THE 2019 Umno general assembly may have lacked the fireworks of previous gatherings, but the party is on a much stronger footing than last year, when it lost federal power.

This year, leaders and delegates firmly stated what they want from Umno – for the party to build up its machinery and membership, and solidify its pact with PAS.

The Barisan Nasional lynchpin explicitly rejected back-room deals to form a government with Pakatan Harapan members, and committed itself to winning the 15th general election on its own merits.

“After GE14, we are now seeing more clearly (Umno’s) direction and stand,” Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian told The Malaysian Insight.

“The first year, they were still reeling from the shock defeat, but this year, after winning a series of by-elections, the spirit is different.”

The upbeat mood was apparent in the way delegates responded to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s speech.

Last year, members poured scorn on Zahid, saying the party had no clear orientation following its GE14 routing.

Despite presenting seven core values with 21 steps towards the party’s renewal at the 2018 assembly, grassroots leaders felt that the president’s two-hour speech had no direction.

This time around, Zahid came back strong and emphasised three pillars: “muafakat nasional” as a new offer to the people, Umno has only one master, and the party will wrest Putrajaya without any negotiations with PH.

These were clearly based on speeches by delegates opposed to any attempt to form a back-door government with PH lawmakers.

In fact, they are confident that the muafakat nasional with PAS is the way for Umno to return to federal power.

Sivamurugan said Umno needs to have a holistic, economic and social framework capable of complementing whatever its Islamist ally has.

“Muafakat nasional is looking for common ground between PAS, Umno, MCA and MIC. There are approaches, paradigms and methodologies used.

“Umno has 22,000 branches with 191 divisions. If fully explored, I think Umno will be able to regain public support.”

Work on such a framework has already started, with Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa saying the party is drafting a muafakat nasional road map for GE15 that spells out how it will work with PAS.

Deputy president Mohamad Hasan has also urged Umno’s Wanita, Youth and Puteri wings to draw up plans to convince both Malays and non-Malays that the party is ready to govern again.

Another analyst, Mohd Yusri Ibrahim, said for Umno to pose a serious challenge to PH, it should name Mohamad as its prime minister candidate in the next elections against the ruling pact’s Anwar Ibrahim, who is PKR president.

The only thing preventing this from happening is that Mohamad is not among the party’s most influential leaders.

“I have been diligently studying (Mohamad’s) speeches at this year’s assembly,” said Yusri, head of research at think-tank Ilham Centre.

“I conclude that if this person leads Umno, drives BN and muafakat nasional, and is named the next PM candidate, then PH will be in big trouble.” – December 9, 2019.