He warns if Umno doesn't act now, it may never come back, in interview with 'Mingguan Malaysia'
KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — Umno will fade away and cannot make a comeback if no immediate changes are made to the leadership, party vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
"If the changes are not made immediately, Umno will also lose power and can never make a comeback," said the International Trade and Industry Minister.
He said the general election results clearly showed the people's misgivings on the party leadership and now people in and outside Umno questioned the leaders family links and the system practised.
"I worry if there are no changes made as demanded not only by Umno members but also by people from outside the party, the people will reject Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno. I think the sentiments are boiling at the grassroots of their utter dissatisfaction. Therefore, if changes don't happen in Umno, many adverse things will surface," he said in an interview in today's 'Mingguan Malaysia' Malay newspaper.
"I'm afraid if I don't speak the truth, it can eventually lead to disaster for the Malays and Umno."
Muhyiddin said the election results also showed the domination of Malay politics through Umno, which was long regarded as beyond challenge, had purportedly become a myth.
"We thought we cannot lose, but today, many Umno leaders in the five states now under Opposition rule never expected to lose power. That's why, to me, it is a very bitter lesson and cannot be taken lightly," he said.
"The question now is to what extent Umno can withstand the wave of the new political thinking in the country. More importantly, the question is to what point the Malay political power can sustain itself in the years ahead.
"Can Umno survive this one term to the 13th (next) general election and will it be able to redeem its losses while we face the wave of new political thinking or will we collapse into the political chasm for good."
Muhyiddin said probably many were not aware of this and there were still those in Umno who regarded the election defeat as merely a normal setback and did not think this was a lasting phenomenon.
"Now, the BN does not only have a reduced majority (in parliament), it also failed to defend its long held two-third majority and suffered heavy losses in the states.
"This phenomenon should make the Malays, in particular, realise what can actually happen and whether such a political trend would sustain, or matters would become worse or improve.
"To condition our thinking, it is better for us to adopt the worst-scenario approach. If we do not take any immediate steps, we will fade way.
"I've said earlier that political power can slip away from our hands and Umno may never rise again, ever," he warned. — Bernama
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