Internal tensions within UMNO intensified after a member of the party’s Supreme Working Council accused UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh of repeatedly disregarding instructions issued by party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Speaking in Petaling Jaya, Supreme Working Council member Lokman Noor Adam alleged that Dr Akmal had violated Zahid’s directives on two separate occasions, raising questions over the decision to allow the youth wing to proceed with a special UMNO Youth convention held on January 4, 2026. Lokman argued that approval for the convention should not have been granted, citing past conduct that he said undermined the president’s trust.
According to Lokman, Dr Akmal had previously given assurances to Zahid that he would not proceed with a rally in Kepala Batas in August 2025 following a controversy involving the display of the national flag in an inverted position. Lokman claimed that Zahid had expressed appreciation when informed that the gathering would not take place. However, he alleged that the youth chief later attended the rally regardless, contradicting the earlier assurance.
The Kepala Batas incident unfolded over several days. On August 10, 2025, Dr Akmal confirmed that UMNO Youth planned to visit a business premises linked to the flag controversy. A day later, the youth wing announced that the planned rally had been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances. Despite this, on August 14, 2025, Dr Akmal led more than 500 UMNO Youth members at a night market site in Kepala Batas before marching approximately 1.4 kilometres towards a nearby hardware store connected to the incident.
Lokman said this sequence of events demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that should have been taken into account before Zahid allowed the recent youth convention to proceed. He questioned the wisdom of granting approval to an individual he accused of failing to honour previous commitments.
Earlier reports indicated that UMNO’s leadership had imposed specific conditions before granting permission for the January convention. One senior party figure disclosed that discussions about withdrawing from the Unity Government were not to be raised and that criticism of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was to be avoided. Zahid’s consent was reportedly given only after these assurances were provided.
During the opening of the convention, Dr Akmal asserted that the gathering had received the president’s approval and claimed that Zahid was prepared to support grassroots demands, including calls to reassess UMNO’s position within the Unity Government. These remarks were made in response to allegations that the youth wing had acted without endorsement from the party’s top leadership.
Lokman’s accusations have further exposed divisions within UMNO, highlighting growing friction between senior leaders and the party’s youth movement over discipline, authority, and political direction.
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