Stop bickering, Selangor Umno told

KUALA LANGAT: Umno acting deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday issued a stern warning to Selangor Umno, telling it to set aside internal conflicts ahead of the 14th General Election (GE14).

Zahid, who is also Umno vicepresident, said internal strife was the chief reason for Selangor Umno’s poor performance in the previous general elections in 2013 and 2008.

He said Selangor Umno needed to learn from its “painful mistakes” in the past, which had led Selangor to fall into opposition hands.

“We entertained our dissatisfaction more than wanting to forge unity among us. We always pointed fingers at each other to the point where we allowed so many seats to be ‘given’ to others.

“We lost because we wasted time harping on internal conflicts in the past.

“There must be an end to that period and now, we must commit ourselves to wresting Selangor back because it has been a miserable two terms,” Zahid said in his opening speech at the Kuala Langat Umno divisional delegates’ meeting here yesterday.

The deputy prime minister also said now was the time to win back the support of the Chinese and Indian voters, and to prove that Barisan Nasional was the only party that fought for all races.

Zahid said Selangor Umno was also plagued by hate campaigns orchestrated by the opposition, which had further weakened the party’s state chapter.

“But, we did not counter these campaigns. We were too busy countering ourselves,” he said, adding that this caused Selangor Umno and BN to lose to an inferior enemy.

He expressed confidence that the upcoming GE14 provided Umno and BN with the best opportunity to win back Selangor.