Umno needs torchbearers with solution-based, moderate politics, says Zahid
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party must avoid being dragged into a 'race to see who can be more radical'.
KUALA LUMPUR : Umno must adopt solution-based and moderate politics while producing capable torchbearers to ensure the survival of the oldest political party in Malaysia, says its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid said this is necessary to adapt to a political landscape that has evolved significantly since the party's formation in 1946.
'Our success in the Ayer Kuning by-election shows that voters are more receptive to solutions that touch their daily lives rather than being continuously bombarded with increasingly nauseating political rhetoric.
'Umno's legacy cannot be passed down merely in name, but must be inherited as a set of values of leadership.
'We must cultivate quality successors who are capable and demonstrate critical thinking,' he said.
Zahid said Umno must avoid being dragged into a 'race to see who can be more radical'.
'Instead, we must remain a centrist party. This is the politics we must uphold in leading the nation,' Zahid said in his speech for Umno's 79th anniversary at the World Trade Centre today.
Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, said Malaysia's political climate is much more dynamic now, as no single party now can safely dominate an election and form a government.
'Umno used to be the main axis of political stability, but today we face an uncertain reality. Political parties must now form coalitions and share power to form a government,' he said.
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