Umno senator Khairul Azwan Harun said his party must get out of its echo chamber and listen to the wider population rather than just Umno members.

"Leaders must take the first step, escape our Umno echo chamber, embrace different perspectives, the one that voted us out.

"Umno members' opinions are no longer king. The rakyat's voice is a far better determinant of our political relevance," he said in a statement today.

Khairul's statement comes two days after former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said that BN leaders' narrative that Pakatan Harapan was not the way forward should cease.

Khairy had said that the reason voters chose Harapan was not because of the coalition's promises, but only to oust BN, which he said must change direction to remain relevant.

Khairul, who was previously Khairy's number two in Umno Youth, also made a case against steering Umno further right.

"Taking the party from far right to centre right of the political spectrum offers new appeal for multicultural and consociational politics so that Umno is the best alternative," his statement read.

Khairul also stressed that even though Umno was a Malay party, it must defend the rights of all communities.

"Protecting Malay rights means protecting everyone's rights because we are one nation, and a nation divided is a threat to Malay progress.

"Of course, Umno should continue to protect what it was created to do, but that does not mean we can forget about other races in Malaysia. 

"Umno members now need to take a step back to use this time and brainstorm a new narrative and strategy of winning elections," he said.