BN lost Selangor to the federal opposition because of “emotional” urban voters, according to Umno Kelana Jaya chief Yusoff Haniff.

He said Umno and BN elected representatives have provided good service to voters, but urbanites - who he said make up 92 percent of Selangor voters - can be overcome by emotions.

“We in the city can sometimes get emotional […] That’s why in the past two elections, it is not because BN or Umno representatives did not provide service (that BN lost to the opposition).

“We have provided good service, but because emotions prevailed over cooler heads, we were thrown out without any concrete reason,” Yusoff said when closing the Kelana Jaya Umno divisional meeting today.

He said BN under Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s leadership had introduced various measures to improve people’s lives, such as tackling crime and relieving traffic congestion.

He also claimed that although the PKR-led Selangor government and its local governments are rich, the people are not enjoying its wealth.

Urbanites don't like house visits

However, despite Yusoff’s disparaging remarks, Umno de facto deputy president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the closing ceremony’s audience to change tactics and adopt new technologies in order to woo urban voters and retake Selangor from the federal opposition.

He said the opposition has taken advantage of social media platforms to campaign and even the police have modernised by allowing reports to be lodged online.

In the meantime, he said Umno is still campaigning door-to-door, whereas urban dwellers value their privacy and don't like having strangers knocking at their doors.

"We in Kelana Jaya should do that too. It is true that we can knock on every door, whether a landed property, a flat, or even a condominium.

"We may knock, but urban dwellers don't like their doors knocked on. Urban dwellers prefer to be 'knocked' in their hearts and minds through online communication channels, all information reaches them," he said.