KUALA LUMPUR - There is no clear indication yet that many Malays are returning to support Umno, says the party’s deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He said although Umno won the Nenggiri state by-election, it was not a benchmark for the party’s full recovery.
Mohamad said the success in Nenggiri was merely the beginning of a long and more challenging journey for Umno.
"The key takeaway from the by-election is that Malay support is not static. It can change depending on the candidate, strategy and issues at hand.
"The fact is, the Malays have not yet clearly shown that they have begun to return in large numbers to support Umno," he said during the simultaneous opening ceremony of the Umno Women, Youth and Puteri assemblies, here, tonight.
He added that Umno could not live in denial and become complacent despite being part of the government.
This, he said was because Umno did not hold full power but merely complemented the unity government.
"Just because we have a share in government positions, we must not become complacent in our responsibility to restore and rebuild the confidence of the people in Umno.
"Therefore, efforts to restore this trust must be intensified. There is certainly no easy way to win back the hearts of the Malays. It will take time. But that is the price of a struggle.
"The most important strategy to regain this trust is by restoring our unity as a party," he said.