“Small potato acting like durian”: Akmal has stepped on too many toes inside, outside UMNO

 

IT is seemingly obvious that rightist UMNO Youth Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s act of dissent to revive the Muafakat Nasional (MN) coalition formed by UMNO and PAS to oppose the Pakatan Harapan (PH) 1.0 ruling government un 2018 has increasingly pissed off top brass from his own party.

Although party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is still silent on his call for UMNO to leave the Madani government in which UMNO is a key PH ally, UMNO information chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has provided the latest hint that the staunch defender of race and religion’s is indeed acting on his own accord.

The Law and Institutional Reform Minister yesterday (Jan 5) cast doubt on a survey cited to support Akmal’s incessant call for UMNO to withdraw from the unity government by questioning who are the 1,800 respondents behind the findings.

The survey was presented at Saturday’s (Jan 3) UMNO’s Direction in the Unity Government special convention by UiTM lecturer and thinktank Ilham Centre fellow Mujibu Musi.

It further found that only 15% of Malay respondents were willing to accept UMNO-DAP cooperation while 62% strongly rejected it.

Personal view

Earlier, UMNO supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has brushed aside suggestion that the party’s top echelon has given blessing to Akmal to spearhead exit of Malaysia’s oldest political party from the Madani government by attributing the MN partnership to “Akmal’s personal opinion”.

“That’s his (Akmal’s) view. An individual view or perhaps the view of most youth but the party moves on the support and joint decisions of various levels. There is no discussion on MN,” the Defence Minister had told the media during a community event in his Kotas Tinggi constituency recently.

Elsewhere, Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has clarified that UMNO Youth’s call for the party to withdraw from the unity government cannot be acted upon immediately for it must first be decided by UMNO’s Supreme Working Council (MKT).

Reiterating the entire affair as “merely the view of the Youth wing”, the Higher Education Minister stressed that as an MKT member himself, UMNO Youth leaders should understand the need to handle such matters with maturity despite the importance of grassroots sentiments and demands.

With the looming UMNO general assembly on Jan 14-17, party supremo Zahid has to be cautious in directly reprimanding Akmal given he himself is facing tremendous pressure from UMNO grassroots to vacate his post following failure to upkeep his pre-2022 national polls’ “no Anwar, no DAP” pledge.

Moreover, the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman is himself walking on thin ice given his DNAA (discharge not amounting to acquittal) from 47 prima facie charges encompassing criminal breach of trust (CBT), graft and money laundering.

Rift with DAP

True enough that detractors could no longer bear the antic of the 38-year-old Russia-trained medical doctor any longer with one aptly describing him as “small potatoes acting like durian”.

Outside UMNO, it is obvious that Akmal who is also the Merlimau state assemblyman has sparked animosity of sorts with DAP especially when the whole episode of abandoning the Madani government stemmed from his undivided loyalty to disgraced former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Following the spillover of anger by Bossku diehards after the DAP lawmaker Yeo Bee Yin having likened the former UMNO president’s failed house arrest bid to “a cause for celebrating the forthcoming New Year”, incessant war of words has erupted between Akmal and DAP.

The latest rift is between the Melaka state EXCO for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security and DAP Melaka chairman Khoo Poay Tiong over DAP’s participation in the Melaka state government following the former insinuating that DAP (and Amanah) can always leave the UMNO-led state government if it so wishes.

“Who is Akmal? He’s the individual who had since the first day the unity government (UG) was formed has been vocal and hastening to bring down the UG,” retaliated the Kota Melaka MP.

“His string of statements and actions lately are not difficult to understand – he’s trying hard to create momentum to revive MN, a political coalition that has already failed. This is not a matter of principle but a political manoeuvre.”

And Khoo did find a supporter in his comrade and Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid who, too, felt that “Akmal should depart UMMO to join PAS”. 

 - Focus Malaysia