KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — The strong attacks on Umno show that it is still a relevant force for the Malay community, Selangor Umno chief Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin said.
He told Utusan Malaysia during an exclusive interview that Umno would not be continuously attacked if they were not strong.
“If someone is weak, you won’t hit them, you will just leave them alone, they can’t get up. But if they are still competitive in national politics, then these attacks will continue,” he was quoted as saying.
He said when asked if Umno was still representing the Malay voice.
“As long as Umno is attacked, it means the party is strong. As long as it is attacked directly, as long as there are attempts to bring it down by any means and labels, it means Umno is strong and Umno’s presence is felt.
“If it’s not strong or has no support, people would not care, especially political enemies but they keep attacking because they are confident Umno is still a political party with its support and influence. So they will use any situation, any reason, to continue attacking,” he said.
Umno, who had previously dominated national politics for decades, has been facing declining support over the years, with many of its leaders having moved over to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, who have aligned themselves with conservative party PAS.
Malay support especially in non-urban areas are being split between the two forces.
