Give Malay majority seats ‘back’ to Umno
Delegate echoes undercurrent among party hawks that non Umno candidates who lost in the 2008 give their seats “back” to Umno.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Demands for seats belonging to Umno’s allies in Barisan Nasional again became a topic of a heated debate among delegates attending the party’s AGM today.
A delegate from Penang, Musa Sheikh Fadzir, echoed the undercurrent among party hawks that non Umno candidates who lost in the 2008 election give their seats “back” to Umno.
These are Malay majority seats that Umno believes it could recapture given the return of support from the ethnic majority, said Musa in a tone more demanding than constructive.
“We have made our sacrifices. We even allowed our BN component party members to contest in Malay majority areas,” he said at the presidential policy speech debate session.
“This is because the Malays and Umno, in the spirit of BN, are very accommodating. But they should return the seats to us if they know they cannot win,” he added.
Umno’s hardliners in the past have criticised component parties and blamed them for the waning non Malay support towards the government.
This resulted in intense racial politicking from the Malay party which observers believe had brought about the return of Malay support to Umno.
Votes from the majority electorate had strayed at the 2008 general election.
‘Two thirds impossible with non Malay support’
Party conservatives believe taking back Malay-majority seats would help party president Najib Tun Razak realise his need to return BN’s two thirds parliamentary majority.
This, however, would be impossible without the support of non Malays and “middle Malaysia”.
