Barisan out to restore confidence

Better together: Ahmad Zahid (centre) with MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran (left) and his deputy Datuk Seri M. Saravanan during the groundbreaking ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. — S.S. KANESAN/The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: There is every possibility that Barisan Nasional could regain public confidence if it works hard, says Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the political pendulum is always swinging.

“If we continue strengthening our efforts, I’m confident Barisan will rise again through these challenges,” said Ahmad Zahid, who also acknowledged that the coalition is currently facing a big challenge as it had been rejected by most Malaysians at the ballot box.

“The Malays rejected us, the Chinese rejected us, and the Indians also rejected us. This is the new national political landscape, and it is very unhealthy,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid said Barisan’s dismal showing in the 15th General Election (GE15) last year and the recent state polls can be addressed by vigorous efforts to woo Malaysian voters. “We must be supported by all races in Malaysia once again,” he said.

He added that even though the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan pact did not perform well in the recent state polls, it is the start of a long journey to reshape public confidence towards the unity government.

“Therefore, we should not have any agenda to leave each other out in Barisan. We must support each other,” said Ahmad Zahid after officiating a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the new MIC headquarters in Jalan Rahmat here yesterday.

The new RM250mil building will have two towers with an array of facilities such as a hotel, serviced apartments, a conference hall and business space.

At a later press conference, Ahmad Zahid said differences of opinion are normal in Barisan, given the different parties in the coalition.

“We must admit that there are differences. But most important is the understanding between parties and as long-time siblings in this coalition, we tolerate these differences.

“When the time comes, we need each other and together we will strengthen the coalition of these four parties, together with the friends of Barisan,” he added.

In GE15 last year, Barisan only managed to win 30 parliamentary seats. In the six state elections on Aug 12, Umno only won a total of 19 state seats, comprising one in Kelantan, two in Penang, two in Selangor and 14 in Negri Sembilan.