Accept that we’re no longer dominant and adapt, Zahid tells Umno

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said not being the dominant party is a ‘test of our perseverance and competitiveness’. (Bernama pic)

HULU SELANGOR: Umno must accept the fact that the party is no longer a powerhouse and needs to adapt, its president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

“We’re no longer dominant, but it’s not the end of the world. This is a test of our perseverance and competitiveness,” he said when attending the Aidilfitri celebrations organised by Hulu Selangor Umno here today.

In the last general election, Umno only managed to secure 26 seats, in what has been labelled as its worst outing in history. Its dismal run continued in the state elections in August, where it only won 19 of the 108 seats it contested.

However, Zahid, who is the deputy prime minister, also said Umno should count its blessings, adding that despite having fewer seats in the Dewan Rakyat compared to its allies, seven of its MPs were made ministers.

“Are you not grateful that the prime minister still recognises Umno and Barisan Nasional?” he said.

He said the challenges Umno faced was why the party needed to adapt, especially now that it is part of the unity government.

And while there were “hiccups” in the early stages, Umno should not be discouraged.

“If we want to demand more, we need to win more (seats),” he said.

Separately, Zahid said there was no need to make a mountain out of a molehill when it came to differences Umno had with other government component parties.

“We’re not the opposition,” he said, which was why Umno had to defend the unity government at both the state and federal levels.

While he did not go into specifics of the disputes Umno was involved in, party leaders were at loggerheads with the likes of DAP recently, including over the controversy surrounding the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah” by a convenience store.