Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan urges the party to rebuild its own strength and not compromise its dignity while pursuing political cooperation.
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno must not rely on the goodwill or assistance of other political parties to revive its fortunes, deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said, warning members against compromising the party’s dignity for political cooperation.
Mohamad said Umno should instead focus on rebuilding its own internal strength, arguing that other parties had little interest in seeing the Malay-based party regain its former standing.
“Don’t rely on the goodwill of others. Build our own strength. Do not depend on the help or assistance of other parties,” he said when winding up the party’s general assembly today.
Mohamad said Umno members should not “dream in broad daylight” that other parties wanted to help the party rise again.
“Not a single party wants to see us rise again. They all want to see us buried,” he said.
He said Umno’s survival had demonstrated the importance of relying on its own strength, adding that the party had experienced disappointments in its dealings with others.
Mohamad said while Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had proposed tafahum siyasi, or political understanding, the concept should not cause Umno to lose sight of its priority of strengthening the party.
“Let it be just political understanding. Don’t let ourselves get carried away until we forget that building our own strength is our priority,” he said.
He also cautioned Umno against compromising its dignity during negotiations for political cooperation.
“We have dignity. Do not pawn our dignity just to get people,” he said.
Mohamad said Umno was not established through the goodwill of other parties, but to champion the Malay community and Islam.
He urged members to remain focused on strengthening the party while preparing to support its partners in the upcoming Melaka state election.
