Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

PETALING JAYA: A former Umno treasurer has urged party members to refrain from criticising the top leadership in public as such actions do not benefit the party in any way.

Salleh Said Keruak said such criticism would only harm the party’s efforts to gain support and rebuild confidence among the Malays and the general public.

He said what was needed now was for Umno’s top leaders to share their political views on governance and Malay interests and to individually make a public commitment to Malay voters, particularly in rural areas.

“The Malays must be convinced that the present Umno top five leaders have the same mind and aspirations with regard to upholding and continuing the commitment of its founding forefathers.

"The top five must be seen as the strength of Umno," he said in a Facebook post, referring to the party’s president, deputy president and three vice-presidents.

Salleh, who is also the Usukan assemblyman in Sabah, also called for the top leaders to work on regaining support and restoring confidence in the party, especially among the younger generation.

"I believe that the younger generation is particularly interested to know whether the Umno leadership’s political perspective has changed or if it remains the same as before," the former Sabah chief minister said.

"We need to successfully convince all quarters so that they have faith and belief in our honesty and sincerity." 

Some Umno members have been criticising the party over various matters, including its partnership with DAP in the unity government, poor performance in state and national elections, and ignoring grassroots concerns.

Malay support for Umno has been on the decline since the 13th general election (GE13) in 2013. Its umbrella coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) was toppled at the following general election in 2018, marking an end to its six-decade reign.

The 15th general election in 2022 saw Umno registering its worst electoral performance, winning just 27 seats and 31% of the popular vote.

The party also performed poorly in the six state elections last August, winning only 19 of the 108 seats it contested.