KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi acknowledged that the party has not fully convinced its grassroots to support the Madani government, despite being in power for 20 months.

He conceded that Umno needs to regain the votes it lost in the 15th General Election in November 2022, where it performed poorly under the Barisan Nasional banner, according to a report by The Star.

“I admit that the support of the Malays to Umno is still at a low level,” Zahid said during an interview with selected media about the upcoming Umno general assembly, which will take place from August 21 to 24 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.

He attributed this to the failure of the Umno apparatus to use social media effectively to reach party members and explain issues and sentiments related to the Madani government.

“A new approach in communication is needed,” he added.

Umno only won 27 parliamentary seats, securing 31 per cent of the popular vote, with many core Malay votes going to Perikatan Nasional, which includes Malay/Muslim-based parties PAS and Bersatu.

Zahid said that while the working relationship in the Cabinet and top tiers of the Madani government is strong among the 18 ruling parties, this strength has not fully translated to the Umno grassroots.

The trend continued into the six state elections in 2023, with Perikatan dominating in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah.

He acknowledged that despite the presence of seven experienced Umno ministers in the Cabinet, the communication of issues has been insufficient.

“To communicate issues, we have not been strong enough and we need to think and work outside the box to relay the important collective decisions to national and lower-ranking party leaders.

“This is what we need to work on so that there is a sense of belonging (to the Madani government) by Umno leaders on the ground,” said Zahid, as quoted by The Star.

He emphasised the need for proactive measures to address issues and sentiments at all levels of government to prevent them from undermining the collaboration between parties in the Madani government.

Zahid also noted that recent months have seen Umno Youth leaders sparring openly with DAP leaders over issues of race and religion, despite both parties being in the same government.

“All political parties have differences,” he said, adding that these differences are usually voiced by middle or lower-ranking party leaders, not national leaders.

“This is why issues and sentiments of the people should be respected and addressed at all levels of the government, be it at the national or local council level.

“There should be more proactive measures to not allow these issues and sentiments to fester but to interpret them properly so as not to drown the collaboration between the parties in the Madani government,” he added.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/08/18/umno-president-stresses-need-for-new-approach-in-communication-to-address-low-malay-support/147354