KUALA LUMPUR: Former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy said Umno Youth's "belligerent attitude" towards the socks incident involving KK Mart and the supplier was intended to shore up Malay support.
However, the former DAP leader said he was doubtful it would have the desired effect.
"I seriously doubt that the socks incident and the way Umno youth conducted its opposition will endear the party to the Malays in general," he said in a Facebook post.
Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, has been at the forefront of calls for action and a boycott against KK Mart over the sale of socks with the word "Allah".
Umno, the Barisan Nasional lynchpin, has backed Akmal's stand which has come under criticism from some quarters.
Ramasamy said corruption cases and scandals linked to Umno leaders over the years have led to the party losing support.
"What is the point of endlessly talking about a boycott when Umno cannot even explain the rise of rampant corruption among its party leaders?"
Ramasamy said the future looked bleak for Umno and that it was unlikely the party could regain its place as the "darling of the Malays".
He also said Umno has become an "albatross around the neck" of the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.