Focus on revitalising party, not presidential election
Umno members should avoid repeating past mistakes of internal conflict, which contributed to the party's downfall and significant losses in GE15.
SHAH ALAM - All Umno members and leaders should fully focus on the efforts to revitalise the party instead of competing for the presidency in the upcoming 2026 election.
Veteran Umno Malaysia chairman Datuk Othman Desa said calls for Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan to challenge Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the top position were deliberately stirred by certain parties to bring damage to the relationship between the two leaders and disrupt party unity.
"This issue is intentionally raised by certain parties because they are dissatisfied with the party's revitalisation efforts being planned by the party leadership.
"The matter of whether Tok Mat (Mohamad) dares to challenge Zahid's position as Umno president should not arise given Umno's current situation.
"We should focus on unity and efforts to restore Umno's influence and strength as they were before the 15th General Election (GE15)," he said when contacted by Sinar.
Othman was commenting on the suggestion by former Umno supreme council member Isham Jalil that Mohamad, who is also the Foreign Minister, should contest for the Umno presidency, as the Rembau MP was reportedly no longer on good terms with Zahid.
Moreover, Isham claimed that many Umno members would support this move since they currently did not wish to be aligned with Zahid.
Following this, Isham also urged Mohamad to take Umno out of the unity government and join the former Umno members who have left the party.
However, Othman did not deny the differences in views between Zahid and Mohamad, stating that it was common in a party that practiced openness and freedom of speech.
"Do not see the difference in views as enmity because Umno has never prevented its members and leaders from speaking and expressing opinions on any matter.
"Therefore, I believe that external parties, especially the opposition and former Umno leaders who have been expelled, are taking advantage of the situation to create discord within the party leadership.
"Hence, I urge all Umno members not to be deceived by rumours being spread by certain parties," he added.
Othman also urged Umno members not to repeat the same mistakes of fighting amongst themselves, which led to the party's downfall and significant loss during GE15.
He also agreed with the view of Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi that former members who returned to Umno should not be allowed to contest for party positions or be reinstated to positions they held before leaving the party.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Mohamad said he was ready to defend his position if the top party positions were contested in the upcoming Umno elections.
