Is Akmal again feigning to quit his Melaka EXCO post to display his strong principles, gain sympathy?

 

IT has been rumoured that UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has decided to relinquish his EXCO position as the Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security Committee chairman which he has held since April 2023 for the second time effective next week.

There has been no immediate confirmation whatsoever to this rumour (which could be merely a testing the waters ploy) by the Merlimau state assemblyman since so-called popular community page Malaysia Channel aired this revelation on its Facebook page yesterday (Aug 24) afternoon.

The post which has fetched 22.5k likes, 5.4K comments and 493 shares at the time of writing cited the self-proclaimed staunch defender of race and religion as stating that the decision was reached after holding discussions with UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Melaka Chief Minister (CM) Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.

“I apologise. I wish to announce today (Aug 24) that to show I carry the voice of restless and anxious grassroots, I’m resigning as an EXCO member effective next week,” justified Akmal who further contended that he is “not running away from the struggle of UMNO Youth”.

“For me, positions in the government are not important but what is more important is dignity, principles and the voice of the grassroots.”

Recall that Melaka CM Rauf had on April 8 rejected Akmal’s resignation as a state EXCO which was tendered earlier in January,

Akmal who is also the Jasin UMNO Division chief made the announcement before 2,500 delegates during his keynote address at the 2025 UMNO Youth General Assembly at the World Trade Centre (WTC) Kuala Lumpur.

‘Fake, deceptive principle’

His decision at the time was widely viewed as a response to pressure from several DAP leaders who had challenged him to resign following his outspoken calls for UMNO to re-evaluate its position within the unity government.

More recently, he again voiced his intention to quit his EXCO position on July 19 should Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming step down from the Cabinet in a reaction to remarks by DAP veteran Datuk Teng Chang Khim who had challenged him to follow through on his earlier decision to resign as a state EXCO member.

Fast forward to the present day, if there is any truth in the aforementioned rumour, then it has come on the backdrop of the Russian-trained medical doctor’s relentless pursuit of a UMNO tie-up with PAS via revival of the Muafakat Nasional alliance.

The latest development to this is his confirmation to attend the PAS Youth Muktamar (general assembly) scheduled to be held in Kota Bharu on Sept 3.

This follows an invitation from PAS Youth to the UMNO Youth leadership to attend the muktamar, thus opening up space for both wings of the party to meet and interact in an official programme.

At one hand, Akmal has doubtlessly derived much political mileage from his double-edged sword strategy of winning the heart of both UMNO grassroots and PAS diehards with his gimmick of “willing to sacrifice worldly positions” for the sake of race, religion and nation as netizen reaction to the Malaysia Channel FB post has shown.

On the other hand, detractors tend to treat the so-called rumour as merely rumour by branding the fiery UMNO Youth leader as a “wayang (opera) king of the century” with his selective and provocative divisive discourse which is unhealthy for a plural society like Malaysia.

In fact, one observant commenter reckoned that the latest revelation is seemingly “another staging of political farce under the pretext of dignity and principles that are supposedly upheld”.

Added the self-proclaimed lawyer in an eye-opener rant:

If you really care about the voices of the grassroots and the dignity of the struggle, why are you only stepping down now when you have been sitting comfortably in the EXCO seat without any major objections?

Isn’t this just a political move to gain sympathy as opposed to truly strong principles?

Your words that government positions are not important but dignity is everything sound very noble but in reality, you still remain as the UMNO Youth chief and Merlimau state assemblyman.

This means that you still receive the salary and privileges of a people representative while only giving up one additional position simply to appear principled in the eyes of the public.

UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh

If you’re really uncomfortable being in the same government with DAP, you should resign from all positions, not just choosing the ones that look good on social media.

Discussions with the UMNO president and Melaka CM before announcing this matter also show that it was not a decision taken alone based on principle but rather has received the green light from the party leadership.

So, this is not a bold move that defends the grassroots voice but rather a carefully planned agreement to satisfy some parties without damaging the official relationship between the parties.

The rakyat are no longer easily fooled by such drama which looks like sacrifice but in fact does not cost you to lose anything that is truly meaningful.

In the end, it’s just another charade for you to appear firm and principled when in reality there is no real change for the rakyat.

The agriculture, rural development and food security sector in Melaka will continue as usual – or perhaps not at all – regardless of who holds the position.

All that remains is sweet promises and drama which purpose is all too clear: to remain relevant in politics instead of fighting for the real fate of the rakyat. –  Focus Malaysia