Umno has victories to celebrate but the Tabung Haji and Felda controversies, unease over its place in government, and questions over future alliances, could make for a lively assembly.
But the spotlight on controversies linked to Barisan Nasional’s days in power, particularly Tabung Haji and Felda, could also feed a perception among members that Umno and its former leaders are being targeted despite the party being part of the current unity coalition government.
Political analyst Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said the recent declassification of the royal commission of inquiry’s findings into Tabung Haji and the subsequent investigations had again drawn attention to decisions by BN governments.
”TH is beginning to attract attention on social media. If the issues on the pilgrims’ fund continue to gain traction, it could hurt Umno’s image because it happened during its time in government,” he told FMT.
Some Umno leaders might view this as a form of political pressure on the party. “If members believe the party is under pressure from the government it supports, some delegates at the assembly may call for BN to leave the government,” he said.
However, Mazlan said BN was unlikely to withdraw, as doing so would offer Umno little immediate political advantage, given that leaving Putrajaya would mean surrendering its position in government.
‘We are not the enemy’
Umno’s leadership appears keen to keep the focus elsewhere, after having gained new confidence from the Johor and Negeri Sembilan victories, says Razlan Rafii, political secretary to party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the party is not expected to criticise its unity coalition partner Pakatan Harapan because “we are in competition with other parties to win the hearts of the people,” he said.
“For political parties, the real enemy is failing to understand what voters want and failing to win their hearts,” he said.
Razlan said Umno’s gains showed the party was beginning to understand what mattered to voters, particularly their economic and social concerns.
In Johor, where BN won 48 of the 56 state seats, voters had responded positively to the BN-led state government and wanted to see similar standards at the federal level, said Razlan.
Because of that, Umno would focus on its resurgence rather than squabbling with DAP, PKR or other political rivals, he said.
Staying in government, for now
Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed was equally clear that the party should not rush into changing course but should proceed step by step.
“In Johor and Negeri Sembilan, BN used different strategies: going solo in Johor, and in partnership with Perikatan Nasional in Negeri Sembilan,” he said.
However, the overall strategy remained the same – support the unity government at the federal level and assess the best political strategy for coming state elections, said Nur Jazlan, who is deputy speaker of the Dewan Negara.
More options for Umno
PAS is expected to attend Umno’s general assembly on Sept 9-12, while Umno was invited to attend the Islamist party’s muktamar on Sept 4.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the assembly could be Umno’s last before the 16th general election, making the question of future partnerships difficult to avoid.
“So I think the discussion will be geared towards what kind of partnership Umno wants going into the general election,” he said.
Azmi expects the victories in Johor and Negeri Sembilan to provide the “wow factor” at the assembly, giving Umno a reason to argue that remaining in government and pursuing different electoral formulas are working.
“It will be this kind of wow factor that will be celebrated during the annual gathering, which will determine Umno’s future direction ahead of the next general election.” - FMT
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