ILHAM Centre fellow researcher Mujibu Abdul Muis said Umno needed rejuvenation as the party is currently facing a serious leadership crisis and the loss of Malay support.

Speaking at a forum on the recent state elections this morning, Mujibu of Universiti Teknologi Mara said Umno had to adopt a more comprehensive and strategic approach in order to stay relevant.

Mujibu said Umno’s victories in several state constituencies were not contributed by its own supporters but won with the backing of Pakatan Harapan voters.

“The irony is, Umno won not because of Umno votes; it came from non-Umno supporters. Umno recorded its worst performance. They lost their core supporters and won in seats which were given as a ‘gift’ to them, for instance Bertam, Sungai Acheh, and Dusun Tua.

“They won nothing in Kedah and Terengganu. The Malay votes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan dropped,” Mujibu said.

Mujibu highlighted that in the state polls, Perikatan Nasional (PN) garnered 73% of the Malay votes while the PH-BN partnership managed to only secure 27% of Malay votes.

“What Ismail Sabri Yaakob said was true. Umno is in a critical condition. In an ICU, if Umno lives, the party is not as strong as it used to be like a patient after surgery,” he added.

Citing the party’s performance in the Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu elections, Mujibu revealed that Malay votes in the three states showed PN received more than 60% of Malay support compared to PH-BN.

“In Kedah and Kelantan, PN got 69% of Malay votes while in Terengganu 68%. PH-BN received 30%, 31%, and 32% of Malay votes respectively.”

“While Umno has taken several measures to correct its image, the party still fails to attract voters, worse, they caused more anger among the Malays.”

“Umno did not learn from its previous mistakes. From 2004 to 2018, Umno did nothing,” he stressed.

Mujibu explained that Umno may need to introduce a leader with integrity – someone who could bring change.

He said Umno needed internal reform. 

“The leader has to have a clear long-term vision for the party and country. The party needs to ensure that leaders are honest and clean while the party has to take stern action against corruptors. 

“Build an internal structure that is more efficient, democratic, and open. Clean up the party’s internal election system. Umno has to also treat its coalition members with respect because Umno is no longer a big brother,” Mujibu added. – August 25, 2023.