UMNO should stay out of the Port Dickson by-election as it has not recovered from the negative public perception it has amassed since the 14th general election, said Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Hamzah.

The chairman of Umno’s council of advisers said apart from the sentiments of voters in Port Dickson, the party’s machinery was still in the doldrums and getting it to work hard after the polls debacle would be a tall order.

“It is not appropriate; we just lost. The people’s mood towards Umno is still not good. Our Umno members’ morale also lacks the spirit to work hard in the election,” he said. 

He said the seat had been traditionally contested by MIC since the country’s first election in 1955.

“Why do we want to contest there? We do not have the strength there either,” said Tengku Razaleigh, also known as Ku Li, at his residence in Kuala Lumpur today.

The Port Dickson by-election will be held on October 13 after its incumbent, Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, stepped down to make way for PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim to contest and return to the Dewan Rakyat.

According to the Gua Musang MP, the party stood to derive very little from contesting the Port Dickson by-election. 

“Even if we win, where does that leave us after Mustapa Mohamed, who had won and then left the party?

“What is the benefit of winning one to replace two or four (MPs) that left? It’s illogical,” he said. 

The party’s Jeli MP and Supreme Council member Mustapa Mohamad stunned the party on Tuesday when he announced he was quitting as he had lost faith in Umno’s leadership and ability to rejuvenate itself.

A day later, another Supreme Council member, Kimanis MP Anifah Aman, said he was quitting over the party’s failure to deliver on the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Their departure leaves Umno with 49 lawmakers in the Dewan Rakyat. 

Umno won 54 parliamentary seats in the 14th general election, but three MPs quit the party just weeks after the polls.

They were Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, and Bagan Serai MP Noor Azmi Ghazali.

Political analyst from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Shamsul Amri Baharuddin seconded the idea, saying Umno would only waste time and energy if it decided to contest the Port Dickson by-election. 

He said Umno only had one candidate that could compete with Anwar, former Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Isa Samad, but it would not be a wise decision. 

“Isa is different. I think if Isa contests, I’m not sure about winning, but he can get a lot of votes only because he is strong (kebal) in Port Dickson.

“He was the Teluk Kemang division youth chief, and became an assemblyman there. His father was an assemblyman there. 

“But Umno will be a punching bag if it places Isa as a candidate. I don’t think Umno will agree based on Isa’s record,” he added, referring to the former Felda chairman’s recent cases with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. – September 22, 2018.