Umno struggling to wrestle Malay votes - Research 

SHAH ALAM - Independent research firm Ilham Centre reveals that it will be a struggle for Umno to gain Malay votes due to unfavorable sentiments towards its president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and the shift of Umno supporters towards Perikatan Nasional (PN)

Expanding upon the findings related to the sentiments of Barisan Nasional (BN) voters, the study has found a pronounced rejection of Umno’s grassroots and fence-sitter voters towards Zahid.

“It can be gathered that a general consensus among Umno’s grassroots is their dissatisfaction with the Umno president. This has led to an aversion to vote for the PH-BN coalition.

The negative sentiments towards Zahid were mainly attributed to an anti-president group in the party that blames him for Umno’s performance during the 15th General Election (GE15).

“A considerable portion also remains passive, adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach,” the survey revealed.

Additionally, the Umno machinery admitted that it was still difficult for them to swear allegiance to Pakatan Harapan (PH) due to the DAP and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s factors.

“The proposition to join forces, as per the resolutions of the Umno General Assembly, hasn’t been effectively communicated to the party’s rank and file.

“This situation has caused Umno supporters to gravitate towards Perikatan Nasional and Pas in the upcoming election,” the study said.

Ilham Centre added that this shift also stemmed from their cooperation in the Muafakat Nasional (MN) framework, which had been advantageous to Pas and PN as a whole.

Additionally, fears of being criticised by Pas members have compelled some former Umno-BN supporters to back away from DAP and PH, as it was a doctrine long opposed within Umno.

According to the survey data, approximately 27 to 58 percent of Umno voters who shifted to PN during GE15 were expected to vote for PN again in the upcoming state election tomorrow.

The research centre also pointed out that the momentum of the Malay-Islamic wave from GE15 seems to be persisted.

Considering the post-GE15 landscape with Umno internal turbulence and moderate acceptance of the Unity Government among the Malay populace, PN was projected to continue its dominance over this demographic.

“Though the PH-Umno cooperation may minimise the fragmentation of Malay votes, it’s still unclear how it will impact the Unity Government’s prospects,” Ilham Centre said.

To remedy this situation, the research firm suggested Umno leaders directly engage with grassroots members, clarifying the joint decisions involving DAP and Anwar.