Hard work remains to win back urban Malay votes: Zahid

SHAH ALAM: Umno has lost the support of the Malays in urban areas and there is something seriously wrong, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said questions have to be asked how Umno lost the Shah Alam parliamentary seats and three state seats under it in a Malay majority area.
Ahmad Zahid urged Umno leaders to go down to the ground and get to know the people and not wait for elections before making themselves known to the voters.
He said the politics of today is no longer simple and straightforward, especially in urban areas due to the rapid development of the telecommunications industry.
"People know instantly what is happening around them due to social media," he said when opening the Shah Alam Umno division meeting today.
He said the middle-class way of thinking is very different and they can show the power they have at the ballot box.
"There is a need to change our approach when dealing with them," he said, adding that the party cannot use the same approach when courting rural Malays and urban Malays.
He pointed that those living in urban areas are more sophisticated than rural folk.
"The urban lifestyle has changed, Today we have the hipster culture, people who don't mind paying RM15 for a cup coffee," he said.
He said Umno needs to understand and learn how to woo these people if it wants to win back urban seats.
He said the government poured money in developing urban centres, its infrastructure and all other related things but with time these urban seats have been lost.
The deputy prime minister said the time has come to stop blaming others for the loss of seats, instead Umno needs to look at why the seats have been lost.
"We need to take responsibility for the losses and work hard to win them back," he said.