Change now or be crippled forever, Shahrizat tells Umno

Nabihah Hamid Nabihah Hamid Updated 7 years ago · Published on 10 Jun 2018 12:00PM · 9 Comments

SOME say it will take two election cycles before Umno can even hope to return to power.

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has a much grimmer outlook: Umno will be crippled for good if the members fail to embrace change.

And a good way to start is to stop blaming the goods and services tax or the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal for the 14th general election defeat, said the outgoing Wanita head.

All said and done, she said, the reversals on May 9 was because Umno had lost touch with the reality of the Malaysian social and political landscape.

For example, she said, leaders should engage more with the people.

“We have failed there. We did not take much to social media. Our engagement with the people was poor.

“I believe that this is the time for Umno to be really bold in self-reflection. If we don’t change, I fear that we will be crippled forever,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Her talk of change and reform is certain to elicit cynicism and brickbats from her party colleagues and the Malaysian public. The reason: her family’s involvement in the National Feedlot Corporation scandal is a microcosm of what many voters finds distasteful about Umno and its politics of patronage.

Barisan Nasional lost control of the federal government, along with seven states. Umno, the lynchpin of the coalition, managed to win only 54 parliamentary seats, compared with the 88 it won in the 2013 general election.

Shahrizat said voters had sent a clear message that Umno and BN’s ways were no longer acceptable.

“Maybe they want Umno and BN to change… they want changes within Umno, a new way, and they don’t want warlords, they want Umno to be more inclusive.

“We were lacking presence on social media. Our relationship with the people was also lacking. The way we fought, the way we carried out our policies and laws. They (voters) want the culture in Umno to change.”

Still, Shahrizat said, it was not too late for the party to turn the tide. The party polls on June 30 are crucial as a new leadership could potentially breathe new life into Umno.

“If we say we want to fight for our faith, race, country, how do we do it?

“The way we fight must change,” said the former minister who did not contest in GE14.‎

Shahrizat has said she will not be seeking re-election as the head of Umno’s women’s wing.

All party positions – including the president and deputy president’s – are open to contest.

After BN and Umno’s blistering defeat in GE14, Najib Razak resigned as coalition and party chief, leaving Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to serve as interim chief. – June 10, 2018.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • Top of the changes for umno - tangkap her & family members. Confiscated all their assets. Then move on to other umno leaders. This will definitely encourage Malay to return to umno.

    Posted 7 years ago by Chris Ng · Reply

  • She's right about the big picture and the product as it is, is not fit for purpose but she's wrong about social media. BN was all over social media but it was doing social not being social. That's where they went wrong. For an exhaustive analysis of what they did wrong when it comes to the BN brand, please read this post. https://brandconsultantasia.com/2018/06/08/if-mass-advertising-is-necessary-to-build-a-brand-why-did-barisan-nasional-lose-the-2018-general-election/

    Posted 7 years ago by Marcus osborne · Reply

  • 1MDB and GST is part of it. BUT if you want the big picture to start. Just admit your origin - NOT Tunku Abdul Rahman's UMNO but Mahathir's UMNO and the progenitor threw his child out. UMNO Baru is then a lost child and must look into their soul for redemption BUT all they see is nothing wrong with their soul..

    Posted 7 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • UMNO is summed up in one sentence, Power corrupts, absolute power corrupt absolutely. Stem corruption and u stemned out UMNO

    Posted 7 years ago by New Malaysia · Reply

  • You still didn't get the message. I don't think the present generation of Umno leaders got the message. They can't even pin point the exact reason for their defeat. To put it brief: arrogance, blatant corruption, racists, using religion as a front to gain support, threatening the rakyat every now n then instead of respecting the rakyat, etc..
    Btw, have you return to the govt the money you took which was meant for NFC? If no, then, you shouldn't be taking. You have a part to Umno's downfall

    Posted 7 years ago by Peace Maker · Reply

  • Blame corruption and include yourself as one ....cow is the issue.

    Posted 7 years ago by Mohanarajan murugeson · Reply

  • UMNO LIKE MCA MIC SHOULD TAKE THE HONORABLE PATH TO DISSOLVE TO DISTRIBUTE THE FAMILY ASSETS N DONATE THE FUND TO TABUNG HARAPAN

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Thian Siong · Reply

  • Mooooooo.......

    Posted 7 years ago by Nasa Kritikal · Reply

  • As usual, trying to deflect attention from the real issues. It is not from over function nonsense like not being on social media that lost UMNO the election, it was CRIME.

    Posted 7 years ago by Ramli Taro · Reply