Logo change doesn't guarantee regaining voter support for Umno

SHAH ALAM - Umno continues to face difficulties in regaining voter support, especially among the Malay community, in the upcoming elections, even though it is no longer using the Barisan Nasional (BN) logo.

Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Political Analyst Dr Hussain Yusri Zawawi said that the use of the BN logo by Umno is not the main factor contributing to the party's rejection in several past election cycles.

Instead, he highlighted that other factors, including internal party crises and the challenge of grassroots members to accept the cooperation between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH), play a role.

"The logo issue is not the primary reason for the rejection of Umno.

"It's more about the acceptance of the PH-BN coalition, which hasn't been embraced by grassroots members due to the sudden decision made by Umno President (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) after the party suffered a significant defeat in the 15th General Election (GE15).

"In my opinion, if the decision of the PH-BN coalition aligns with the Umno General Assembly decision, then the rejection by the people wouldn't be the main issue for Umno.

"However, at the same time, Umno needs to address the internal leadership crisis urgently, all the way from the president to the grassroots level," he told Sinar yesterday.

He made these remarks when asked to comment on the question raised by Umno's Information Chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, about whether the party should consider contesting under the Umno banner instead of the BN logo in the upcoming elections.

Azalina posed this question on Tuesday following Umno's recent Malay voter rejection in the state elections held on Aug 12, besides reports of internal disputes within the BN component party leadership since the end of the GE15 last year.

Expanding further, Hussain Yusri highlighted that the unresolved internal leadership crisis is another aspect to be understood in the context of Umno's rejection.

He added that this issue is compounded by integrity concerns surrounding the leadership of Zahid, who is currently facing court proceedings.

"Integrity issues are also a significant factor contributing to Umno's rejection among members and some Rakyat because they contradict the 'Malaysia Madani' philosophy introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim," he said.