Infighting bigger factor than GST, 1MDB in Umno's GE14 losses, says Nazri

Sheridan Mahavera Sheridan Mahavera Updated 7 years ago · Published on 7 Jun 2018 7:00AM · 7 Comments

Umno Supreme Council member Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz says he won the Padang Rengas federal seat in the 14th general election because his division was united. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 7, 2018.

INFIGHTING within Umno played a bigger role in its disastrous polls showing than voter anger over national issues like the goods and services tax, said Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

The Supreme Council member’s analysis is contrary to the reasons given by a host of political pundits and Umno politicians for the drop in the Malay party’s share of seats – from 88 in 2013 to 54 this year.

They concluded that voters booted out Umno and the Barisan Nasional coalition over the unpopular GST and 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

“We don’t know what the real reasons are. We have to wait for the empirical studies to be completed. But, I believe Umno lost in constituencies where there was internal bickering,” Nazri told The Malaysian Insight.

He said such feuds even caused members and supporters to work against the party.

He based his argument on the fact that Umno carried the day in parliamentary constituencies where its divisions were united, such as Bagan Datuk, Pasir Salak, Parit, Lenggong and Padang Rengas in Perak.

These were areas in which Umno won parliamentary contests and retained or recaptured state seats.

Nazri said they also had the party’s most stable divisions.

“I didn’t expect Umno to lose so badly. I blame it on internal bickering because how do you explain them losing and me winning? I should have lost. I believe I won because my division was united,” said the Padang Rengas MP, whose shoot-from-the-hip approach has not endeared him to many.

Losses were also recorded in divisions where there were quarrels between Umno warlords and the BN election machinery, such as Tanjung Malim and Larut in Perak, and Muar and Pagoh in Johor.

The most spectacular example was Terengganu, said Nazri, where it was an open secret that the former menteri besar’s choice of candidates had failed to inspire confidence in the party’s members and supporters.

Umno lost seven out of 17 seats in the Terengganu assembly, leading the oil-rich east coast state to fall to PAS.

In a historic defeat, Umno was ousted from the federal government for the first time since the nation’s independence. The party, together with its BN allies, won 79 parliamentary seats in the 14th general election, far short of the 112 needed to form a simple majority in the Dewan Rakyat. This compares with the 133 seats that the coalition won in GE13.

In a preliminary analysis on June 4, independent pollster Merdeka Centre listed six factors that decided the results of GE14, one of them being a slew of national issues that caused widespread dissatisfaction with BN.

Nazri had a different take.

“If you say national issues (are a major factor), it would have affected all seats. It’s more (of) internal bickering, the split.

“If they say GST… rural folk were not affected. The sundry shops in villages that did not have a RM500,000 (annual) turnover… they didn’t have GST.

“So, it’s not really national issues. But this is still subject to analysis.” – June 7, 2018.

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Comments

  • You cannot dismiss this hypothesis. The problem with his conclusion UMNO ALWAYS HAS INFIGHTING because its feudal - it is their nature.

    Let say what Nazri says is true, what are their option? To have a more authoritarian leader who have more control over all division? Really, who? Without the "lampu ajaib" to dispense largesse and power? Who?

    He may be right but it would be a big mistake if UMNO think the answer is just more power at the top.

    Posted 7 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • "rural folk were not affected" this guy must be out of touch. even though small shop in kampung not GST registered, when they buy goods from their supplier GST is still being imposed on them so when they resell the goods to orang kampung of course the price is much higher because they have to mark-up the selling price inclusive of GST paid.. the only thing is GST amount is not appear in the receipt or no receipt at all.
    Please la Nazri, you still think that orang kampung stupid.

    Posted 7 years ago by S Shaf · Reply

  • Like always, still in your denial mode, huh?

    Posted 7 years ago by Makhtar Mansor · Reply

  • Surprised to hear that GST is not affecting those in rural areas. Don' they come to cities for entertainment and shopping too? Don't they drive? The real world is what affecting them. They are no more '100% rural' folks now. Just face the fact.

    Posted 7 years ago by Shiaw Loh · Reply

  • I'll just tell you why i voted against. 1MDB, GST, ministers with smart mouths, arrogance in BN, gangsterism in UMNO, too rich UMNO branch leaders everywhere when they syarted out with nothing, inability to fully understand the rakyat and issues affecting them, lack of enforcement on price control esp before starting GST allowing traders to jack up profits and many, many more. Opression on oku people like me, that was the penultimate. Sickening looking at you giving excuses like this. Get off your high horse and start being humble for a change.

    Posted 7 years ago by Amir-Zaki Ishak · Reply

  • It is the unresolved 1MDB issue that leads to the creation of team A and team B. The ultimate cause is Najib.

    Posted 7 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • The biggest issue afflicting UMNO then, and now is its preoccupation with cash as a source of power.

    Posted 7 years ago by Roger 5201 · Reply