him, this mission would require “spirit, strategy, leadership and patience”.

Last but not least, Mohamad suggested that “what happens in Kemaman, stays in Kemaman”, and is not reflective of the aspirations of Malaysians in other parts of the nation.

“It (PN) only defeated Umno but did not kill Umno. This is a democratic contest, which has winners and losers.

“Umno only lost. It has experienced numerous defeats (in the past). At another time, there will surely be a victory for Umno,” he added in response to PN politicians who argue that the polls showed that the momentum is with the opposition.

In the by-election, Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar retained the seat for PAS with a landslide win of more than 37,000 votes. - Mkini