BARISAN Nasional (BN) cannot be lulled by its glory days into thinking that it will easily win the 15th general election (GE15), the coalition’s deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan said.

He said just because BN is currently in the ruling government and has won several state elections, it does not guarantee that the coalition will easily win in the upcoming GE and dominate the government.

“These assumptions are not only wrong, it is dangerous for BN. We have to get rid of such assumptions,” he said during his opening speech at the BN National Convention 2022 at the World Trade Centre (WTC).

“BN’s position is not like it was pre-2018. After 2018, it is a different era, not just for BN but for Malaysian politics.

“BN has become very small, not just in terms of the number of MPs we have, but also the number of component parties at the state level.

“This is the reality, it is backed by facts and data,” said Mohamad who is also Umno deputy president.

BN emerged victorious in the last three state elections in Malacca, Sarawak and Johor.

It won a supermajority in Johor, winning 40 out of 56 state seats.

It must be noted, however, that the last three state elections saw a record low turnout of 65.85%, 54.92% and 60.67% for Malacca, Johor and Sarawak, respectively.

This is a huge drop compared with the average turnout of 82.32% in 2018, which saw BN lose for the first time in 60 years while Pakatan Harapan came into power.

Mohamad Hasan, who is popularly known as Tok Mat, also warned the coalition that the BN “brand” alone won’t help it win the election.

He said the coalition’s previous track record of ruling the country will not automatically convince voters to vote for it.

“BN has to be reintroduced to the people with new offerings and a new image,” he said.

BN must think about how it can repair, strengthen and create the same BN wave it used enjoy in the past, he added.

The convention today also coincides with the coalition’s 48th anniversary celebration.

Around 4,500 members from various component parties are in attendance at the event today. – June 1, 2022.