Akmal calls for public apology over priest joke at Umno assembly

LocalPolitics
14 Sep 2026 • 9:42 PM MYT
The Sun Daily
The Sun Daily

For the latest news and features from Malaysia and the rest of the world.

Image from: Akmal calls for public apology over priest joke at Umno assembly

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh urges the individual who made an offensive joke about Catholic priests at the Umno assembly to issue a public apology.

MELAKA: UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh has called on the individual alleged to have made a joke about Catholic priests at the party’s general assembly recently to issue a public apology to all Malaysians.

Akmal, who is also Melaka Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security Committee chairman, said religion should not be made a subject of jokes by anyone.

“Imagine if the joke about a priest had instead been about an imam and Muslims, surely we would also be angry.

“If we are angry when something like that is done to us, then we should not do the same to others… so I urge this individual to apologise publicly to all Malaysians,” he said in a post on Facebook today.

He also stressed that the joke made by the individual did not in any way reflect UMNO’s position and was the individual’s personal opinion.

Earlier, Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau called on a speaker at the general assembly to issue an unconditional public apology to Catholics and the Christian community as a whole.

Madius described the party division chief’s remarks involving the Holy Scriptures, Catholic priests and nuns as inappropriate and offensive, while stressing that matters relating to religion should not be turned into sexually suggestive jokes or ridiculed.

Newswav Malaysia Best News App

Newswav is an online content aggregator and obtains its content from different online sources. The content in the app do not belong to Newswav nor do they reflect the opinions of Newswav and its staff. Your use of this app indicates your understanding and acceptance of this information.

Newswav Sdn. Bhd. (201701008480 (1222645-M)) 2026 All Rights Reserved