We made wrong call on 2022 election date, says Umno's Ahmad Maslan
PETALING JAYA : Umno's lacklustre performance in the 2022 general election was partly down to calling for the nationwide polls at the wrong time, according to a party leader.
Umno Supreme Council member Ahmad Maslan said although the party then suffered its heaviest election loss, it has not lost its fangs and remains politically relevant, citing Umno's success in winning multiple by-elections since the unity government was formed.
'It's not that Umno isn't strong as some say, but we placed the wrong bet in terms of choosing the date for GE15. We were still in power at the time, and the then prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob was from Umno.
'However, because we chose the wrong date, we suffered our heaviest election loss ever,' he said at the Bachok Umno division's delegates meeting.
Umno won only 26 parliamentary seats in 2022, a sharp drop from its high-point of 102 seats in 2004.
'However, since then, by winning the by-elections in Nenggiri, Pelangai, Tioman, Ayer Kuning and Mahkota, we have shown that we are still formidable,' he said according to Harian Metro.
Ahmad, who is deputy works minister, urged Umno's election machinery and members to take encouragement from the by-election results as they prepare for the next general election.
He added that Umno must carry out several measures in order to ensure victory, including holding frequent grassroots activities on the ground and ensuring unity at the machinery level.
The 2022 general election was called by Ismail, then an Umno vice-president, who announced Parliament's dissolution on Oct 10 that year, well ahead of its expiry in July 2023.
Umno had been pushing for a snap election to be held by the end of 2022, but Ismail denied that the dissolution was due to Umno pressure. He said it was because his government could no longer function well, as the 12 Perikatan Nasional ministers in his Cabinet were being pressured by their 'boss'.
The general election was held in November 2022, resulting in a hung Parliament, when no party won enough seats for a parliamentary majority. Pakatan Harapan won 81 seats, Perikatan Nasional 74 and the Umno-led Barisan Nasional 30.
A coalition government was then formed by PH, BN, East Malaysian parties, and independents, who command a total of 153 seats, well over the 122 needed for a majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
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