Fresh tensions have emerged within UMNO following remarks by its Youth chief, Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, which appeared to encourage party grassroots to reconsider their backing of the Madani unity government after a major court ruling involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The controversy followed a decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 22 December 2025, which rejected Najib’s attempt to enforce an alleged royal addendum that would have allowed him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest. With the ruling, Najib, the long-serving Pekan Member of Parliament, will remain at Kajang Prison to complete his sentence over the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
In the aftermath of the decision, Akmal, who is also the Merlimau assemblyman and widely regarded as a strong voice on Malay and Islamic issues within UMNO, issued a sharply worded call aimed at party members. He questioned how long UMNO supporters should continue tolerating what he described as repeated humiliations, and suggested that the party should consider positioning itself as a principled opposition rather than remaining aligned with the current administration.
Akmal further urged delegates attending the UMNO General Assembly scheduled for 2025 to act collectively and to courageously channel the sentiments of grassroots members, particularly among Malays, during internal party deliberations. His remarks were interpreted by some observers as an attempt to mobilise internal pressure against UMNO’s continued cooperation within the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The High Court ruling that triggered the response was delivered by Justice Datuk Alice Loke Yee Ching, who found that the alleged addendum linked to Najib’s sentence reduction was invalid. The court held that the order did not comply with Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, which governs the exercise of royal clemency and requires strict adherence to established procedures, including deliberation by the Pardons Board.
Akmal also took aim at celebratory reactions from certain government-aligned figures, arguing that such responses reflected insensitivity and further deepened political divisions. He called on UMNO members not to be intimidated by criticism and to use the party’s general assembly as a platform to express dissatisfaction and reassert their political direction.
His comments have since sparked debate within UMNO about party discipline and loyalty to the unity government arrangement. Some within the party are now questioning whether leadership action is needed to rein in rhetoric that could be seen as undermining coalition stability, while others argue that Akmal is merely voicing genuine grassroots frustration.
As UMNO prepares for its upcoming general assembly, the episode underscores growing internal strains over Najib’s imprisonment, the limits of loyalty within a coalition government, and the party’s long-term political positioning.
Kamran (kfiverr21@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.