THERE is a sense that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has not quite grasped the reins of leadership two months after becoming Umno president.

The Bagan Datuk MP who is now the opposition leader, rarely makes his voice heard on current issues.

Other party leaders and members, such as secretary-general Annuar Musa, Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin and even defeated former prime minister Najib Razak, are regularly in the news.

After becoming president at the end of June, Zahid’s first press conference was to announce the restructuring of the party and charting of Umno’s new direction as the opposition.

There is little indication that any of this is happening, although Zahid’s supporters said he has been busy holding internal meetings.

Even at the two-day Umno retreat in Janda Baik on August 9 and 10, little was presented in the way nor were any decision made on navigating the party’s uncertain future, according to party sources.

This was confirmed by Umno Veterans’ Club secretary-general Mustapha Yaakub, who said Zahid hass yet to show a firm hand setting the party’s direction.

“We’re not really seeing much effort to straighten up Umno. Zahid since becoming president has not clearly stated where he wants to take the party and it is causing anxiety among the grassroots,” Mustapha told The Malaysian Insight.

But he quickly added that it was likely Zahid wanted the input of Umno delegates at the upcoming general assembly at the end of September.

“Zahid cannot afford to make decisions by himself and will need the views of the delegates and the Supreme Council.

“Perhaps Zahid will table the matter. I am sure his policy speech will touch on the guidelines and give chance for delegates to debate.”

Umno-PAS direction

Others, however, felt Umno was taking too much time to set a new direction as the elections were in May.

Umno’s cooperation with PAS, for example, is one issue that grassroots want clarity, said a leader from one of the party’s wings, who declined to be named.

“We are unsure. Where is Umno headed? To what extent is our cooperation with PAS? Is this appropriate or not? What shape is this cooperation going to be in the Seri Setia by-election? 

“None of these has been explained, let alone discussed,” he said.

The wing leader said Umno was already suffering from the perception that it was out of touch with the people. Furthermore, leaders who were no longer popular in the public eye were still holding party posts, he added, without naming anyone.

“It’s not that we (the grassroots) cannot accept decisions by the party but (these decisions) are not reflecting the people’s aspirations. To the people, it seems that Umno is not changing.

“The leadership needs to show that it is making clear changes. But until today, there are no clear instructions from the top leadership.

“All Umno appears to be focused on is harping on Pakatan Harapan’s failure to keep certain promises in its election manifesto.”

The wing leader suggested that other party leaders, such as Mustapa Mohamed, Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Abdul Rahman Dahlan, should be given more room as they were seen as more “flexible” in their thinking and could appeal to a wider range of people.

“Their voices are not among the core leadership of the party. 

“Hardcore support for Umno is shrinking and the party is becoming more exclusive. Shouldn’t we want to attract those with other views so that Umno does not remain on the extreme right?”

Avoiding past mistakes

However, Umno Johor’s deputy liaison chief, Nur Jazlan Mohamed, said Zahid should be allowed to exercise his own approach and not be compared with previous presidents.

Nur Jazlan, a former deputy minister, said Zahid has been holding lots of meetings with various segments of the party to obtain input on its future.

These meetings and engagements take time, the former Pulai MP said, before a working plan can be cobbled together for the grassroots.

“Unlike the previous president, Zahid is giving lots of room to the various levels of party leadership to be involved in decision-making, including meeting face to face with the grassroots.

“Before this, we had no mechanism to allow questions and answers as all decisions were made by the party president. We used to just wait for the instructions.

“Zahid doesn’t want to repeat that mistake made by previous presidents, including Dr Mahathir (Mohamad),” Nur Jazlan said, referring to the current prime minister who once led Umno.

It is too early to judge Zahid and the Umno general assembly at the end of next month will give a clearer picture on the party’s direction, and whether Zahid can rise to the occasion of steering a defeated, disenchanted party out of uncharted waters and forge a clear path for the party that has ruled Malaysia since independence.

“Zahid’s policy speech will set the tone and the delegates will debate and give their views. From there, we will be able to decide the party’s direction clearly,” said Nur Jazlan. – August 28, 2018.