PETALING JAYA – In the wake of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) poor performance in the recent state polls, Umno information chief Datuk Azalina Othman Said defended party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi from calls for his resignation.
This follows Umno’s apparent rejection by Malay voters in the polls and also internal “disputes” within BN leadership itself.
“As the information chief, I read in detail all the views and criticisms hurled by numerous parties, from within and outside the party.
“This is the democracy we practise in Umno where everyone is free to give their views. There are those who won and those who lost in the recent elections, and we must understand the reality of this,” she said in a statement.
She said it was easy to point fingers, especially when one loses, and also to call for the resignation of BN chairman Zahid.
“Why must everything fall on the chairman’s shoulders? He did not contest in the state elections.
“What needs to change is not the president but how we work and run our campaigns,” she said.
She said BN must understand and acknowledge that it faces a deficit of knowledge and mastery of the digital platform when its opponents spend unlimited resources using those platforms to influence voters.
“BN needs to be ready to transform into a party that is more adept and knowledgeable in mastering digital technology and the unity government also needs to be prepared with mastery of digital platform warfare,” she said.
Azalina added that there is still room for improvement and BN must be ready to embrace changes. – The Vibes, August 22, 2023
