UMNO deputy president urges party to develop a fresh roadmap for GE16, focusing on youth issues like wages and digitalisation to stay relevant.
KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO must present a new agenda and cease relying on historical narratives to face the 16th general election, said deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He stated the party urgently needs a clear 24-month roadmap to remain relevant and retain voter confidence.
“A 25-year-old youth working for Grab or Foodpanda is not preoccupied with UMNO’s achievements 40 years ago. He votes based on hope for the future,” Mohamad said in his speech at the opening of the party’s wing assemblies.
He explained that about 50% of voters are aged 18 to 35 and did not experience Barisan Nasional’s peak era.
Mohamad added that an ideology based solely on Malay nationalism is no longer enough to secure support.
He urged the party to offer solutions on wages, home ownership, and plans for the gig economy.
The deputy president also called for accelerated digitalisation to ensure UMNO functions effectively online.
“Perhaps the time has come for us to imagine UMNO as a digital party. UMNO Digital or e-UMNO is not something impossible,” he said.
The UMNO General Assembly 2025 is being held at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur from January 14 to 17.
It brings together 6,412 delegates from the main assembly and its Wanita, Youth, and Puteri wings.
