UMNO must place more focus not on its party members but on the rakyat, and this is the main thing that the party must change if it hopes to win back the people’s acceptance, said party vice president Datuk Seri Johari Ghani.
“I don’t see any issues in UMNO, it’s just that the party must be more focused on the rakyat and not too much on its party members,” he told Utusan Malaysia.
“UMNO is a big party and that is why, in comparison to other political parties out there, it is more focused on its people. In this case, we are going to need to readjust our focus and put the people first.”
When asked about his new role within the party after cinching the vice president post during the party election last month, Johari was quick to point out that he carry out his duties as a leader in a team rather than a leader to lead the team.
“I am the vice president and I will play the role of a leader in a team, not a leader who is only in place to lead the team. We need to look at UMNO as a whole; we cannot create teams within the party. This means after the party elections, we cannot segregate ourselves into teams,” he told the Malay daily.
“But I do not see this within UMNO anymore. Previously there were things like the Putrajaya cluster and the court cluster but people are rarely talking about this matter nowadays.”
In the party polls held last month (March), Johari, Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin won the three UMNO vice presidents’ posts.
The positions were previously held by Khaled, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
On whether the new UMNO leadership has what it takes to inject confidence among the people, Johari said, “That, you will have to ask the masses.” – April 6, 2023
Main pic credit: The Edge Markets
