Kuala lumpur: UMNO must move out of its comfort zone and take extraordinary steps, including generating new ideas, to enable the party to regain its dominance in the country's political landscape, said its president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He emphasized that the party needs to rebrand itself and adopt political marketing strategies to shed its nostalgic image and position itself as a modern political force. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ahmad Zahid stressed that this strategic shift should not only involve UMNO but also other parties within the Barisan Nasional coalition. He highlighted the urgency of this transformation with an upcoming general election in about 22 months, advocating for innovative products, branding, and marketing to appeal to voters. Reflecting on past electoral setbacks in 2018 and 2022, he warned that without significant changes, UMNO risks continued decline and irrelevance. Ahmad Zahid made these remarks during the first anniversary dinner of the UMNO Political School (S PU), where he was joined by UMNO vice-president and Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development, he also addressed the need to counter negative perceptions and narratives that have alienated voters, describing these as a collective nightmare that must be dismantled. He also commented on the SPU, recognizing its graduates as the future leaders and young thinkers of UMNO, responsible for analyzing issues and providing insights to the party's leadership.