KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan opened his party’s general assembly this year with a message of positivity, warning his delegates to eschew the toxic politics and hate speech that is taking over social media.

He urged members to reject such negativity and to instead build unity, saying the party is beginning to see the benefits of joining the unity government over the past two years.

When launching the assemblies for Umno’s Youth and Women’s wings, Mohamad, also known as Tok Mat, said there was an unprecedented rise of "toxic politics” in Malaysia. He described this phenomenon as being characterised by extreme slander, hatred, and derogatory language.

He said that since the 15th general election, there was a significant increase in "political hate speech” and emphasised that social media has become a platform for promoting this toxic environment.

"In my observation, mature, polite, substantive, and idea-driven politics have vanished from the Malay political landscape. What has emerged is what I call ‘toxic and false politics’ on an extraordinary scale,” he said.

He warned that this extreme hatred and toxic politics would stunt the Malay community if they were to embrace it, as it would encourage them to reject truthfulness, learning, and even progress.

"It will benefit no one and will only deepen the divisions among Malays. It will severely damage Malay political culture and decorum, reducing the standards and ethics of Malay politics to the lowest level,” Mohamad added.

Looking ahead, Tok Mat stressed that Umno’s future hinges on its ability to combat toxic politics effectively. He said all expressions of hatred, demeaning others, and using derogatory titles are not a true reflection of Umno’s character and morals.

"Do not let a single stain represent the entire thinking of Umno,” he cautioned.

He used the example of the Southport riots in the UK, where misinformation playing on Islamophobia was used to target Muslim migrants through riots and violence.

He urged Umno to become a "rational political force,” combating toxic politics with knowledge, wisdom, and goodness using reason to make their decisions.

"Our responses should be driven by reason, not shallow impulses; by data, not insults; and by wisdom, not slander. To effectively combat toxic politics, we need a robust strategy, as it has reached a very serious and dangerous level. If not contained, it will fuel racial and hateful tensions, potentially leading to violence,” Tok Mat warned.

Umno is holding its annual general meeting this week, beginning with the individual movements and culminating in the main general assembly on Saturday.