Madani gov’t reminded “Akmal very much a wolf in sheep’s clothing, longing to be with PAS”

 

AMID the political turmoil in Perlis which could be a cause for celebration to the ruling Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) alliance, grassroot Madani backers have warned of the ploy by influential UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh to sway public opinion towards backing PAS.

This is given the rightist Merlimau state assemblyman who has portrayed himself as a staunch defender of the Malay race and religion has rallied his party to stage a walk out from the Madani government following disgraced former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s failure in his bid to convert balance of his jail term to house arrest.

“Before this, Akmal said he wanted UMNO to leave Madani to become a dignified opposition. Today (Dec 25), Akmal is proposing to re-establish the Muafakat Nasional (MN) coalition with PAS,” observed Madani backer Aman Muhammad in a Facebook post.

“Apparently, Akmal is actually eager to be with PAS. He doesn’t want UMNO to become a dignified opposition but instead for UMNO to become a pariah apparently.”

The Perlis political crisis came about after three PAS state assemblymen had allegedly met the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail by claiming to have a majority and expressing a loss of confidence in Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli.

They are Chuping state assemblyman Saad Seman, Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji).

This prompted PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang to issue a statement that the Islamist party had terminated membership of the trio with immediate effect in accordance with Clause 76 and Clause 15A(1)(b) of the PAS Constitution (Amendment 2025).

In the 15th General Election (GE15), Perikatan Nasional (PN) won 14 of the 15 Perlis state seats comprising nine by PAS and five by Bersatu while the remaining seat was won by PKR.

Beyond how PN can claim credibility to govern Malaysia if it cannot even control Perlis – the smallest state in the country – or the internal spat between PAS and Bersatu which could lead to both PN allies contesting against each other should a by-election be held, Aman who is an avid Akmal critic added:

“This is how it is. Akmal doesn’t need to ask UMNO to leave Madani but Akmal should leave UMNO if he really wants to be with PAS.

“Nobody is stopping Akmal from leaving UMNO. So there’s no need for Akmal to drag UMNO into becoming a pariah. So Akmal, please leave UMNO to join PAS.”

Well, Aman’s post struck the chord as quite a number of commenters, too, feel that the Melaka state Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security EXCO should seek his exit from UMNO for constantly making statements that favour PAS/PN. 

- focus malaysia