Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh must come to terms with the fact that it is tough and unlikely for Barisan Nasional or Umno to pull out from the unity government right now, according to analysts.
Strategic Necessity for Umno
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Umno sees its role in the unity government as a key step to rebuild the party’s strength and maintain political stability.
He noted that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s comments yesterday, stating that Umno would stay with its unity coalition partners until Parliament dissolves, showed the party’s firm commitment to the government.
This makes the Umno Youth chief’s call for the party to exit the government nearly impossible to carry out at this stage.
When the youth wing promoted the idea of leaving through its special convention, the top leadership did not back it and saw it as Akmal’s own opinion.
Mazlan said that when some in Umno pointed to remarks by DAP leaders to argue against the unity government, those were just personal views and not the party’s official position.
‘It is merely politicking. It should not pull Umno away from supporting the government,’ he said.
Limited Support for Exit Push
He added that Akmal also needs to face the reality that bringing back alliances like the Muafakat Nasional pact with PAS is almost impossible and does not have backing from most of Umno’s top leaders.
‘Such ties also risk clashes over seats within the party,’ he said.
Mazlan questioned why only Umno’s youth wing has been outspoken about leaving the government, while the Wanita and Puteri wings have not joined in.
‘This points to the push being more personal than a shared party view,’ he said, noting that Akmal seems to be acting outside Umno’s main stream.
He said the 2025 Umno general assembly next week would truly test the support for Akmal’s position, if he means to raise it at the party level.
Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia said Akmal should heed the clear messages from party leaders that Umno will remain in the unity government and accept the current political situation.
‘Even if Umno left, the unity government could still hold on because Umno has few seats. So, why leave to become opposition without any sure benefit?’ she said.
She viewed Akmal’s efforts as internal pressure, showing that some Umno supporters feel uneasy about working with DAP.
Concerns Over Alternative Strategies
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the ‘Akmal convention’ on Saturday seemed strongly tilted towards urging an exit from the government, but without a solid plan on how it would help the party grow stronger.
‘The emphasis was more on touchy matters like Najib Razak’s court cases and the status of Islam and the Malays, rather than ways to bolster Umno,’ he said.
Azmi said Zahid’s position sends a strong message that teaming up with PAS or Bersatu is not a good approach, and it comes with the danger of seat conflicts.
‘Staying in the unity government offers a better route for Umno to regain its power,’ he said.
