KEPALA BATAS: Umno must embrace new strategies to recapture parliamentary seats it lost in previous elections, including Kepala Batas, according to its vice-president Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail. He stressed that the party can no longer rely on conventional methods, especially with the changing political landscape influenced by Undi 18.
Wan Rosdy highlighted the need for aggressive outreach to younger voters, including students and Pahang-born individuals residing outside the state. “If we use the same approach, we will get the same results. We must adopt new methods to strengthen public confidence in the government,“ he said after officiating the Kepala Batas Umno Division Delegates Meeting.
The Kepala Batas parliamentary seat, once held by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from 1978 to 2013, was lost to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in GE15. PN candidate Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad won with a 2,867-vote majority against Umno’s Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.
Wan Rosdy urged local Umno members to strategize effectively to reclaim the seat. He dismissed PN’s claims of targeting Pahang in GE16, stating that the opposition relies on sentiment rather than ground realities. “They do not understand Pahang’s actual situation. We are working hard to take back seats won by PN,“ he said.
Earlier, Bersatu Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah stated that PN had outlined plans to defend its seats and aimed to gain control of Pahang in the next general election.
