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UMNO Youth Chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has issued a firm response to Penang DAP Youth’s recent call for party leadership to sever political ties with him, warning that such a move would carry broader implications for inter-party relations within the ruling coalition.
“Cutting ties with me equals to cutting ties with UMNO Youth and cutting ties with UMNO. Ok. Bring it on,” he posted on Facebook on Friday.
His remark came after Penang DAP Youth urged their party’s national leadership to disengage politically from Dr Akmal, accusing him of provocative behaviour during a recent incident in Kepala Batas.
The controversy followed Dr Akmal's leadership of a protest in front of a hardware store, where the owner had allegedly been filmed displaying the Malaysian flag (Jalur Gemilang) upside down — a gesture perceived by many as disrespectful.
Penang DAP Youth’s statement was released a day after the protest, criticising the UMNO Youth chief’s actions as unnecessarily inflammatory.
Dr Akmal’s defiant statement is widely seen as a signal that any move against him would reverberate throughout UMNO’s leadership, potentially straining the broader political cooperation between UMNO and DAP, both of which are partners in Malaysia’s Unity Government. - August 15, 2025