KUALA LUMPUR: Umno top leaders are reminded to not forget the grassroot members who are at lost and unclear about the party's plans to rebuild the party after its defeat in the 14th General Election.
Selangor Umno Youth chief Rizam Ismail said the top leadership must look at how to take care the party's welfare and to restore members' confidence.
“More importantly, we must look back and fight for the new generation, to fulfil their current needs as this will be the key to our success.
“Back then, Umno was seen to be a place for the Malays to unite; fight for something relevant; provide job opportunities; and (promote) development, and education.
“However, we cannot continue with the nostalgia of our past successs. Instead, we should focus on the future. Build a new formula that can be embraced by the new generation, based on the basic principles of Umno," said Rizam during the debates session at the Umno Youth general assembly at Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.
Rizam, like many delegates struck a serious tone whenever they talked about the state of affairs in the party.
As the biggest party in the Barisan Nasional coalition, with more than 3.7 million members nationwide, the party is reeling from its shock defeat in the general election on May 9.
The coalition had been in power for more than six decades before it was defeated by Pakatan Harapan, which is chaired by one of Umno’s former presidents, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The months since May has seen Umno’s immediate past president Datuk Seri Najib Razak being charged in court for a host of corruption-related offences. This was followed by the departure of many party stalwarts who admitted that the party was too slow on its promises to rejuvenate.
During yesterday’s Umno general assembly, the party’s three wings convened for their annual meetings and took stock of their current state of affairs.
Wanita Umno chief Datuk Dr Noraini Ahma, who was overwhelmed with emotion when giving her speech at the closing of the movement’s assembly, said that party needed to emerge stronger for the sake of the Malays.
She said the movement vowed to help Umno and BN to win once more in the next general election.
“In this journey, our movement has given our pledge to revive the spirit of Umno so that its work will continue to flourish.
“We must become the protectors of the Malays and of Islam. That is why I am confident that Umno will not collapse any longer and that it will continue,” said Noraini.
The party’s most boisterous wing, Umno Youth also gave rousing words to its rank and file at the close of their assembly.
Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said that the movement has changed since the historic GE14 as the wing’s focus has become clear.
He said there was no time to waste as the movement wanted to spend more time training future party leaders.
“This is no time for us to bicker. We must move as one Umno Youth. Our focus is clear as we want to strengthen the party. It is all about going back to basics,” he said to claps of approval from the delegates.
Asyraf also acknowledged the new breed of leaders such as himself and his deputy, Shahril Hamdan struck a right balance of leaders of different backgrounds.
“There are those who say I am conservative and my vice chief Shahril Hamdan is progressive. I say that we (Umno Youth) are now both conservative and progressive,” he said, referring to his background as an Islamic economics scholar and Shahril’s former profession in the oil and gas industry.
Meanwhile, Puteri Umno chief Datuk Zahida Zarik Khan, said it was setting out to clear a path for itself to help the party in upholding the struggles of the Malays.
She led her delegates to recite an oath of loyalty while putting on a headband written with the theme for this year’s general assembly “Umno, a struggle”.
She said that the movement were not merely pretty faces w
ith no substance, and said they were determined to help become a good opposition.
“We must move as a group and shape our thinking as we are now in the opposition.
“We need not shape our thinking as an opposition,” she said