KUALA LUMPUR: Umno is determined to reassert itself as a dominant political force but acknowledges the need for collaboration with other parties to form a government in the future, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
Calling it the reality of current politics, the Umno president pointed to the landscape, where each coalition holds between 30 and 40 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
“There are studies that predict this will be the same scenario after the 16th General Election. This reality calls for a mature democratic approach, as no single party or coalition will likely secure a simple majority on its own.
“As a party, it is a difficult path for Umno. Nonetheless, it opens the opportunity for all political outfits to find common ground in the interest of the country,” he said when addressing delegates at Umno’s annual general assembly.Also present were leaders from Barisan Nasional component parties, including MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, MIC president Tan Sri S. Vigneswaran and PBRS president Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
Ahmad Zahid reflected on Umno’s previous strategy of contesting elections “solo” and questioned whether this approach remained viable given the current political climate.
“We cannot rely solely on votes from Umno members. The broader electorate, which far exceeds our membership, will determine the election outcome,” he said.
“Umno must step out of the echo chamber and its comfort zone. We must be brave enough to embrace new ideas and challenges to stay relevant in an increasingly complex political landscape.”
He reminded delegates that political cooperation was not new for Umno, citing the 1955 elections when Umno, MCA and MIC worked together in an alliance with a power-sharing model.
He said while Umno recognised the need for political cooperation, the party must continue efforts to ensure it remained dominant and had the upper hand in the changing political landscape.
“How we become dominant is to have more seats under us by recapturing the seats we lost in previous polls.
“By having more seats, we can have a dominant position during negotiations if the need to share power arises,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid gave assurance that being part of the unity government had not prevented Umno from “dreaming big”.
“As a democratic party, we have the right to come back dominant in the political scene, but this should not be perceived as arrogance. It is our firm stance to ensure that Umno remains relevant,” he said.
Regarding future political alignments, Ahmad Zahid said this required careful consideration, but an option would be for partnerships that accepted Umno’s stance on the Malays and Islam.
