15/01/2026

THURSDAY | JAN 15, 2026

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‘Bolder digital strategies to reach wider audience’

PN leadership vacuum drags on PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) has yet to fix a date to decide on its new chairman, more than two weeks after the post was left vacant following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation as coalition opposition leader. PN supreme council member Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the coalition had not determined when a meeting would be convened to resolve the leadership vacuum. “The decision will be made during a supreme council meeting before deciding who the candidate for chairman will be,”the PAS deputy president told theSun. Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Pahang PN chairman and Kubang Kerian MP, confirmed that no date had been fixed for the meeting but declined to elaborate. PN chief whip and PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan did not respond to calls or messages seeking confirmation of the meeting. The chairman’s post has been vacant since Jan 1 following Muhyiddin’s resignation on Dec 30. His decision to step down was followed by the resignation of four PN state committee chairmen, including Selangor PN chief Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali who also relinquished his secretary-general post. The others who were Perak PN chief Datuk Seri Faizal Azumu, as well as the coalition chiefs for Johor and Negeri Sembilan, Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal and Mohamad Hanifah Abu Baker. The resignations came several days after political turmoil in Perlis which saw a PAS menteri besar step down before being replaced by a Bersatu leader. On Monday night, Bersatu’s supreme council, which met at the party’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya, accepted Muhyiddin’s resignation. However, the reasons behind his decision have yet to be made public. “The decision was mine alone and I will not explain it until a PN meeting is held,” Muhyiddin told reporters after chairing the meeting, which reportedly lasted four hours and stretched into the early hours of Tuesday. Further attempts by theSun to obtain clarity on the matter with other leaders also proved futile. Speculation is rife over who will succeed Muhyiddin, with several prominent figures emerging as possible contenders. Among them are Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and PAS vice-president and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar. Both wield considerable influence among members from the coalition and their parties. On Tuesday, a photo of Samsuri meeting with Muhyiddin was shared on Facebook with a caption – Alhamdulillah, Insya Allah . It added to the belief that Samsuri is among the frontrunners for the chairmanship. – By Ikhwan Zulkaflee

Ű BY IKHWAN ZULKAFLEE newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o There must be stronger social media push to highlight hundreds of initiatives for the rakyat , says Zahid

Johari said Umno must now focus on fielding candidates who can function effectively as a team, instead of relying on individual prominence. “You can’t have everyone as a striker and you can’t have everyone as a goalkeeper. You need a complete team with different strengths. Unity must first be felt within the party before it can be projected to the public. “Before the people miss Umno, members must miss Umno. If we don’t value and strengthen our unity, how can we expect people to support us?” – By Ikhwan Zulkaflee dominates the public space,” he said, stressing that passivity is no longer an option in contemporary politics. In his speech, Zahid also referred to presentations by several ministers and senior leaders on concerns among various communities, including Malays, Chinese and Indians, as well as post-election analyses of the Sabah state election. He said that while party and coalition manifestos differ – including those of Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) – there are notable overlaps in the issues highlighted. “Almost all manifestos touch on the same issues such as the cost of living, unemployment and housing. This shows that the people’s problems are universal, regardless of which party or coalition is involved.” However, Zahid stressed that fundamental differences in approaches and policies exist and must be communicated more effectively to highlight the government’s distinctiveness and strengths. He urged Umno’s information machinery, along with those of other government parties, to strengthen communication strategies, particularly in engaging young voters and social media users, to ensure the government’s narrative is not drowned out. “We are part of the government. But being in government does not mean we should remain silent. The best way to defend ourselves is to confront issues with facts and strategy.” Zahid warned that failure to dominate the public communication space could have serious consequences for public support and political stability. Yesterday’s event marked the start of the 2025 Umno general assembly. The four-day assembly, originally scheduled for August last year, was initially moved to November before being postponed again as the party focused on the Nov 29 Sabah state election. More than 6,000 delegates are expected to attend, with discussions set to focus on the party’s direction, including whether Umno and BN will contest the next general election (due by Feb 2028) independently.

KUALA

LUMPUR:

The

government’s machinery

information

has been “outmanoeuvred” and outpaced by the Opposition’s social media strategies, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said. The deputy prime minister pointed to weaknesses in message delivery and narrative control, saying these have prevented many government achievements from gaining public attention and support. “The Madani government has introduced hundreds of initiatives for the people, but many of these efforts have failed to gain traction online or reach a wide audience. “This has created space for anti establishment groups to shape public perception,” he told Umno’s information machinery at the World Trade Centre yesterday. Zahid was speaking at the Simposium Politik Era Digital 2026,

parties remain tied to a more restrained, establishment-style approach. “There are those who, when in opposition, are extremely vocal and aggressive on social media. But once they become the government, they abandon that approach and their popularity declines. We do not want to repeat the same mistake.” He admitted that parts of the ruling party’s machinery remain overly reliant on an “establishment” mindset, leaving them ill-equipped to respond to what he described as modern political “psychological warfare” and “side wars”. “We are attacked, yet we do not counterattack. We are attacked, yet we do not even defend ourselves. In the end, the opposing narrative

organised by the Umno information bureau. He said since the Madani government took office 38 months ago, 733 new initiatives have been introduced and implemented across sectors, including the cost of living, public welfare, employment and housing. “This figure was presented by the chief secretary to the government himself. The question is, how many people speak positively about these efforts? There are some, but not many. This is a problem we must acknowledge.” Zahid said the Opposition has been more effective in deploying aggressive social media strategies, often playing on anger and provocation, while government

The four-day Umno general assembly, which kicked off yesterdaty at the WTC, will bring together representatives from 191 Umno divisions nationwide. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN

Unity critical in Umno, members must close ranks: Johari Ghani KUALA LUMPUR: Umno can no longer afford internal divisions as the party faces a weakened political position, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said. international challenges. “We can no longer continue to differ among ourselves. The party is no longer as strong as it once was. We must unite to face the challenges domestically and from abroad.” Addressing repeated calls for political unity, Johari said cohesion should be assessed in the context of today’s political realities compared with the past. Asked whether Umno’s role in the Unity government helped bring Malay voters closer to the party, Johari said: “Honestly, I don’t have an answer. We have to wait for the election. That is the only real measure.”

“If we compare before and now, we are actually more united than people think. Today, no party has an absolute majority, yet we can still cooperate and govern the country together with many other parties and the country remains peaceful.” He added that this reflected a growing political maturity, with parties of different backgrounds and ideologies able to work together.

He stressed that unity is now critical for the party’s survival and country’s political stability. “Malaysia has entered a new political era where no single party can dominate on its own,”he told reporters after attending the president’s briefing ahead of the assembly. “Cooperation and compromise are unavoidable if we are to govern effectively and face both domestic and

He cited Sabah as an example, noting that Umno contested 45 seats but won only six, while Pakatan Harapan secured just one. “Electoral strength can no longer be defined in simple terms. In Sabah, the state government has to be formed through a coalition. There is no longer an absolute majority like in the past. We have to accept that reality.”

Johari said political differences must be managed strategically to ensure political stability, which in turn would allow the country to benefit from sustainable economic growth. “Political stability is important. When there is stability, we can give confidence to investors and ensure that economic development can be enjoyed by everyone.”