THE recent appointment of the deputy president of UMNO Mohamad Hasan as the party's new election director seems being lauded by many, including those who are politically independent.
When the Perikatan Nasional government was formed last year's March, the former chief minister of Negeri Sembilan was highly expected to be a cabinet minister with senatorship, but his name was not in the prime minister's choice.
His boasted "corporate mind" image has been pulling people's trust towards his leadership in steering UMNO's reinvigoration in the keenly-awaited 15th general election.
In a recent Facebook post made by the party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, he aspires that UMNO would shine again if the people could give chance to the party to be the government through the ballot box.
From my frank perspective, the appointment of Mohamad Hasan or familiarly called "Tok Mat" as the party's head of election could be impactful for the party's future if he could formulate a recipe of winning the urban seats.
Especially in Negeri Sembilan, the state he led for more than 10 years as a chief minister, winning the parliamentary seats like Seremban and Rasah should be focused in his plan to prove his credibility as the electoral director.
In the last general election that unseated him from the chief ministership, the state's Barisan Nasional was defeated in 20 state seats and 5 parliamentary seats, including Port Dickson and Kuala Pilah. The unprecedented defeat should not be repeated and has to be mended with sensible strategies that can win the voters' hearts back.
Leading a profit-oriented organisation doesn't have much difference than heading a political party's electoral direction, and I believe Tok Mat has admitted to the fact. Having strategies to win votes needs an experienced man like him to find the right key to regaining the trusts of the urban electorates.
Besides Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor's parliamentary seats should also be in the plan of re-winning. Potential seats like Setiawangsa could not be given up to other political rivals, especially the incumbents.
The officially-registered Pejuang could be the possible competitor against UMNO in the GE15. Muda, whose registration is yet to be confirmed, is expected to contest in all 11 Kuala Lumpur seats if it doesn't affiliate with the incumbents' political pacts.
As many political observants said, freshly-formed parties like Muda and Pejuang must never be underestimated as it could potentially pull votes from urban voters.
Even Warisan, which is expanding its political empire beyond the Borneo state of Sabah, could be competitive in its maiden electoral appearance of GE15 in the Peninsular.
Such challenges that would be faced by the UMNO's election director will surely gauge his true ability in achieving electoral victory for the party he has been a member for decades.
Contesting in the Rembau parliamentary seat, as he announced earlier, may be the best thing to do for his political career, and that, as I foresee, could inspire winning factor for UMNO as a whole as long as the party is willing to give way to more young, hopeful and reliable faces to be candidates in offering delightful comparative advantages against its political opponents.
When the country's political landscape is now being competitive, the long-surviving political party's reinvigoration in GE15 is excitingly awaited with Tok Mat sailing the ship towards achieving it.
* Amerul Azry Abdul Aziz is an independent writer who now views politics as something that can be researched.
** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.
Amerul Azry Abdul Aziz
Sun Jul 18 2021
Contesting in the Rembau parliamentary seat, may be the best thing to do for Tok Mat's political career, and that could inspire winning factor for UMNO as a whole. - Filepix
ANALYSIS - What could happen if Trump rejects the US election results
If Trump seems to be losing, the delay could let him claim fraud and undermine confidence in election officials.
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.