Almost 80pct of Sabah Umno members didn't vote for party - Asyraf

UMNO AGM | The outcome of the last Sabah election in which Umno only received 144,584 votes, despite recording 622,637 members, has served as the biggest “wake-up call” on a trend of declining support, said party secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

In revealing the numbers, Asyraf said the vote tally received by Umno only accounts for 23 percent of Sabah Umno members.

This means almost 80 percent of party members in the state did not vote for BN.

“We entered the contest confidently, believing we had more than 622,637 members, but the votes we received were only 144,584.

“The lesson is clear: members are not necessarily voters, and voters do not necessarily remain with us,” Asyraf said in his speech at the Umno general assembly today.

Umno’s strength eroded

In Sabah, he said the state’s political history has recorded three major “exodus” or waves of large-scale “migration” away from Umno.

“In 2016, with the establishment of Warisan, in 2018, when some leaders joined Bersatu, and in 2023, when others moved to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

“Each of these waves eroded Umno’s strength, cutting away - one by one - the lifeline of Sabah Umno’s struggle,” he said.

Asyraf also said the downward trend is not confined only to Sabah, citing “repeated” outcomes from the last three general elections.

In revealing the latest number of recorded Umno members, Asyraf said, “Therefore, as we approach the Malacca and Johor state elections and eventually the 16th general election, we must ask honestly: Does an increase of 46,655 members this year, bringing the total to 3.525 million, really suffice to guarantee victory?”

He added that, like in Sabah, statistics from other states similarly showed a significant gap between the number of members and the number of votes received.

“Loyalty today can no longer be assumed to come automatically,” he cautioned.

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