Name Umno leaders who opposed funds for PN states, Akmal, Fadhli dare Anwar

 

Senior Umno and PAS leaders have challenged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to name the Umno leaders who supposedly objected to Putrajaya allocating funds for Perikatan Nasional-led states.

This followed the premier’s remarks during the PKR national congress in Malacca yesterday, where he claimed Umno disagreed with his decision to channel financial assistance to Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.

Taking to Facebook, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh panned Anwar for trying to put Umno in a difficult position.

“Dear Anwar, you are the prime minister of Malaysia. The power is in your hands; you just need to say the words for these allocations to be distributed.

“Such a decision is not up to the deputy prime minister. Why don’t you reveal who are these supposed Umno leaders (who objected to allocations for PN states)? We also want to know,” the Merlimau state assemblyperson said.

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh

‘So reforms are possible after all?’

PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, meanwhile, made a sarcastic Facebook post in response to the prime minister’s statement.

Saying that he was “shocked” to read about the alleged opposition by Umno, he expressed relief that Anwar had not entertained the objection.

The Pasir Mas MP quipped that it showed the prime minister could execute his party’s reform agenda without bowing to outside pressure.

“(This means) if he did not execute (reform agenda), it’s because he refused to do it, not because he was pressured by Umno,” Fadhli said.

He was referring to past instances when Anwar and other Pakatan Harapan leaders said they could not fulfil the coalition’s election promises because they were part of a unity government.

PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari

Fadhli also took a swipe at Anwar for not naming the Umno leaders in question, sarcastically asking whether he was referring to Harapan’s Hulu Langat MP Sany Hamzah, who was previously reported to have suggested that no allocations be given to opposition-led states under Budget 2026.

‘Why help PN states?’

In Anwar’s speech at the PKR congress yesterday, the party president refuted allegations that his administration had sidelined PN-led states and claimed that Umno leaders had opposed such allocations.

“My friends in Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu… many rebuked me. Many friends in Umno rebuked me.

“(Those in Umno said) ‘Anwar this is a wrong policy; why help (the PN states)?’ Even though they (BN-PN) are partnering at the state level, they (Umno) disagreed that I approved allocations to Kelantan, Terengganu, and so on,” he said.

However, Anwar stressed that providing funding to these states was the right thing to do. - Mkini