Will UMNO turn to old guard for party revival with ex-warlord Nazri Aziz offering to contest in GE16?
FORMER US envoy Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz has offered himself as a candidate for the next general elections should UMNO need him to help re-establish itself as a dominant political force.
This follows the return of exiled former Youth wing leader Khairy Jamaluddin who was welcomed back into the party fold during the party’s 2025 annual general assembly recently after a two-year hiatus.
The 72-year-old Nazri who was also a former UMNO supreme council member told Berita Harian that he is still active in his Padang Rengas stronghold and is “raring to go” when the time came.
“I’m still the Padang Rengas UMNO division head. We’ll see how it goes whether I contest again or not,” declared the former minister in the prime minister’s department (law and parliament).
Recall that Nazri has chosen not to defend the Padang Rengas parliamentary seat which he had held for six consecutive terms in the 15th general election.
The decision saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold fell to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in a three three-cornered contest.
Commenting further on the current political landscape, Nazri is of the view that UMNO’s collaboration with PAS through Muafakat Nasional (MN) would be more appropriate to consider after the GE16 rather than before the election.
Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz
According to him, if the collaboration is implemented too early, it risks affecting UMNO’s chances of resurgence in states currently controlled by PAS and PN such as Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and Terengganu.
‘Better to serve mosque committee’
“UMNO did not win a single seat in those four states in GE15. If we cooperate before the election, UMNO can shut down there,” he envisages. “In political battles, we’ve to be smart in strategising. Cooperation can be made but not now.”
Apart from leading the PM’s Department, Nazri had also held the portfolios of entrepreneur development minister (1999-2004) and tourism and culture minister (2013–2018).
The news was shared on the DemiRakyat Channel’s Facebook platform with the post generating 5.1K likes, 2.3K comments and 45 shares, denoting that the old guard could still attract attention though not all of it positive.
Some UMNO observers were less than enamoured by his eagerness, urging the veteran politician not to be power crazy by stepping aside to give younger candidates a chance to prove themselves.
This sentiment was also echoed by a few other commenters who felt that the former de facto law minister’s era has passed.
As such, it would be better off for him to focus his attention on his grandkids, opined one obvious ageist, while another snidely remarked that this was a “platform to chase more money”.
Detractors saw this offer as more evidence that UMNO has slid into irrelevance and the return of the same old faces was a sign that the party was bereft of not just new ideas but new blood as well.
One commenter cheekily suggested that given his age, the former BN lawmaker should instead be offering himself to serve on the committee of his local mosque instead of contesting at general elections.
If UMNO is serious about reinventing itself for the next polls, it may be wise to heed the feedback to such a move.
Many commenters feel such a move backwards will do little to help UMNO reinvent itself or capture the Malay vote (or any vote for that matter). As one commenter surmised, the age of the dinosaur is well and truly gone. – Jan 29, 2026
According to him, if the collaboration is implemented too early, it risks affecting UMNO’s chances of resurgence in states currently controlled by PAS and PN such as Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and Terengganu.
‘Better to serve mosque committee’
“UMNO did not win a single seat in those four states in GE15. If we cooperate before the election, UMNO can shut down there,” he envisages. “In political battles, we’ve to be smart in strategising. Cooperation can be made but not now.”
Apart from leading the PM’s Department, Nazri had also held the portfolios of entrepreneur development minister (1999-2004) and tourism and culture minister (2013–2018).
The news was shared on the DemiRakyat Channel’s Facebook platform with the post generating 5.1K likes, 2.3K comments and 45 shares, denoting that the old guard could still attract attention though not all of it positive.
Mohamed Nazri, 72, yang juga bekas Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-undang dan Parlimen), berkata beliau masih aktif sebagai Ketua UMNO Bahagian Padang Rengas dan bersedia mempertimbangkan keputusan tersebut apabila tiba masanya.
Artikel penuh: https://demirakyatchannel.my/…/kalau-umno-mahu-saya-sedia-…/
Some UMNO observers were less than enamoured by his eagerness, urging the veteran politician not to be power crazy by stepping aside to give younger candidates a chance to prove themselves.
This sentiment was also echoed by a few other commenters who felt that the former de facto law minister’s era has passed.
As such, it would be better off for him to focus his attention on his grandkids, opined one obvious ageist, while another snidely remarked that this was a “platform to chase more money”.
Detractors saw this offer as more evidence that UMNO has slid into irrelevance and the return of the same old faces was a sign that the party was bereft of not just new ideas but new blood as well.
One commenter cheekily suggested that given his age, the former BN lawmaker should instead be offering himself to serve on the committee of his local mosque instead of contesting at general elections.
If UMNO is serious about reinventing itself for the next polls, it may be wise to heed the feedback to such a move.
Many commenters feel such a move backwards will do little to help UMNO reinvent itself or capture the Malay vote (or any vote for that matter). As one commenter surmised, the age of the dinosaur is well and truly gone. – Jan 29, 2026
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