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Members acknowledge that the party’s focus is to serve the people and strengthen the economy while safeguarding the interests of the Malays.
(FMT) – Some 20 months after forming a coalition government with its one-time arch-rival the Democratic Action Party, UMNO grassroots members finally appear to be adapting to the new political dynamic.
They said the party appeared to have successfully shifted its focus to serving the people and strengthening the economy without abandoning its core purpose of safeguarding Malay interests.
Umno Padang Besar Youth secretary Azhar Hasuddin said party members must put up with opponents labelling them as “DAP” as they only want to shake the confidence of grassroots party members.
However, he added that this strategy had failed, saying that over time many members had been successfully persuaded by the leadership to accept the current situation.
“Perlis is not the only state that needs help from the coalition government, including institutional help. Umno also needs help from its Pakatan Harapan allies in several other states,” he told FMT, adding that besides DAP, Umno also benefits from assistance from other parties in the coalition.
Umno and DAP have been fierce rivals until the 15th general election (GE15) in November 2022, with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declaring on the eve of GE15 that the party “does not want Anwar (Ibrahim), does not want DAP”.
However, this position changed after the national election, which saw the country have a hung parliament, ultimately leading to the coalition of Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and the Alliance in Sabah and Sarawak to form the current government.
Umno Batu Kawan Women’s wing chairperson Norraina Safra Mohamed said nearly 50 per cent of her division’s members have accepted the alliance and now understand why the agreement was reached.
“It’s not like we all suddenly became DAP members,” she said.
“We formed the Pakatan Harapan coalition based on the king’s advice. Umno’s participation is essential for the formation of the government.”
Noorani said party leaders are still reaching out to the grassroots to explain to the grassroots that it is not an alliance but a joint effort by all parties to boost the economy and ensure the welfare of the people.
However, Langkawi UMNO Youth leader Mazrul Asyraf admitted that some grassroots party members found it difficult to accept the cooperation between UMNO and the Democratic Action Party and are still protesting.
“It is still very difficult (to get the Umno grassroots to accept the party’s alliance with Pakatan Harapan and DAP). In the last state election, when Pakatan Harapan’s candidates came to power, many people quit the party and joined our rivals,” he said.
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