Return of veterans Tok Pa, Noh won’t restore Umno dominance

PETALING JAYA: The return of political veterans Mustapa Mohamed and Noh Omar to Umno is expected to help the party regain some traditional seats, but it will not restore the Barisan Nasional lynchpin’s dominance at the national level, say analysts.

Azmi Hassan, of Akademi Nusantara, said the former Jeli and Tanjong Karang MPs would undoubtedly inject optimism into Umno, though they are unlikely to take on a more central role in the party or be fielded as candidates in upcoming elections.

Azmi expected Mustapa, also known as Tok Pa, and Noh to instead take on supporting roles behind the scenes.

“If Umno wants to use Tok Pa to regain Jeli, I don’t think it necessarily means making him a candidate. I think there are younger candidates who are capable to wresting Jeli with his help.

“The same goes with Noh. While Tanjong Karang is synonymous with him, the reality is that Umno needs to give the opportunity to young candidates with Noh supporting the candidate,” he told FMT.

Mustapa left Umno in September 2018 after BN fell out of power in the May 2018 general election (GE14). He joined Bersatu a month later but quit the party in September 2023.

He did not defend his Jeli parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election (GE15), after representing the constituency for five terms.

Noh was sacked from Umno in 2023 following a violation of party discipline during GE15. He later joined Bersatu but left the party in February.

Yesterday, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki confirmed that Mustapa and Noh had returned to the party, alongside Khairy Jamaluddin and Hishammuddin Hussein, who were sacked and suspended, respectively, in 2023.

Global Asia Consulting’s Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said Khairy and Hishammuddin could help steer Umno-BN out of the “darkness” it has been in since GE14.

“They carry a more urban and progressive image,” he said, adding that veterans like Mustapa and Noh would do little to boost Umno’s image at the national level.

“In fact, (fielding Tok Pa and Noh as candidates) would only highlight the weakness of the party structure in producing new leaders of national stature.”