Umno does not appear to have sufficient political strength to destabilise the unity government despite party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s challenge to the administration, an analyst says.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities director Mazlan Ali said that if Umno intended to withdraw its support, the party could use several established democratic avenues.
Mazlan said Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim had outlined the most viable options for Zahid to challenge the unity government without waiting for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to expel Umno from the coalition.
‘From a parliamentary democracy perspective, Hassan’s suggestion is the best option if Umno truly wants to withdraw from the government because it no longer supports the administration.
‘First, because Umno no longer has confidence in this unity government, they can withdraw,’ Mazlan said when contacted.
Umno has several options
Mazlan said Umno ministers could also resign if they disagreed with the prime minister’s stance, in line with the principle of collective Cabinet responsibility.
‘Any minister who disagrees with the prime minister can either be dismissed by the prime minister or choose to resign. However, resigning is the better option.
‘Another option is to table a motion in Parliament to test whether the current prime minister still commands majority support,’ he said.
However, Mazlan noted that Umno and Barisan Nasional appeared unconfident in their ability to bring down the unity government by withdrawing their support.
‘Currently, support for the prime minister stands at 153 MPs. Excluding three PKR MPs, that leaves 150. Even if BN exits, there are still 120 MPs, which remains a simple majority government,’ he said.
Mazlan added that support for Anwar could increase if independent MPs such as Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman backed the government, together with six Bersatu MPs who had previously declared their support.
‘That could bring support for Anwar to nearly 127 MPs if these parties back him. Even without them, it remains at 120,’ he said.
The six Bersatu MPs who had previously declared their support for Anwar are Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang).
Sabah and Sarawak support seen as crucial
Mazlan said the unity government’s position would only be at risk if support from Sabah and Sarawak were withdrawn.
However, he noted that Anwar’s relationship with Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg and Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor remained strong.
‘As long as this support remains intact, I do not believe Umno has the confidence to destabilise the government.
‘Zahid’s statements at the 2026 Umno General Assembly were primarily intended to reassure delegates and unite the party’s leaders and members,’ Mazlan said.
Hassan had previously outlined three options for Zahid: withdrawing Umno and BN MPs’ support, having Umno ministers resign from the Cabinet, or tabling a vote of no confidence against the prime minister when Parliament reconvenes on Oct 5.
Umno had previously issued an ultimatum to the unity government to either seek a fresh mandate through the 16th General Election (GE16) or formally remove the party from the coalition.
Zahid’s pledge remains a hurdle
Meanwhile, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan said that while the three options were theoretically available to Umno MPs, they could not be executed while BN remained in the unity government.
Azmi noted that Zahid had pledged to support Anwar until Parliament was dissolved.
‘Under current circumstances, these three options are technically available but will not be carried out.
‘Doing so would violate Zahid’s promise to the prime minister,’ Azmi said.
