KUALA LUMPUR: Outdated, backward and obsolete thinking among certain Malay leaders poses the greatest threat to the community, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said many of these leaders failed to recognise that Generations X, Y, Z and Alpha were no longer easily swayed by emotional politics used merely as a means to gain power.

"We need to practise politics that are rational and grounded in the best values. Sentimentalism will not help us win in the arenas of technology, tariffs, the advancement of knowledge or the future business world.

"The Malays must possess strong competitiveness, knowledge and superior skills. Only then can we become a great and respected nation," he said, in response to the formation of a new movement to unite the Malay community under a single umbrella by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.