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KUALA LUMPUR – PKR Youth (AMK) deputy chief Nabil Halimi has mocked Umno’s repeated threats to leave the Unity Government, likening the party to a spouse who talks about divorce but never actually leaves.
Sharing a screenshot of a news report on Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s winding-up speech at the Umno General Assembly, Nabil said the party’s tough talk amounted to little more than political posturing.
“Umno is like a partner who dares you to ‘divorce me if you're brave’, but never packs a bag, never moves out, still pulls their side of the blanket at night. Wants to split, but too attached to the comfort,” he wrote on social media.
His remarks were directed at Zahid’s challenge to critics who have repeatedly urged Umno to leave the Unity Government.
In his speech, Zahid said those demanding Umno’s exit had only two real options: call for a general election or formally remove the party from the coalition and table a motion of no confidence against it in the Dewan Rakyat.
Nabil contrasted Umno’s position with that of Muda, saying the party led by Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had shown greater conviction when it became dissatisfied with the government.
“I think Syed Saddiq and Muda are more of a man about it — not comfortable with the government, they moved straight to the Opposition seats,” he said.
Calls for Umno to withdraw from the Unity Government have persisted for months, led mainly by Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who has repeatedly urged the party to leave the coalition and explore cooperation with PAS.
Zahid, however, has consistently rejected such calls. In January, he reiterated that Umno would remain in the Unity Government until the next general election and insisted the party had never entertained any “backdoor” attempt to form a new administration.
Nabil’s reference to Muda was a nod to Syed Saddiq’s decision in September 2023 to pull the party out of the Unity Government after prosecutors discontinued Zahid’s corruption trial involving 47 charges.
At the time, Syed Saddiq announced that Muda would sit as a “third force” in Parliament, while continuing to support government reform bills that required a two-thirds majority.