SHAH ALAM - Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi says that Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob fails to differentiate between idealism and methods or ways of struggling (uslub).
He said this in response to the former party vice-president's claims that one of the reasons of Malay voters' rejection was that they construed Umno as going astray from its original ideological struggle.
Puad explained that the Bera Umno division chief was mistaken as the party had never changed its ideological struggle but maintained its struggle for Malays and Muslims.
"Umno amended the party's constitution where Islam was placed at the top.
"What changed was the methods or uslub. The uslub can change according to time. Umno did not change its basis.
"Joining the unity government that had DAP did not have anything to do with idealism. It’s the uslub or struggle. As times change, politics must change as well,” he said in a statement, today.
Yesterday, Ismail said that there was proof that voters interpreted that the party had deviated from its original ideological struggle when the Umno leadership dismantled Muafakat Nasional which was the hope of the Malays towards ummah unification.
He said the situation was made worse when the top leadership of the party dragged Umno to join DAP, even urging the machineries and voters to vote for the party in the elections.