Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urges party to embrace new political approaches and social media to prepare for GE16 and defend against attacks.
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno must break out of its old cocoon and immediately adapt to new political methods based on technology, particularly social media.
Party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this change is crucial as Umno prepares for the 16th general election, which is approximately 22 months away.
He stated the priority is to strengthen the party’s social media perspective to defend its policies and counter attacks from political opponents.
“Our problem now is that we don’t attack, even if we are attacked, we don’t defend,” he said when opening the Digital Era Political Symposium 2026 organised by Umno Malaysia Information.
Ahmad Zahid cited global leaders like US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as examples of those leveraging platforms like TikTok to gain youth support.
The Deputy Prime Minister said weak social media command has also caused many government initiatives to go unrecognised.
He noted the Chief Secretary to the Government announced 733 new initiatives since the MADANI Government was established.
“Who has spoken positively about the Prime Minister? The government’s achievements? Not many,” he asked.
Ahmad Zahid attributed this to insufficient dissemination and the opposition being smarter in countering government efforts.
