Malaysia’s UMNO must come out of ‘echo chamber’, aim to be dominant again, says president Ahmad Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) must aim to win a “dominant” number of parliamentary seats at the general elections so that it can form the government, said its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, but analysts deemed such a goal “idealistic”. 
Reclaiming UMNO’s dominance was one of three political pillars he outlined at the party’s annual general assembly, even as he noted current dynamics and the reality of the country’s politics.   
The other two pillars were political cooperation that accepts Islam and Malay rights as core principles, as well as moderate politics by taking the middle ground to ensure national stability.
“As part of the unity government, we have never been stopped from setting big goals. We have the right to return to dominance via the path we forge. Because we are a party that is free and independent. This view should not be interpreted as arrogance,” he said in his opening speech on Friday (Aug 23).
Mr Ahmad Zahid also said the party had to come out of its “echo chamber” and “comfort zone”, and be brave in receiving new ideas and perspectives in the face of a more complex political landscape.  
He reminded his party that it was not as dominant as before and should not be complacent with the power they have, to the extent they forget the task of strengthening the party.   
Mr Ahmad Zahid, who is also Malaysia’s deputy prime minister, said being dominant required the party’s divisions to plan efforts to recapture the seats that were lost.
“We must be dominant in negotiations if circumstances require sharing,” he added. The party also has to be dominant in the struggle to defend Malay rights as well as in offering public policies that guarantee prosperity.
Despite aiming for dominance, however, he seemed to acknowledge that based on the current data and sentiments, going its own way may not be UMNO’s best option.
“With the increase of new voters, can we control their perception? UMNO members alone cannot ensure us a win. The determining factor is the voter base out there, which is much larger in number,” he said. 
Mr Ahmad Zahid pledged UMNO would not compromise its honour and future.  
“I will not be a traitor or allow anyone to make our party a commodity that can be traded,” he said. 
UMNO, which is the oldest political party in Malaysia, lost its 61-year hold on government when it was voted out of power in favour of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition during the 14th General Election in 2018.
The party, which ruled Malaysia as the anchor party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition since the country’s independence, lost power on the back of widespread public anger over the scandal at state-owned investment vehicle 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
The 1MDB scandal subsequently led to the conviction and jailing of former UMNO president and prime minister Najib Razak for corruption. 
UMNO only won 26 seats in the last general election in November 2022, its worst-ever performance at a general election. It won 54 seats in the 2018 elections and 89 in the 2013 elections.
BN is currently in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government with Pakatan Harapan (PH), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Parti Warisan (Warisan).
At the UMNO Youth wing assembly the day before, Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh also urged delegates to return the party to dominance. 
“We do not want UMNO to remain complacent as a mere ‘supplement’ to the unity government. UMNO needs to reclaim its status as the dominant party in the national political landscape,” he was quoted as saying by local media. 
Meanwhile, its women’s wing chief Noraini Ahmad asserted that the party has dedicated its struggle to the Malay community.
“The fact is, UMNO doesn’t need to prove anything because we embody the Malay struggle itself,” she said.
UMNO did not invite its partners in the unity government for this year’s assembly, with only party members and representatives from the BN component parties invited.
They include the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysian Indian Congress, and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah.
“This time, we want to provide as much space as possible for UMNO’s big family to discuss matters internally. Therefore, no other party leaders will be present this time,” UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency in the lead-up to the national congress.
The Malay nationalist party’s assembly is on the heels of its victory in the Nenggiri by-election in the Kelantan state legislature on Aug 17. It was its first by-election victory since the 15th General Elections (GE15) in Nov 2022. 
It was also the first time since GE15 that a seat changed hands from one party to another during a by-election.    
The Nenggiri seat was won by BN candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani, who defeated Perikatan Nasional’s Mohd Rizwadi Ismail by a majority of 3,352 votes.
During the state elections that were held in August last year, Mr Mohd Azizi Abu Naim – then with Bersatu – won the seat with a majority of just 810 votes over the BN candidate at the time.
The by-election was triggered after the Kelantan speaker declared that Mr Mohd Azizi had ceased to be a member of Bersatu after declaring support for Mr Anwar as prime minister, the first time that the country’s anti-party hopping law was triggered.
Analysts told CNA that Mr Ahmad Zahid’s goal of reclaiming UMNO’s dominance would be challenging.
The idea of a dominant party in Malaysia that UMNO used to be is gone for now, said political scientist Syaza Syukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia, adding that cooperation with other parties is the only way forward now in Malaysian politics.
“It is hard to imagine a party winning an outright majority in the next election. That is why I think post-election cooperation is the best bet for any party, including UMNO. This would at least give the party some sway and say in policy, keeping it relevant, and even help moderate Malaysian politics,” she said.
“It (Mr Ahmad Zahid’s point on making UMNO dominant) is definitely idealistic. But having said that, Umno could carve out a niche for itself to make it relevant and significant. It could be the moderate Malay party and, in this way, build itself again. But not outright dominance.” 
Dr Syaza added that while UMNO currently lacks appeal, it has more resources than the opposition parties. 
“They can use that, and with the right strategy, they can win back people’s support. But it won’t be like before,” she said.
Political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya also told CNA that Mr Ahmad Zahid’s wish of wanting to be dominant was idealistic but could be achieved if the party maintained momentum following its victory in Nenggiri.
Dr Awang believed that there was an uptick of support for the party from youngsters, something which he said wasn’t apparent last year.
“UMNO needs to keep up its momentum with victory in the upcoming Mahkota by-election in Johor. If they can win the Sabah and Johor state elections, they can use this momentum to achieve better in the next general elections,” he said.
“It is still too early for them to talk about being dominant, but if they have the momentum it is possible for them to win 65 seats. And in the context now, that might be enough to be dominant,” he added.