KUALA LUMPUR – The absence of a think tank or special research centre has rendered Selangor Umno seemingly adrift in formulating any strategy for the party’s improvement, analysts said.
Geostrategist and senior fellow of the Nusantara Strategic Research Academy (NASR) Azmi Hassan agrees with the views of the Kota Raja Umno division chief Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz who sees Selangor Umno as making little or no progress even though eight months have passed since the state elections.
Speaking to Scoop, Azmi said that Selangor Umno’s lack of direction and failure to devise a strategic framework post-state elections, 14th general elections (GE14) and GE15 is possibly due to their lack of a think tank to guide them in shaping the party’s strategy.
“Selangor Umno seems to lack the strength to rise again, and they seem not to know their weaknesses and mistakes.
“If we look at other political parties like Bersatu and PKR, they have research teams, and even the civil service has its own Madani Research Centre.
“Perhaps this is why Umno is said to still be implementing old-school political strategies rather than following data as advocated by Tengku Zafrul,” he said.
Azmi said that the absence of any specific channels for members and Umno veterans to channel their views is also among the reasons the party remains entrenched compared to other political parties, which are always prepared with their respective strategic plans.
“I agree with what Tengku Zafrul said because he himself sees these weaknesses, and I see that even Umno veterans find it difficult to provide their views because there are no channels for them to do so.
“So it can be said that this is Umno’s weakness because they are unwilling or unable to accept, and there are no channels for certain groups to provide suggestions.
“In my opinion, this is not only an internal problem for Selangor Umno, but also involves Umno at the central level,” he said.
Meanwhile, asked about the possibility of Malay voters who voted for DAP in the recent state polls making a U-turn in the upcoming Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election on May 11 , Azmi said that this is highly unlikely despite the emergence of several hot issues related to race, religion and royalty (3R).
“This is because Malay voters who voted for DAP are staunch supporters of the Pakatan Harapan (PH), and they are not Umno supporters.
“So no matter what issues arise, these voters will still support PH,” he said.
Meanwhile, Umno veterans secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Yaakob also agreed with Tengku Zafrul’s suggestion for Umno to formulate win-win cooperation with party allies in Selangor.
“I agree with what Tengku Zafrul said. There seems to be no sincere effort, and this applies not only to Selangor Umno but also to the party at the state level.
“However, I am not sure about the party allies referred to, whether they are components within the Barisan Nasional (BN) like MIC and MCA or allies within the unity government, namely PKR, DAP, and Amanah.
“But one thing is clear, cooperation with allies within the BN will continue.
“For example, in the upcoming Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election, BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated that BN will not contest, and although there is some opposition from MCA dissatisfied with this decision, if DAP wins, it is a victory for the unity government as well (win-win situation),” he said.
Mustapha said that the by-election would be a litmus test for DAP because there is a possibility that the voting pattern will change, where most Chinese voters may shift towards Perikatan Nasional (PN) because they see DAP’s inclusion in the unity government as a loss for the party.
“This by-election will be a litmus test for DAP, whereas previously, people said there was no problem for Chinese to support DAP, but this time, it’s not certain.
“Perhaps the Chinese will not support DAP anymore because they see the presence of BN and Umno in the unity government as detrimental to DAP because they want DAP to govern entirely.
“In the previous state elections, we saw many Malay voters switching to PN, and this pattern might influence Chinese voters to switch to PN as well.
“Therefore, Umno needs to swiftly devise strategies in preparation, especially for the upcoming GE,” he said.
Yesterday, Tengku Zafrul suggested five ways to restore Umno’s glory in Selangor after resigning as the state Umno Treasurer five days ago.
Last Monday, when announcing his resignation, Tengku Zafrul said that his decision came after observing the lacklustre revival of the party in the state, which did not align with the aspirations of the party’s leadership. – April 8, 2024