Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan says the era of single-party governments is over, urging Umno to adapt its strategy ahead of GE16.
KUALA LUMPUR: The era of a single party forming a government is over, Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said, urging the party to accept that different states require different political strategies.
Mohamad, better known as Tok Mat, said Umno could no longer assume it could form a government on its own, making political understanding with other parties increasingly important ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16).
“Don’t dream that one party can form a government. Umno itself wants to form a government, so what do we do?” he said when winding up the party’s general assembly today.
He said this was why Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had proposed greater political understanding, or tafahum siyasi, to allow the party to assess political realities on the ground and determine the most suitable approach.
Mohamad said there was no single formula that could be applied nationwide, pointing to the contrasting political dynamics in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
“There is no one-size-fits-all. There is no single formula that we can use,” he said.
He said Johor had been shaped by a strong “Bangsa Johor” sentiment, which he attributed in part to the performance of the state government.
However, he said the same approach could not simply be applied in Negeri Sembilan, where local political dynamics were different.
Mohamad said Umno’s assessment of public sentiment in Negeri Sembilan, based on its engagements with voters, indicated that people were increasingly tired of clashes between Malay-based parties.
“What we picked up in Negeri Sembilan was a desire among the people to say, enough is enough with the clashes between the core Malay parties,” he said.
He said voters were less concerned about which party represented them than about seeing an end to divisions among Malay parties.
Mohamad said Umno had also suffered electoral setbacks in Malay-majority areas in the state in two consecutive elections, underscoring the need for the party to reassess its strategy.
“Strategy should be decided by the president and the top leadership, because there is no one-size-fits-all,” he said.
He also urged Umno members not to depend on the goodwill of others, saying the party must focus on carrying out its responsibilities with discipline while leaving broader political strategy to its leadership.
