Demonstrate winning capability, Zahid tells BN components

KUALA LUMPUR: Component parties of the Barisan Nasional (BN) must demonstrate their capability to win in the general election in constituencies where the non-Malays form the majority, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said component parties such as the MCA, MIC and Gerakan should not only hope to win in constituencies where the Malays formed the majority of the voters.

“We look at our partners in the BN coalition, it is difficult for them to win in non-Malay areas, this is a fact,”said the Umno vice-president, who is performing the duties of the party deputy president, in his speech when officially opening the delegates conference of the Bukit Bintang Umno division, here yesterday.

Also present were Umno secretarygeneral Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Bukit Bintang Umno division head Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohd Rafique.

Ahmad Zahid pointed out that what he stated was not a criticism but Umno’s sincerity to ensure that its BN component colleagues won in the election.

In this context, Ahmad Zahid said Umno was too kind although a handful of Umno members and leaders were slighted.

“But it is unfair if the burden is only handed over to Umno. How many Malay areas have we given to our (non-Malay) colleagues for the sake of togetherness,”he said.

Citing the example of Perak, Ahmad Zahid said the MIC had not won any seat but the post of State Assembly Speaker was given to the party besides the post of special advisor in the Perak Menteri Besar’s Office.

He said Umno would remain relevant in areas which it did not contest or in the opposition’s stronghold.

Äs an example, although Bukit Bintang is seen as having no future for the BN, yet Umno in the area can assist the other areas to win because the people in Bukit Bintang mostly cast their votes in other constituencies,” he added.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said BN had given also given up on several urban seats, including Seputeh in Kuala Lumpur which are DAP strongholds.

He said even if Umno placed Tengku Adnan against Seputeh incumbent Teresa Kok, the latter would still win the seat.

“Even if we put Ku Nan in Seputeh but the one who will win it is Teresa Kok. But he is now the Federal Territories Minister because he still has a seat in the city area,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid explained that federal seats like Bukit Bintang and Seputeh are of an urban Chinese majority voter base that is hard for Umno to penetrate.

“Like in Bukit Bintang, it is a fact that is a Chinese majority (seat). Urbanisation has happened here,” he said.

He added that even though seats like Seputeh and Bukit Bintang cannot be won by Umno in the next general elections, the party machinery should still support the respective BN candidates.

“Parties should support anyone who represents Barisan Nasional. Even in Bukit Bintang, even though there is no future. The seat will confirm go to someone else,” he added.

He also pointed out that the ruling BN has only won five urban seats nationwide, including Johor Baru, Setiawangsa, Titiwangsa, Wangsa Maju and Putrajaya.

Speaking at the Hulu Langat Umno delegates conference in Semenyih earlier, Ahmad Zahid said all BN component parties must work hard to take back Selangor in the upcoming general election.

The Umno vice-president said that the coalition was defeated in the last general election because support from non-Malays was declining, adding that all the seats won by Barisan then were Umno seats.

“What happened to the component parties? In GE13 support from Malays was 58.9 per cent; Chinese 13.4 per cent and Indians 34.4 per cent. Selangor is also for the Chinese and Indians, so the other component parties must also work hard to retake Selangor,” he said.

He pointed out that in GE12, 57.9 per cent of Malays supported Barisan compared to 29.8 percent of Chinese 29.8 and 36.3 percent of Indians.

“The Barisan components must stay vigilant from now,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid said it was improper for Selangor Barisan to allow the opposition to continue enjoying the benefits as Barisan had put in all the hard work towards developing the state.

“The developments, foreign investments including job opportunities were made possible by Umno and Barisan long before the opposition came into power,” he said.

He added that the Opposition could not claim that Selangor had contributed 25 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product after governing the state for two terms.