KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has urged the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to rethink how it can move forward after its shocking loss in the 14th general election.

The former defence minister told BN members to set aside their disappointments and take the defeat to Pakatan Harapan (PH) as a lesson to reform for future battles, Utusan Malaysia reported today.

“We definitely did not want a defeat especially after putting in much effort to win this election.

“I believe that we will remain united and move together as a strong coalition in time to come,” he was quoted saying.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin was the first to call on BN members to accept and respect the will of Malaysian voters after the BN’s historic defeat following six uninterrupted decades of holding federal power.

Khairy added that he hoped the transition of power would be done smoothly.

“Today is a new beginning for Malaysia. As an Umno and BN leader, I have tried to give my best,” he said in a statement hours before the BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak conceded defeat in an 11am news conference televised live from the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday, and roughly 11 hours after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed victory for the PH pact.