Subang Umno chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah said such remarks were inappropriate, especially as Umno works to strengthen its support among the Malays and Bumiputeras.

“Insensitive comments like this disrupt the party’s efforts to win over the Malays, particularly Umno loyalists,” Arman said in a Facebook post, adding that such statements arise when “brain cells fail to connect and end up in the wrong place”.

Yesterday, Suara TV quoted Lokman as saying Umno will face defeat if a general election is held in the near future, as the majority of the Malays refuse to support Umno because of its partnership with DAP.

“Frankly speaking, we would be finished if an election were to take place now,” he said.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’m quite disappointed with the Malays. A significant portion of the Malays today, I’d say over 50%, aren’t using reason. They’re driven by emotion.

“Why don’t they support the current government today? Because the government includes DAP. They fail to realise there were Chinese and Indian representatives previously.

“But we lived in harmony during the 61 years of Barisan Nasional rule.”

Lokman also said the Malays fail to recognise the mistakes they made in rejecting Umno and BN in 2018 and 2022.

“If the Malays used their brains to think, instead of following their emotions, they would have corrected the mistake they made in 2018 in 2022. But not only did they stay the same, they made things even worse,” he said.