KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein today suggested critics have little proof to support the view that he and other Umno ministers have shown subpar performance.

The defence minister said Umno would not have secured back-to-back victories at the Melaka and Johor state elections if the allegations were true.

"I feel obligated to address complaints that Umno ministers are not performing… I want to know what they mean, as it includes myself as a minister in the Cabinet,” he told reporters gathered at the 2021 Umno annual general assembly here.

"If (we) really have not performed, I think our party’s success in the state elections would not have been achieved, as it was dependent on our success and performance in government,” he added.

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan made the criticism publicly when he officiated the respective congress of the party’s three wings on Wednesday evening.

He claimed that Umno ministers in the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob haven’t performed "convincingly” but suggested some have "tried their best.”

Mohamad has been a vocal critic of Umno leaders who are seen as close to Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders, and had pushed for the party to sever ties with the pact. PN, led by Umno splinter Bersatu, and Umno are now in a coalition government.

Hishammuddin suggested his detractors should specify how exactly he has underperformed as defence minister.

Malaysiakini reported that Umno lost 17 out of 18 army voting streams in the Sungai Udang constituency, Melaka, to PN.

Sungai Udang was one of two seats PN won in the state election, the other being Bemban.