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JELI UMNO Youth Information Chief Wan Mahussin Wan Zain has questioned his movement’s chief, Datuk Dr Mohamad Akmal Saleh, over his recent push for UMNO to withdraw from the Unity Government and rekindle its Muafakat Nasional (MN) alliance with PAS.
Wan Mahussin cautioned that the strategy may not automatically restore UMNO’s appeal to Malay voters, recalling past electoral setbacks when the party collaborated with PAS.
“Who doesn’t want national unity? Who doesn’t want to see Muslims working together? The question is, for years we’ve contested elections against PAS, not DAP. UMNO has never opposed DAP directly,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
He added, “It’s the same with PAS—they have their own voter pool. DAP seeks its votes, we seek ours. Our votes overlap with PAS supporters, and PAS voters overlap with UMNO supporters, yet we place the blame on DAP. I find that unfair.”
Wan Mahussin further warned that if UMNO were to leave the Unity Government now, PAS might choose to join the coalition independently, potentially weakening UMNO’s political position.
“Imagine if we withdraw support and claim we want to align with PAS under Muafakat Nasional, and then PAS enters the Unity Government. This has happened before—we lost Pahang, we lost Perak, and it’s not impossible we could lose even more seats,” he said.
Dr Mohamad Akmal, who is also the Merlimau state assemblyman, had earlier emphasised at the special UMNO Youth convention that the party should avoid any power grabs or actions that could topple the current Unity Government.
Instead, he urged UMNO to withdraw to the opposition benches in a principled move.
Wan Mahussin’s remarks highlight growing debate within UMNO ranks about the risks of abandoning the coalition government amid ongoing discussions over the party’s strategic direction and Malay voter engagement. - January 4, 2025
UMNO, Pemuda UMNO, Unity Government, Muafakat Nasional, PAS, Malay voters, Dr Mohamad Akmal Saleh, Jeli