Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki issued a strong caution to the party today.
He stressed that growing membership does not automatically deliver votes or election wins.
Sabah’s Harsh Lesson
In his speech at the Umno General Assembly opening, Asyraf called the 17th Sabah general election last year the party’s biggest wake-up call.
“We entered with confidence, believing we had more than 622,637 members.”
“However, we secured only 144,584 votes.”
“The lesson stands clear: members are not necessarily voters, and voters do not always stay loyal,” he said.
Umno contested 41 of 73 seats in the Sabah polls, which ended on November 29.
The party claimed just six seats, one of which—Lamag—is now vacant after the death of Bung Moktar Radin.
Waves of Exodus
Asyraf noted Sabah’s political history shows three major setbacks for Umno, which he termed “waves of political exodus.”
These involved the 2016 formation of Parti Warisan, Umno leaders joining Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in 2018, and shifts to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah in 2023.
“Each wave has eroded Umno’s strength, severing it piece by piece,” he said.
National Trend Persists
Asyraf pointed out this decline extends beyond Sabah. He highlighted the pattern across GE13, GE14, and GE15.
Looking ahead to the Melaka and Johor state elections, then the 16th general election, he posed a tough question.
“Is our gain of 46,655 members this year, pushing the total to 3.525 million, enough to ensure victory?”
Statistics across states reveal a wide gap between members and votes received.
“This reality demands courage—not just in Sabah, but nationwide. Loyalty can no longer be assumed,” he concluded.
