Don’t fall for Akmal’s “testing market” game, folks; “he should be like Rafizi/Nik Nazmi if he has guts”

 

SUCH is the high benchmark detractors accorded to UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who yesterday (Jan 7) made the cyberspace abuzz with his hint of stepping down for his struggle primarily to detach UMNO from the Madani government fold has not been appreciated by the party’s top echelon.

“We’ve done our best, we’ve tried to delivered our best. Maybe the weakness comes from myself,” the rightist youth leader who on Saturday (Jan 3) defied his party’s wishes by staging the UMNO’s Direction in the Unity Government special convention penned on his Facebook post.

“Maybe it’s time to step down. Thank you for the voices of all those who love this struggle. I believe that if our intentions are for the sake of our religion, race and nation, the time will come, God Willing.”

Ahead of the looming UMNO annual general assembly on Jan 14-17, one wonders if the hint by the fiery defender of race and religion is just a wayang to test the waters – notably, the response to his call to revive the UMNO-PAS Muafakat Nasional (MN) coalition in the name of preserving the Muslim ummah (solidarity).

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‘Be manly to bite the bullet’

With party supremo Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi having allayed any attempt by UMNO to pursue a backdoor manoeuvre against the unity government till the 16th General Election (GE16), the hint could also be directed at UMNO grassroots who are at odds with Zahid for not keeping his “no Anwar, no DAP” vow.

In short, observant detractors are treating Akmal’s hint at quitting as a gimmick to gain sympathy given spiculations are rife that “he had a tough time” at Tuesday’s (Jan 6) UMNO Political Bureau meeting.

The grapevine has it that that he was ‘very much rejected’ at the event and might have even be unofficially axed or told to make an honourable exit within a certain time frame.

In fact, if the 38-year-old Russia-trained medical doctor is serious about quitting, he should live up to the National DAP Socialist Youth challenge of not only stepping down as the youth wing head honcho but also relinquish his Melaka state EXCO post.

In other words, bite the bullet like a man as per what former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli or former Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad did after losing their PKR deputy presidency and vice-chairmanship.

Little wonder that political commentator Prof James Chin mocked Akmal’s half-hearted intention by instead ‘pleading’ to him not step down.

“The Malay nationalists want you to stay and take over UMNO and bring UMNO into MN,” the inaugural director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania reacted in a FB post.

“Then you’ll implement your vision of ‘one race, one religion’ country. Make Malaysia Malay Again!”

However, human rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim was less forgiving in her one-liner outburst. 

- focus malaysia