KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Bernama) — Wanita UMNO and Puteri UMNO must drive a trust-based agenda to win back people’s support and further strengthen the party ahead of the next general election.
Wanita UMNO chief Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said the ‘trust wave’ must become a movement for Wanita UMNO to regain the people’s confidence and subsequently help Barisan Nasional (BN) achieve victory in the next general election.
She said BN’s victories in Johor and Negeri Sembilan proved that people’s trust could be regained when the party machinery was united and worked hard, but the achievement should not be a reason for complacency.
Noraini said UMNO could not rely solely on the party’s past record of championing the people to gain support, but that people’s support must be based on trust.
“That is why we must give the people a reason to trust us again. They must believe that we understand their concerns.
“They must believe that we are willing to defend their interests. And they must believe that UMNO has the answers for their future,” she said when delivering her wing’s policy speech at the 2026 UMNO General Assembly (PAU 2026) at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL) here today.
Noraini said people’s trust could not be forced, bought or demanded, but had to be built through continuous efforts that gave them a reason to trust the party again.
Echoing this, Puteri UMNO chief Datuk Nurul Amal Mohd Fauzi said Puteri UMNO must serve as a bridge connecting the younger generation of women and the grassroots with decision-makers through an approach based on political trust to restore people’s confidence in the party.
She said the approach required the party to work until it earned the people’s trust, including by always being with the people, listening openly to criticism and being honest about what it could deliver.
“If young people do not trust us, our task is not to be angry with them for not trusting us. Our task is to give them a reason to trust us.
“Trust cannot be asked for. Trust must be built, and trust that is to endure must be built on truth,” she said when delivering her wing’s policy speech at PAU 2026 today.
Meanwhile, Nurul Amal said the demand for a minimum 30 per cent quota for the participation of Wanita UMNO and Puteri UMNO in candidate selection was no longer merely political rhetoric or a figure on paper, but an urgent need to balance the leadership structure at the state assembly (DUN) and parliamentary levels.
She said the mandatory percentage was important to ensure that various challenges faced by young women, including childcare, cost of living and career pressures, were not continually overlooked by policymakers.
She stressed that the target was not merely to appease the two wings, but something that must be translated into concrete action to ensure the voices of Wanita UMNO and Puteri UMNO continued to be respected within the party.
PAU 2026, held from Sept 9 to 12, with the UMNO wings’ general assemblies taking place today, involves 1,163 Wanita, 1,171 Youth and 1,145 Puteri delegates.
— BERNAMA