All Umno leaders have to go if Zahid resigns, says Bung
KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said Barisan Nasional’s (BN) big loss in the 15th General Election (GE15) showed that all party leaders need to be responsible for the decisions made during the election as it was a collective decision.
“If you want to resign, then everyone should resign, including me, not only the president,” he said, admitting that the loss was the worst in the history of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said voters had chosen to reject Umno and BN and the party needed to accept it, but stressed that they would look for other ways to win over voters.
“Every party needs to transform themselves because the scenario this time is different compared with previous elections….in the future it might be different that’s why we need to be pragmatic in determining the direction and our future.
“We need to make sure that Umno and BN can continue to bring something new to those below us and we will think of the best way to ensure our survival,” he added.
Bung was met the World Trade Centre here on Sunday, where he attended a series of meetings including the Umno Political Bureau and Supreme Council (MT) meetings.
Based on official results released by the Election Commission at 4.30 am on Sunday, BN only managed to win 30 seats in GE15.
Meanwhile, embattled Ahmad Zahid can expect more calls for him to resign from his post following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) poor performance in the 15th General Election (GE15) on Saturday.
Political analyst from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Izani Mohd Zain, said the calls were not something new but had been heard long before the election was held.
“Even though the defeat was a collective responsibility in Umno, the president must be held accountable, as was Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the last general election.
“Not only in Johor but other states are also expected to do the same (demand for Ahmad Zahid’s resignation),” he told Bernama when contacted.
He said this when asked about the calls made by Johor BN election operations director Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and state Umno leaders yesterday.
Mohd Izani opined that Ahmad Zahid needs to take a break from presidential duties or appoint Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan as acting president until the next party election.
He added that the Johor Menteri Besar’s statement reflected the voice and aspirations of young leaders in Umno to bring change to the party.
Anotherpoliticalanalyst Mujibu Abd Muis said Johor is the first state to call for Ahmad Zahid’s resignation because, for a coalition that won a two-thirds majority in the state election in March, losing so badly in GE15 makes things worst for BN.
He said the Malay tsunami that rejected BN, as well as those who returned to the state to vote, were among other factors that contributed to its defeat, apart from Ahmad Zahid himself.
“BN lost so severely because of his (Ahmad Zahid’s) failure to respect the oligarchy in Umno and formulate a strategy after the absence of Bossku (Najib).
“After Bossku, it seems like there was no other icon or pull factor like during the March state election,” said the senior lecturer of the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA Negeri Sembilan Campus.
As such, he said, BN’s poor performance in GE15 should serve as a clarion call for the Umno president to step down without being asked to do so.
Earlier, Onn Hafiz, in a statement uploaded on Facebook, said that changes needed to be made because many Umno, MCA and MIC leaders of calibre and potential lost in GE15 because BN did not want to listen to the pulse of the grassroots.