He said the Umno grassroots machinery attempted to trace them but all these efforts were in vain because many of them were working elsewhere.

“We have to surmount many challenges but Umno will persevere.

“The important thing is to create awareness among those who have yet to register,” he said in an interview with Bernama at his office ahead of the 2016 Umno General Assembly scheduled for next week.

Annuar said awareness was important because politics was the strength of the Malays.

“We must realise that the Malays do not have economic or other strengths, except political strength because we are large in number.

“But this large number is now divided and, besides, we have people not registered as voters.

“As such, the Malays must accept it if we lose our only strength.”

Annuar also said Umno had identified hundreds of thousands of party members who had yet to register as voters.