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KUALA LUMPUR – Umno must take its “Blue Wave” agenda beyond political slogans and into the grassroots if the party wants to rebuild public confidence and regain support, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
Speaking during his winding-up speech at the 2026 Umno General Assembly, the Pahang Menteri Besar said the agenda would not move on its own and must instead be translated into sustained engagement with voters across the country.
“I strongly support the Blue Wave agenda, but this agenda will not move on its own. It must be brought down to the grassroots, so that there can be a blue dynamic across the country,” he said.
Wan Rosdy outlined four approaches which he said should form the basis of Umno’s Blue Wave strategy.
The first, he said, was to build relationships with the people, not only during election periods but throughout the year.
“We must reach out to young people, entrepreneurs and farmers. Do not only enter voters’ homes during elections. Go to them and resolve their issues,” he said.
The second approach was to “bind” voters through continuous service, rather than treating their support as something to be sought only when ballots are being cast.
Wan Rosdy said Umno must surround voters with service and give them reasons to continue supporting the party until polling day.
The third was to win their hearts by understanding the concerns and aspirations of ordinary Malaysians.
“We need to understand the pulse of their hearts. They do not want to hear what we say, they want to see what we do,” he said.
The fourth approach, he said, was to change perceptions of Umno by showing voters the party’s track record in serving the people.
“This is the Blue Wave that I mean. It is not just words,” he said.
Wan Rosdy also pointed to Umno’s performance in Johor Polls as evidence that the party still had room to win back public support.
“Be proud of the state of Johor. This proves that Umno still has room to win the support of the people,” he said.
He said Umno must now work towards repeating such successes while defending Pahang, where the party has continuously led the state government.
“We will repeat this success. We will defend Pahang. The Umno-led state government has never been interrupted.
“We must defend Pahang so that it does not fall to another party,” he said.
Wan Rosdy stressed that Umno could not apply a single political formula across the country, as voters in every state and constituency had different needs, sentiments and political dynamics.
“Every state, every constituency is different. That is why we need to give serious attention (to each of them),” he said.
He said the party needed to build new confidence among voters through initiatives that could be directly felt by the people, rather than relying solely on political messaging.
Wan Rosdy also turned his attention to Umno’s future leadership, stressing the importance of identifying and developing potential successors early.
“Who will succeed us in the future? We must start looking for the right filters from now,” he said.
He expressed pride in Umno Youth and the party’s members overseas, saying the next generation of leaders must possess more than political eloquence.
He said they must understand the party’s history, remain loyal and, most importantly, demonstrate their ability to serve the people.
It starts now, Wan Rosdy said, stating that if Umno wants another political comeback, the party cannot wait until the next election to start knocking on voters’ doors.
