OVER four days last week, some 6,000 Umno delegates, including members from the party's three wings, engaged in "soul searching" when they gathered at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
The Umno General Assembly took place just four days after the party wrested the Nenggiri seat from Pas in its stronghold state of Kelantan on Aug 17.
While the win provided a boost for the party, delegates were cautioned against complacency and urged to adopt a new approach to regain the support of the people.
At the winding-up session on Saturday, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani gave the delegates a reality check by reminding them of the party's declining popularity in the last four general elections.
Umno, along with its Barisan Nasional component parties, held a 63 per cent popularity rating after winning 188 parliamentary seats in the 11th General Election in 2004.
Since then, Umno's popularity has continued on a downward trend, dropping to 50 per cent in GE12, 47 per cent in GE13, and 33 per cent in GE14 when BN lost its six-decade-long hold on power.
"GE15 was the worst. Not only did our popular vote drop, we also lost control of several state governments," said Johari.
"To become dominant again, Umno has a heavy responsibility that should not rest solely on the shoulders of the president, but also on the 191 division chiefs, 22,000 branches and members of the supreme council."
Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the win in Nenggiri did not reflect the overall picture of the Malay support for the party in the next general election.
The BN chairman made it clear that Umno was not maksum (infallible) and that it must adopt new approaches to win back the support of the people.
"Yes, we have 60 years of experience of being the backbone of the government. But we must self-reflect and be self-critical to address weaknesses in our party."
To ensure that Umno leaders and members work towards the common goal, Zahid unveiled the party's three political pillars to help the party navigate the political landscape and prepare to face future elections.
Apart from setting a target to increase the number of parliamentary seats to ensure Umno becomes the dominant party in the formation of the government, the other pillars included collaborating with parties that accept Islam and Malay primacy as the core of the cooperation, as well as ensuring moderate politics by adopting a centrist approach as a consensus model to maintain the country's stability.
Veteran Umno leader Datuk Mustapha Yaakub said delegates must follow Zahid's lead by moving beyond nostalgia and focusing on the future.
Using the old approach of telling stories about Umno's contribution to gain the country's independence or its role in the New Economic Policy, he said, may no longer be relevant as most of the younger generation were born after that period.
"Holding on to nostalgia is not enough if we want to win back the support of Malays, especially now that there are other Malay-dominant parties besides Umno."
Umno Youth permanent chairman Wan Md Hazlin Agyl Wan Hassan said party members must realise that winning back the support of Malays was not an easy task.
He said this year's general assembly was different, with Zahid setting a new and clear direction, as well as acknowledging the party's mistakes.
Umno information secretary Datuk Suraya Yaacob said it was time for party leaders and members to move on from the dark episodes of GE14 and GE15.
She said delegates must communicate Zahid's vision and strategies to their divisions and branches, ensuring everyone worked towards a shared goal.