The Malaysian Insight

IF Umno wants to win back Putrajaya in the next general election, the party’s top leadership has to listen to its grassroots members, said former minister Azalina Othman Said.

The Pengerang MP, who is vying for one of the 25 Umno Supreme Council seats in the party polls this week, said the grassroots must be given space to air their views.

“It is my hope that we start a platform that will allow party members to air their views on all aspects.

“Leaving decision-making to the Umno supreme council is fine, but I think the grassroots can contribute ideas we can use,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Azalina, who was formerly minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the old attitude that the leader was always right must be changed, following the party’s dismal performance in the May 9 general election.

When the results were announced, Umno won only 54 parliamentary seats compared to Pakatan Harapan’s 122 out of 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

“Listen to the grass roots. We can no longer think only the leader is right. From our history, Umno’s strength comes from its members.

“Leaders didn’t listen to the grass roots before this like in the selection of candidates. No matter how scientific our methods may be, the branch decides on the candidate.

“We cannot deny that the party’s strength depends on the strength of the branch at the polling district level,” Azalina said.

Though she never said it publicly, it is understood that she is referring to Bagan Serai MP Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, who recently announced he was quitting Umno to join Bersatu.

Dr Noor Azmi said he left Umno because party members were sabotaging his political career. 

He was said to have problems with his own party division in Bagan Serai. While the division leadership was against his candidacy for the seat since 2013, he was chosen because of his relationship with the top party leadership.

“If people have rejected, then it means they are saying no. So to me, if Umno wants to be back in power, the approach has to change,” Azalina said.

“The grassroots are the backbone of the struggle. The people, not just party members, have to be heard,” the former Puteri chief said.

Before Dr Noor Azmi, two other Perak assemblymen – Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin of Sungai Manik and Nolee Ashiling Mohammed Radzi of Tualang Sekah – had pledged their allegiance to the Pakatan Harapan state government a week after the general election.

Earlier, Tambun Umno division, also in Perak, had the same problem with the party’s choice of election candidate.

The division’s acting chief Aminuddin Md Hanafiah had appealed to the top leadership to consider the views of the grassroots that was against the fielding of former second finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.

Husni, who resigned from his party posts and announced his retirement in July 2016, had wanted to defend the Tambun seat in GE14.

But the leadership refused to listen and the party machinery on the ground refused to work for Husni, who held the seat for five terms.

He lost the seat to Bersatu’s Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who is the current Perak menteri besar

The Bersatu Perak chief also contested in the Chenderiang state seat, which is in the Tapah parliamentary constituency. – June 27, 2018