SHAH ALAM - Umno's poor performance in the recent elections in six states was expected due to the wave of rejection the party faced in the 15th General Election (GE15) last year.
Veteran politician Tan Sri Dr Syed Hamid Albar likened the Malay party to an overloaded ship that can't transition to renewal.
"Many people have predicted Umno's performance. Look at the elections in 2003; Umno achieved its best performance in the history of Malaysian politics. However, in 2008, it declined and failed to secure two-thirds of the people's support for Umno.
"All of these are signs that in 2013, Umno's performance once again declined. If we don't learn from history and fail to understand how to read the charts presented with available data, this is the fate of Umno today," he said.
He made these remarks during Tuesday's "Wacana Sinar 408" program titled "Post State Elections: The People Have Spoken," broadcast live on all Sinar Harian digital platforms.
Also invited as panellists were Supreme Council Member of the National Consensus Front, Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz; Secretary of the Communication Secretariat of the People's Justice Party (PKR), Iswardy Morni; and Chief Executive Officer of Patriots Asia, Jamalee Bashah.
Meanwhile, Syed Hamid, who is also a former member of the Umno Supreme Council, stated that signs of Umno's downfall have been apparent for a long time but have been denied by some parties.
"It's not something extraordinary; the downfall of Umno has been discussed. Even without (the late) Tan Sri Nik Abdul Aziz (former President of PAS), we in Umno felt many signs of decline unless radical change was brought about.
"The radicals are from Umno, whether from PKR or Pas. They are seeking new space to rejuvenate politics and continue to play a role in exploring new ways to advance the people's interests," he said.
Syed Hamid also expressed his opinion that the polls in the six states do not signify a referendum on the current government's leadership but rather an expression of dissatisfaction.
"This is a democratic system. What is important now is how to move forward. The people don't want promises; they want a progressive nation with development.
"We need to mature in politics, but politicians must realise that political rhetoric has lost value. People want to see action and how we can fulfill our promises," he concluded.