TO regain relevance, Umno can no longer depend on the tired Malay rights rhetoric in the new political landscape following the 14th general election, said one of its rising young leaders Shahril Hamdan.

While the results of GE14 were the clearest sign of voters’ rejection of the party, there had already been earlier signs of disquiet amongst the younger generation of voters, said the Umno Youth information exco who was appointed after the May 9 polls.

“Umno must really take up the struggle with more substance. This means no longer just saying that we’re the party that defends Article 153. That’s already a given.

“It’s obvious in GE14, and even in GE13, there is a trend showing that the people no longer vote based on that (Malay rights). They already believe that Article 153, this Malay rights, Insha Allah, will be defended,” Shahril told Malaysia Decides.

The party must not rest on its laurels and cannot afford to be conservative with reforms and changes, he said.

“Umno must change on a large scale. I want a big transformation.”

In the last general election, Umno only managed to retain control of 54 parliamentary seats out of the 222 it contested, not including Sarawak. The results mark the party’s worst performance since the 1969 elections.

In GE13, Umno won 88 parliamentary seats.

Apart from losing control of the federal government, Barisan Nasional had also lost all the states in peninsula Malaysia, except for Perlis and Pahang. Sarawak did not hold state elections, which are not due until 2021.

Most of the 54 seats won by Umno were located in Perak, Pahang, Johor and Sabah.

Shahril, 32, said that Umno and BN must come up with a new formula which would attract all segments of Malaysian society.

“To win votes, you need more. What is the agenda to develop the Malays. The agenda to develop the rural folk, regardless of race.

“Not just talking about sentiments or political rhetoric, which looks good during ceramah, but the substance is questionable,” he said.

Umno also must no longer depend on rural votes if it hopes to win in the coming general election, said Shahril who lost the Kuala Langat parliamentary seat.

“We need a strategy to gain the support of a larger demography,” he said, adding that the party must strive to also win the support of urban voters, and non-Malay voters.

“All this while, we have been comfortable with the rural Malays, and now the urban Malay votes have dropped.

“And if the urban Malay support has dropped, what more of the non-Malays.” – May 26, 2018.