PETALING JAYA: Umno vice-president Johari Ghani says the party should stop blaming others and instead look inwards to address its decline in popularity.
Johari, who is plantation and commodities minister, said the party should also stop laying the blame on former Umno leaders, PKR and DAP, calling this counterproductive.
He said the fight to regain political relevance instead lay with each of the party’s members, reported The Vibes.
The Titiwangsa MP added that Barisan Nasional was only as strong as its component members.
“If Umno is strong, so would its allies in Barisan Nasional, MCA and MIC be. Likewise, if we are in a weakened state, so would be MIC or MCA. It is simple logic,” he was reported as saying when opening the Kepala Batas Umno division at Bertam Resort yesterday.
He also said that the only way for Umno to strengthen itself was for it to work harder and focus on itself rather than what others thought of it.
He said after losing the Titiwangsa seat in the 2018 general election, he had to work harder than ever to convince both party members and outsiders to support him.
He added that Umno needed to return to its roots in selecting the right leaders amid its struggle to reposition itself following the heavy losses it sustained in the 2018 and 2022 elections, despite now being part of the unity government.
Adding that the future was full of challenges, he said: “What is important is to not give up, work harder, and with time, support will return to Umno.”
Johari also said that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the PKR president, was once a member of Umno, and that it was the party that had identified his leadership skills and capabilities.
He said the party should thus be thankful to Anwar for trying to uplift it, and learn to work with him to move the country forwards.
