Umno Needs New Faces But Not Fresh Polls Says Analyst

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Umno’s grassroots do not want the party to play second fiddle to anyone, says Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Umno could use a change in leadership before facing the 15th general election (GE15) but it should not be through an election that could prove divisive, says an analyst.
Azmi Hassan, formerly of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), said any changing of the guard should be done “internally” and “voluntarily”, through an arrangement agreed to by Umno’s Supreme Council.
He warned against elections, saying the “losers” could be enticed to quit the party to join PPBM, adding that it was not just the top leaders or MPs who would jump.
“PPBM doesn’t just need Umno MPs but also members, in terms of divisions and branches. Therefore, for Umno to change the leadership via party polls prior to GE15 isn’t advisable,” he told FMT.
Azmi Hassan.With Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s pending court cases making him a liability to the party, Azmi said the best man to take over the reins of Umno would be deputy president Mohamad Hasan, also known as Tok Mat.
“Tok Mat doesn’t have any baggage. Over the last three years, he has shown that he is with Umno all the way, while being willing to criticise the party for its own good,” Azmi said of the former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar.
Oh Ei Sun.Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said he would not call for party elections soon if he were Zahid, but acknowledged that the grassroots’ sentiments was simply against Umno playing second fiddle to anyone.
Whoever leads the party needed to be able to make Umno the “big brother” or risk losing leaders and members to PPBM.
“They want to be the big brother. No matter who runs Umno, this discontent about being secondary will continue until the day that Umno is in charge of a ruling coalition again.”
Nonetheless, he said a new leader would give Umno a fresher image and may make it more appealing even to Malay voters who were leaning toward Pakatan Harapan.
“Who’s the best? The usual suspects, namely Tok Mat, Hishammuddin Hussein, Khairy Jamaluddin and a few more. It cannot be Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah,” Oh said.
Khairy recently called for early Umno elections to resolve the party’s internal problems before GE15.
His comments came after Umno had decided at its general assembly last weekend to “go solo” and contest under the Barisan Nasional banner in GE15, although it is trying to keep intact its ties with PAS through Muafakat Nasional (MN).
On Thursday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang called for a “new alliance” inviting Muslim groups to join Perikatan Nasional, and apparently abandoning MN. - FMT

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