Umno as opposition will rely on facts, not hate, says new Wanita head

Nabihah Hamid Nabihah Hamid Updated 7 years ago · Published on 9 Jul 2018 11:00AM · 14 Comments

Wanita Umno head Noraini Ahmad says her party will be an opposition that watches over every action of the government. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, July 9, 2018.

UMNO should be a responsible opposition party instead of a hate-spewing rabble rouser, said its newly elected Wanita head, Noraini Ahmad, as its new leaders take over following Barisan Nasional’s crippling 14th general election loss.

Noraini, who commands the attention of half of the party’s three million members, said this as the new chiefs attempt to forge a new direction for the Malay party in the post-GE14 landscape. 

There has been debate within and outside of Umno of whether the party can be a sombre counter-balance to the government or whether it will turn more extremist and nastier in its bid to recover lost power.

There are worries that Umno’s new president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi  will attempt to move the already conservative party further to the right and play on racial sentiments to strengthen its traditional Malay base.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insight, Noraini appears to envision a different Umno.

The two-term Parit Sulong MP seems to prefer that Umno become a fact-based, effective check on the government’s policies and programmes.

“Umno won’t spread hate against the government. Instead, we will be an opposition that really watches over every action of the government,” the 50-year-old said.

“Our role as the opposition is to be a check and balance. We will monitor what the government is doing.    

“Before (Pakatan Harapan) won the election, they made promises. And they gave themselves a short time to fulfil them which is 100 days,” she said, referring to the 10 policies which PH committed to implementing within 100 days of power.

They include starting an Employees Provident Fund scheme for housewives, abolishing the debts of Felda settlers and streamlining the minimum wage between the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak.

PH has since delivered on four of those pledges, which include abolishing the goods and services tax (GST) and reviving investigations into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Protest trend    

Noraini, a former Puteri Umno head, was elected on June 30 in the first party elections since BN lost federal power for the first time since Merdeka.

The GE14 loss led to an exodus of BN and state lawmakers. After losing three MPs – Noor Azmi Ghazali (Bagan Serai), Syed Abu Hussin Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang) and Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Masjid Tanah), Umno, the lynchpin party in BN, is left with 51 parliamentary seats.

This is a far cry from the 88 seats it won in the 13th general election in 2013.

“Whatever they are, I can’t accept their reason. We should stick together through thick and thin, especially when things are hard. We should show loyalty to the party,” she said of those who left.

She keenly feels Mas Ermieyati’s departure as both were friends in Puteri. Noraini led Puteri between 2004 and 2008, while Mas Ermieyati headed it from 2013 to 2018.

Despite the losses, Noraini said the party can still rebuild and return with more support. Being in the opposition, she said, was an advantage.

“We can attract the ‘protest trend’ as there are many people who are loyal and who want to be with Umno… provided there is no intimidation towards people who want to join Umno.

“This is a democracy, I hope the government does not say ‘if we see you going into a Wanita Umno office, you will lose your job.

“I believe if Umno is more open, we can attract more people with more good ideas.” – July 9, 2018.

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Comments

  • O yeah? With all those dick heads in opposition, what can we expect?

    Posted 7 years ago by Awang Top · Reply

    • Totally agree with you. But we will give them a chance to prove themselves. A good and constructive opposition, not necessary from UMNO, is good for Malaysia.

      Posted 7 years ago by Kishani Ramsey · Reply

  • Cakap tak serupa bikin. Who can believe you? When you defended Najib, was it based on facts or blind loyalty? Hello, the whole world reported that Najib led a kleptocracy govt n yet Umno n goons believed in the lie that it was politically motivated. How stupid can they be? So, what facts are you talking about?

    Posted 7 years ago by Peace Maker · Reply

    • I agree. It's never ever based on facts. Blind loyalty. In no time they'll all abandon Najib.

      Posted 7 years ago by JK Unrowling · Reply

  • hello world

    Posted 7 years ago by Heidzir Jamaraji · Reply

  • We've heard all this before. Such drivel and empty statements was among the reasons UMNO is now tasting it's own medicine.
    Nothing new here. She says one thing while her colleagues does another thing.
    Haven't you learned anything?

    Posted 7 years ago by Johan Iskandar · Reply

  • "facts"

    Posted 7 years ago by Z Azmyl · Reply

  • A different UMNO? Forget it la.

    Racism, bigotry, bullying, chauvinism and violence are part and parcel of UMNO's DNA. Change that and it's no longer the UMNO the rakyat has been so accustomed to all these donkey years.

    Posted 7 years ago by Groundbreaking Views · Reply

  • Noraini, you are a psychopath -- mahatopeng. See the video of yourself rabble rousing in the KL High Court last week. It's gone viral.

    Just like Najib, you do not go by speech acts.

    Posted 7 years ago by Bala Pillai · Reply

  • Revamp, revamp, and improve, like the Congress Party of India did, in almost similar circumstances, when it lost the govt for the 1st time after about 5O years of continuous rule after getting India independence from British rule like in Malaysia's case, owing to alleged corruption. Congress Party of India (CPI) came back stronger to win the govt again after cleaning up its house & putting things in better order. CPI became the opposition for more 2 more elections (i.e. for about 1O years) to provide "checks & balances" before making the comeback successfully. India had thus become a 2-party state..

    Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • Not now, pls Wait for next UMNO election, KJ elected president I will believe u.

    Posted 7 years ago by John Emilio · Reply

  • Since when has UMNO talked facts? With the former UMNO president and prime minister being charged UMNO is still in denial.

    Posted 7 years ago by Justin Ho · Reply

  • "....hate-spewing rabble rouser....blah, blah, blah"

    Now tell us, what you, yes YOU Noraini, were doing leading a rebel group to heckle the King approved AG of Malaysia?

    Hypocrisy at its height, and you are not even 1 month old as Wanita Chief. We can assume more rabble rousing from yourself, I guess.

    Posted 7 years ago by Tet Leong Soon · Reply

  • If her fiery protest on the AG was not hate then what was it?

    Posted 7 years ago by Titi Tata · Reply