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KUALA LUMPUR -– Umno must stop fighting among itself and strengthen its unity before political forces move to weaken and ultimately bury the party, warned Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
In an unusually blunt message during his winding-up speech at the 2026 Umno General Assembly, Mohamad said the party could not afford to wait until the current political cycle was over before taking action to protect its position.
“If we wait for the life of this government to drag on until the end of its electoral life, the life of Umno will be finished. All sorts of things will be done to us to bury Umno so that we do not become a threat to them,” he said.
While he did not name those he believed were seeking to weaken Umno, the warning came amid continued political tensions between its coalition partner Barisan Nasional and Unity Government partner Pakatan Harapan.
Mohamad also rejected any suggestion that internal differences should be allowed to fracture the party.
“We have to know how to deal with people. We negotiate and talk with people, otherwise it will become worse... we will die,” he said.
He reinforced his role as deputy president, saying his responsibility was not to compete with party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, but to strengthen Umno under his leadership.
“I said it in last year’s winding-up. A deputy must not show off or act as though he knows better. Do not try to be clever.
“What is important is to return and unite our brotherhood. Do not try to show that you know better. If the party is in chaos, no one will support us,” he said.
Mohamad said Umno had managed to restore greater harmony under Zahid’s leadership.
“Under our president, we have managed to unite and harmonise our party again,” he said.
He also pushed back against perceptions that he was distant from Zahid, saying he regularly met the Umno president to discuss matters.
“Do you think I am going to tell you every time I meet him at night? I have matters to discuss, so I meet the president. The president has never said I cannot come. I go,” he said.
Mohamad, popularly known as Tok Mat, said the hierarchy was straightforward.
“My job as number two is to help number one. The deputy president’s job is to help the president,” he said, urging party leaders to understand their respective roles and avoid behaviour that could further destabilise Umno.
“Know how to carry yourself. What is important is that our party remains strong, and then we face whatever comes before us,” he said.
His message was ultimately less about personalities than survival.
With the next general election approaching, Mohamad was warning that Umno could negotiate with others, manage its alliances and adapt its strategy — but it could not afford to fight itself.
For a party still rebuilding its political strength, the danger is not simply losing votes to its rivals. It is allowing internal divisions to do the work for them.
Umno’s survival, Mohamad made clear, begins with whether the party can stay united long enough to fight the next battle.
