KUALA LUMPUR: Umno must give young voters a reason to trust the party and not just expect their support, says Puteri Umno delegate Nadhirah Afiqah Abdul Rahim.
She said there was no magic formula for winning over younger voters.
"If we want them to understand us better, we too must understand what they need.
"We cannot just expect them to trust us blindly. They need to be given a reason to do so," she said when debating the Umno president's policy speech here on Friday (Sept 11).
Nadhirah Afiqah said mature politics was not about choosing between upholding principles and improving people's livelihoods, but doing both at the same time.
She also said the party must be brave enough to confront its past and never become complacent.
"History has taught us this. Before the 15th General Election, we won handsomely in the Johor and Melaka state elections.
"But when the general election came around, we only won 26 seats in the Dewan Rakyat," she said.
Nadhirah Afiqah also called for more seats to be allocated to the youth wing to contest, expressing hope that this would be reflected in the next Melaka state election.
Meanwhile, Kangar Umno chief Datuk Dr Fathul Bari Mat Jahya said the party must adopt greater flexibility and tolerance in navigating political differences.
He said this was important in political negotiations, where parties should not expect to get everything they want and must instead find common ground.
"That is why there must be tolerance, flexibility and togetherness," he said when debating the policy speech at the Umno general assembly here on Friday.
Fathul Bari said political differences were not new and should be handled through discussion and negotiation.
He then reminded Umno to take a different approach if it was given the mandate to govern again.
He said Umno should look ahead and focus on its agenda for the country, rather than allowing political grievances to shape its actions.
