Umno youth leader Akmal Saleh urges party to quit Anwar's govt & unite with PAS

"Don’t be afraid to be the opposition," he said.

January 03, 2026, 07:43 PM

Malaysia's Umno youth leader Akmal Saleh urged his party to leave the Unity government of Anwar Ibrahim and join the opposition, in a speech made at an Umno Youth convention on Jan. 3.

Alleging "red lines" that had been crossed by other parties of the Madani government, in particular the Democratic Action Party (DAP), he said that leaving the government is how the party can "leap higher going forward", according to Malaysiakini.

"When the principles of cooperation begin to be violated, and our dignity is not respected, then that is enough for Umno (to leave the government). Let them run this government - we become the opposition," he urged.

"My brothers, don’t be afraid to be the opposition," he added, claiming that the call to leave the government came from Umno's grassroots.

His words are the latest in increasing calls for Umno to leave the ruling Madani (Unity) government.

On Dec. 22, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki slammed DAP MP Yeo Bee Yin for her 'celebratory' post of former prime minister and Umno president Najib Razak's rejected house arrest appeal.

He then urged for his party to re-examine their ties with those who do not appreciate their contributions to forming the unity government.

Alliance with PAS?

Akmal also alluded to unity between Umno, the traditional embodiment of Malay nationalism, and the Islamist Party of Malaysia (PAS), the main embodiment of political Islam in the country.

Malay unity must begin with both parties being the two largest Malay-based parties, he said.

"If Umno and PAS unite, I believe the Malays will once again be brought together."

He added that if divided, the Malays, while the majority population in the country, would be nothing more than numbers.

An alliance between Umno and PAS would be a revival of the 2019 Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact, which sought to unite the Malay-Muslim community in elections following the 2018 general elections.

There are increasing calls for the revival of MN amidst an ongoing internal feud in the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, but this would mean Umno would have to turn its back on the Unity government.

The alliance was also designed to run against the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, of which incumbent prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is currently the chairman.

Umno, as part of Barisan Nasional (BN), became strange bedfellows in 2022 when PAS won the most seats in Parliament of any single party, but Anwar's PH won the most seats overall, although falling short of a majority.

He would attain that majority by striking a deal with old foes BN, led by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi following the fall of Najib Razak from grace.

This saw the likes of Akmal technically in the same government with politicians from parties he once opposed, like the DAP.