Abstract

With its worst outing in the 15th General Election in November 2022 and subordinate role in the Anwar Administration, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) appears to be headed towards terminal decline.

Indeed, Malaysia’s Grand Old Party and the multi-racial coalition, Barisan Nasional, it leads have lost steady support among the electorate in more than a decade. No serious internal review of its performance has been made public and it has stuck to the same leadership and ethos, forgoing multiple opportunities for course change and renewal. Can UMNO win again on its old brand particularly with interlopers like Bersatu and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) snapping at its heels?

This seminar aims to assess where UMNO is today, in terms of its leadership, values, membership, and voters. It also seeks to project the party’s trajectory on these fronts in the coming year.

About the Speakers

Shahril Hamdan is a Visiting Fellow at the Malaysia Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Mr Shahril holds a MSc in Sociology (Race, Ethnicity and Postcolonial Studies) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Politics from the University of Manchester. He was a Malaysian politician who served as Economic Director at the Prime Minister’s Office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was formerly the Information Chief of UMNO. Alongside his political experience, Mr Shahril has worked in management consulting, venture capital and the energy sector. He has recently founded a risk advisory firm to serve clients navigating Malaysia’s political economy. His research interests include developments in Malaysian politics, particularly since the 2018 and 2022 General Election and the ramifications for national governance, and Malaysia’s political economy at a time of domestic and geopolitical uncertainties.

Bastien Onn is Deputy Chief of the UMNO Segamat Division in Johor, Malaysia. After joining UMNO in 1997 as a normal member, he participated in Gerakan Reformasi from 1998 till 1999. In 2001, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff and returned to Malaysia. Subsequently, he was elected Youth Chief of UMNO Segamat in 2013. From 2018 to 2023, Bastien was Executive Committee (exco) of UMNO Youth Chief of Malaysia. Bastien was former Minister Hishammuddin Onn’s Special Officer on international relations and policy in three ministries, namely, Education, Home Affairs, and Defence.