KUALA LUMPUR: Umno can no longer rely on past achievements and must present young voters with a clear and convincing roadmap for the future ahead of the 16th general election (GE16), said Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Speaking at the opening of the Umno Youth, Wanita, and Puteri general assemblies, Mohamad said the party’s biggest question is what it intends to achieve in the next 24 months before GE16, stressing the need for a strategic plan to regain relevance and support.
“Nearly half of Malaysia’s voters are youths aged between 18 and 35. Many of them did not grow up witnessing Barisan Nasional’s glory days or major development eras such as Felda’s expansion in the 1980s,” he said.
“They are a ‘generation without nostalgia’ and do not vote based on party loyalty.
“Since adolescence, many have been exposed primarily to slander and accusations on platforms like TikTok.”
Mohamad said younger voters, including those in the gig economy, were less concerned about Umno’s track record decades ago, and more interested in issues such as wages, career prospects, and the affordability of homes.
“A 25-year-old who works for Grab or FoodPanda does not dwell on Umno’s achievements 40 years ago. He votes based on hope for the future,” he said.
He urged party members not to judge youths over differences of opinion or appearance, but to engage them and demonstrate that Umno remains open-minded and willing to listen.
“Show them that Umno is a relevant party. Open, and ready to listen,” he said.
Mohamad described the need for “creative disruption” — bold, innovative ideas to bring major changes through adaptive solutions — noting that Umno’s setbacks over the last two general elections required drastic measures.
“The drastic realities demand equally drastic measures. Past strategies to rebuild Umno have yet to deliver encouraging results, with support continuing to shrink even as the voter base expands and diversifies,” he said.
Among the challenges facing the party, he said, was the decline of Umno’s hardcore supporters, partly due to voters shifting allegiance to other parties and the emergence of a generation with no attachment to Umno.
He warned that if the party failed to adopt significant reforms, it risked being left behind. He added that Malay nationalism alone was no longer sufficient to secure support, as Malay-Muslim voters increasingly demand broader issues to be addressed, including justice, quality of life, and dignified retirement.
On reforms, Mohamad said large-scale digitisation was necessary.
“Maybe it is time for us to imagine Umno as a digital party. Umno-Digital or e-Umno is not impossible,” he said.
He also emphasised that Umno must connect with wider social systems and address core issues such as healthcare access and quality, rental control for housing and business premises, and improving education standards to meet global benchmarks.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
