00:00The stark mismatch between Sabah UMNO's membership figures and the votes it secured during last year's state polls
00:07has exposed a confidence crisis within the party's state leadership, say political analysts.
00:14Bill Chabala of University Malaysia's Sabah said,
00:17weak leadership and prolonged internal conflict within Sabah UMNO were key factors behind the erosion of support.
00:25He pointed to the 2023 Kinabalu move when UMNO withdrew support for the state government led by Haji Jinor
00:33as a turning point that exposed internal fractures and damaged the party's credibility.
00:40Bilcher added that UMNO's appeal had been further eroded by its diminished standing after the 15th general election,
00:47when Barisan Nacional became reliant on other parties to stay in power at the federal level.
00:53At UMNO's Annual General Assembly on Friday,
00:56Secretary-General Ashraf Wajdi Dusuki revealed that nearly 80% of the party's Sabah members did not vote for UMNO in the state election.
01:06Meanwhile, UMS's Lee Kwok-teung said the gap reflected a lack of loyalty to the party,
01:12pointing out also that multiple party memberships are common in Sabah.
01:16Both analysts said a leadership overhaul was necessary if Sabah UMNO hopes to stem the exodus,
01:24with Lee urging the party's leadership to be more attuned to Sabah-specific issues,
01:29while Bilcher called for a rebranding of UMNO's political narrative in the state.
01:34Mirato FMT.
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