MASJID TANAH: Umno must not blame others for their faults and must start looking within if it wants to regain power in the country, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
He said for many years, Umno enjoyed a loyal following and consistently managed to win two-thirds of the seats in Parliament until the 11th General Election (GE).
"What happened then? We started feeling that we were very strong, with a great history. We were part of those who fought for independence, and we built this country.
"However, a culture began to grow within Umno, and that is the culture of chasing leadership positions," he said in his speech when officiating the Masjid Tanah Umno division meeting here, today.
He said party members failed to recognise that people were evolving with the times, and as the country progressed, new ways of thinking developed among Malaysians.
Johari, who is also Plantation and Commodities Minister, said the public started giving "symptoms" for Umno's decreasing power starting with GE12, when the party lost its two-thirds majority as well as its control in five states.
"They (the public) saw Umno leaders fighting among themselves to become leaders. Instead of fighting to bring victory, they were fighting to become candidates.
"We fielded different candidates, but the same keeps happening, we are still scrambling to become candidates.
"This is to the point where those who don't become candidates jump ship or leave the party. Those who remain in the party, meanwhile, sabotage the party.
"So do not blame others. When our ideals and thoughts are not aligned, in the end, we will fall," he added.
Johari said Umno's power continued to deteriorate in GE13 and GE14, and although a lot of leaders, component parties and supporters had left, Umno still continued with its old ways.
"In the end, we are only left with 26 seats in Parliament."
He reminded members that power was not permanent and that they should be dynamic in politics.
"If we hold on to nostalgia, we will go nowhere. The landscape of politics have changed, we cannot use the same landscape as the time of Hang Tuah or Hang Jebat," he added.