INTERVIEW | The Umno general assembly has traditionally been the platform to debate national affairs and see an affirmation of support towards the Malay-based party which was once the leader of the coalition that led Malaysia for over 60 years.

This year's assembly, however, is set to be a significantly more muted affair after having being scaled down to just two days from the usual five and with a whole lot less fanfare.

The reason being is that the upcoming assembly on Sept 29 and 30 will be the first since Umno's humbling defeat at the hands of Pakatan Harapan coalition at the May 9 general polls.

It will also be the first assembly featuring the party's new leadership, following Umno elections in June, including its new Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

To him, the upcoming general assembly is a platform for self-reflection, important so that its members can begin the steps to face the next general election.

"In the last general election, the people did not reject Umno's Islam and Malay struggle but (they rejected Umno) on the question of the credibility of its leaders, the scandals it was facing, its management, integrity. Whether you want to debate this or not, it is this perception that led to Umno's fall and loss of power.

"On the Malay image, the question is not that we have not been relevant to our cause. We must stress this in the general assembly, especially since the assembly is a platform for reflection, and these reflections must be sincere and true," he told Malaysiakini in a recent interview.

It was important, too, that representatives be allowed to debate without any restrictions.

"Even is the assembly becomes the avenue for criticism of the party leadership, I feel this must be allowed as which other platforms could be better if not this yearly platform where important foundations are arranged and set into place setting Umno's future path," he said.

Asyraf was elected youth chief in the party polls on June 30 replacing Khairy Jamaluddin who together with party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was defeated by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the presidency.

Asyraf defeated his closest opponent Khairul Azwan Harun by just three votes.

The party's new deputy president is former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Mohamad Hasan while its new vice-presidents are former Johor menteri besar Khaled Nordin, former ministers Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Mahdzir Khalid.

Umno's new Wanita chief is Noraini Ahmad while the Puteri wing is now helmed by Zahida Zarik Khan.

Scared to speak

When questioned on the new leadership and the calls by certain quarters for change within the party at the expense of long-time members, Asyraf said the new leadership must be given a chance especially as they were elected by party grassroots through a democratic process.

"So even if you want or don't want (the new leadership), like or don't like, the system is democratic with its own strengths and weaknesses.

"The strength gives full freedom to members to choose […] while the selection is made by the majority, the person chosen may not always reflect the wish of the people or the general view of the party so how do we ensure the democratic system is ensured?

"At the same time, how do we ensure the Umno leadership is given the chance to lead Umno to where it wants to go in the future?" he posed.

To this end, Asyraf assured that for the sake of the rakyat, the Youth wing would not shy away from airing its views even if they were critical of party leaders.

He explained: "We, at the Youth level, are not apologetic, guilty or suspicious when stating our views as we see that (the Youth) must voice its criticism of the leaders to the point it truly represents the voice and aspirations of the people."

The former deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department compared this to the situation prior to the 14th general election when Umno members rarely voiced their opinions despite having members in the cabinet then.

"If before we were scared to speak it is because we had members in the cabinet, we were part of the government administration, so there were constraints and an impropriety (to voice out opinions).

"Today, we have no need to worry as what is important is that we voice out the people's aspirations, be tuned in to the pulse of the people and ensure the party leadership champions the rakyat," he said.

Umno, he said, must become a strong opposition in five years to serve as check and balance to the new Harapan government.