KUALA LUMPUR – Umno’s top leadership, which is clinging to the party’s survival narrative, must face the reality that public sentiment towards the Malay party has evolved beyond rejection.
Speaking to Scoop, Umno Youth permanent chairman Wan Agyl Wan Hassan said that Umno leaders at the top are still in “their own cocoons” and do not care about what the grassroots say.
“They say the party’s survival is important; that’s their rhetoric and rationale. But for whom is the survival of a party? This needs to be clear. Survival of the party for people to sit in power, or survival of the party for the people to accept.
“The problem is that the people no longer accept us; that is the reality; the survival of this party is only for ‘them’ to survive, to be able to sit in the government.
“We understand the need for power (to remain in government) and to rebuild the party; we understand that.
“But the party’s top leadership has not dealt with the problem where the people still reject Umno,” he said.
Wan Agyl said that despite numerous emerging issues, such as the strained relationship with DAP, the leaders chose to turn a deaf ear.
“We (Umno) are with DAP solely for the purpose of forming a government, not as ‘brothers in arms’ but rather as ‘partners in struggle’, as Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR secretary-general) said.
“The grassroots find this hard to accept. Previously, when Umno and DAP were adversaries, they (Umno leaders) criticised them, saying that the sins DAP committed against Umno are countless and many remain unaddressed,” he said.
He said that while Malays are generally open-minded, not everything can be readily accepted.
“What is Umno’s current struggle? It’s rather ambiguous. What are we striving for? Take the youth wing, for instance; it appears despondent, lacking a distinct cause to champion.
“Like the KK Mart incident, for example. We attempted to take a stand, advocating for a boycott and stoking public outrage to the extent that it led to violent acts like throwing molotov cocktails.
“We should have met with the religious affairs minister and reviewed the legal implications concerning the usage of the word ‘Allah’.
“We should propose an amendment to the law to impose stricter penalties on those who misuse the word Allah. This action will align with our commitment to uphold Islam. This will show that the Umno Youth is fighting to uphold Islam,” he said. – June 6, 2024