SHAH ALAM - The recent spate of Umno leaders reprimanding the government appears to be more of a political partisan rather than a result of poor performance.
Political expert Mujibu Abd Muis said this was proven when the criticism was only made by leaders known from particular camps in the party.
"If we look at Umno, it is now facing a number of issues, particularly in light of the results of the 15th General Election (GE15), which saw them fall to third place, trailing Pas and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu)."
"Perhaps this (government criticism) is also a consideration for Umno leaders to rekindle enthusiasm back to the party for the grassroots and voters on the fence, including the Malays," he told Sinar.
He remarked this in response to Umno Secretary-General Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki's statement that the party’s leaders' criticism towards the government was part of citizen's right.
He said that the criticism leveled by the leaders must be heard by the Unity Government today.
Meanwhile, Mujibu claimed that the disagreement between Umno leaders created a terrible impression not just of the administration led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but also of the party.
He said that Umno is also a part of the government, and any criticism will result in a backlash.
"It is true that criticising is a right of the people, but as a coalition or friend, such actions are uncalled for because the real enemy is the opposing party, especially with the state elections approaching."
"As party members, they should develop a narrative that describes compatibility and how it can be achieved in order to form a convincing alliance," he explained.
At the same time, Mujibu disagreed with the idea that if the government failed to perform, it should be replaced as he said the government should be given the space to push Malaysia to the highest level.
Umno veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Samad on Thursday criticised the Unity Government which he claimed was inefficient in handling the country's governance.
He claimed that when they were the opposition, certain parties frequently argued with the government, but when they became the government, they did not perform well.