KUALA LUMPUR: Umno members should support the party’s role in the unity government by offering constructive views, sound ideas and reasonable criticism, as sincere and wise feedback can be translated into positive outcomes, said Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Speaking at the opening of the Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri general assemblies, Mohamad said that as a movement committed to the nation’s well-being, Umno must recalibrate and strengthen the Malay agenda in a strategic and appropriate manner.
“I urge Umno members to support our role in the unity government with constructive views, sound ideas and reasonable criticism.
“God willing, wise and sincere feedback will be translated into positive outcomes for the Malay community and for Malaysia,” he said.
Mohamad also called on members to return to the values that gave birth to the party, describing them as noble principles that form the backbone of nation-building.
He said that repeatedly entering and exiting political alliances was not the solution to Umno’s recovery.
“It does not heal our wounds. It merely shifts focus in the short term,” he said.
Mohamad reiterated that Umno was never built merely to topple others, but to govern with reason, stabilise with strategy and build with responsibility.
Drawing lessons from global developments, he said several countries had shown how unchecked political conflict could paralyse state institutions.
“Parliament turns into a battlefield, governments change directionlessly, economies collapse and investors flee. In the end, the people suffer the most.
“When politics becomes a vehicle for vengeance, extremism emerges. When leadership fractures, foreign interference lurks. This is what happens when anger overtakes wisdom and when power is toppled without responsibility to rebuild,” he said.
Mohamad said the world was currently facing a worrying trend known as the ‘anti-incumbency wave’, where long-standing governments and established political parties were falling one after another — a phenomenon that has also reached Malaysia, as reflected in the Sabah state election.
“We must be honest with ourselves. The outcome of the Sabah election was not an ordinary defeat. Let us analyse it with open eyes. Parties from the unity government originating from Peninsular Malaysia were rejected outright in Sabah.
“DAP returned empty-handed. PKR barely survived. Umno did win, but not in numbers that allow us to boast,” he said.
Mohamad said Umno secured only five seats out of dozens contested, despite Sabah once being a strong Umno stronghold with the largest membership and the most divisions.
“Today, our position and reality are very different,” he said.
He added that Sabahans’ preference for local alliances that better reflected local sentiment highlighted unresolved issues within the party.
“The party has not recovered. Much remains to be repaired and improved. What is clear is that all of this must be addressed with openness and humility.
“Umno is no longer seen or heard as a strong advocate for Sabah’s interests by Sabahans. We have been overly absorbed in national issues, without forcefully articulating a clear Sabah-centric agenda,” he said.
Mohamad said Umno’s failure to read a rapidly changing political environment had resulted in the party being punished by voters in Sabah.
He also rebutted claims that Umno was power-hungry for remaining in government alongside former rivals.
He said Umno had been prepared to become the opposition after the 15th General Election and had accepted the people’s verdict with an open heart.
“But Allah’s decree and the needs of the nation superseded party interests. At that critical moment, His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong summoned us.
“The nation was hanging in the balance. Parliament was hung. Politics stood on the brink of chaos and the people’s economy was under threat,” he said.
Mohamad said His Majesty had called on Umno, despite its limited number of seats, to help form a government to save the country.
“We entered the cabinet to build stability. We became the anchor that ensured the ship of state did not sink.
“That is our service to the people, and we do not need to apologise for it,” he said.
He said governing a nation required leaders to read, understand and translate Malaysia’s needs carefully and effectively.
“In short, governing means Umno maximising its role as a moderate balancing force and acting as a responsible political party.
“Tonight, I want to remind you: anger must be tempered with strategy; courage must be matched with responsibility.
“So where do we go from here? Do we leave the government tomorrow and plunge the nation into chaos? No. That is the path of those who surrender to emotion — not the work of statesmen,” he said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
