KOTA BARU, June 8 — Kelantan Umno must provide opportunities and cultivate more young leaders to spearhead Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming elections.

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, however, said these emerging leaders should work alongside seasoned members of the party.

He said the importance of identifying and mentoring these young leaders from an early stage is to ensure they are adequately prepared and aligned with the party’s direction.

"We shouldn’t wait until a month before Parliament is dissolved to search for young leaders (to stand for candidacy).

"They need time to become known to the public and to serve the community effectively,” he told reporters after officiating the Kelantan BN Convention 2024 here today.

Johari, who is also Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, said if young leaders are not introduced to the public early on, their contributions will go unrecognised when elections come around.

"I have stressed before that before we achieved independence, Umno’s early members struggled for our freedom. Once independence was secured, they provided us with leaders of remarkable calibre to govern the country.

"However, now, we have lost ‘power’ and have been defeated in eight consecutive electoral terms in Kelantan. Therefore, we must adapt and collaborate with the government to nurture leaders who can embody future aspirations and political progress,” he said.

Separately, Johari said BN will support candidates from its partners in the Unity Government in the upcoming Sungai Bakap state by-election in Penang.

He cited the previous Kuala Kubu Baru by-election as an example, where BN assisted the DAP candidate from Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Also present at the convention was Kelantan BN chairman Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub. — Bernama