Seriously, was there ever a need for the much-maligned “babi” word to rear its poor head in of all places, the UMNO general assembly?
At the recent 2026 UMNO Youth General Assembly, the party's hotshot youth wing chief, Dr Akmal Saleh, proudly defended his decision to respond to crude social media comments with equally uncouth language.
In fact, Akmal admitted that he personally replied to a Facebook user with the word "babi" (pig) after the individual called him "sampah" (garbage).
"Yes, I was the one who replied," he bragged to delegates, adding that UMNO Youth shouldn't fear social media attacks from locked or fake accounts.
But hang on, there appears to be a glaring mismatch in his logic. The netizen actually called him “sampah”—not “babi.”
So where did the “babi” insult come from?
If anything, it seems like his principle is very simple: "If you call me garbage, I'll just call you a pig back."
But isn't that a typical schoolboy response?
More importantly, why did he resort to using a word that carries heavy racial and religious connotations in this country? Did he forget his stature as a public figure?
Moreover, wouldn't his critics also accuse him of weaponizing a slur under the pretext of self-defence?
Whatever it is, it certainly would not have done any justice to himself—given his much-hyped "anak jantan" tag!
To be fair, political leaders are entitled to defend their dignity against social media trolls. But when any political leader reciprocates a petty insult—deemed the norm on social media—with something carrying grave racial undertones, would it not come across as a total lack of discipline? A gross overreaction?
The thing is, if any prominent leader responds to a simple "sampah" comment with an emotional outburst, can he be relied upon to handle bigger and more sensitive issues without losing his cool?
Interestingly, earlier this year, a video posted on Utusan Online's Instagram page highlighted how veteran UMNO leader and former Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman reprimanded Akmal, telling him flatly to cool down and stop screaming his head off at others, particularly his political rivals. Tajuddin would know what he was talking about, as he was once a vocal firebrand himself.
But will Akmal ever listen to older heads?
The thing is, looking at his recent “grandstanding” at the UMNO General Assembly—where he appeared to aggressively push for closer ties with PAS—he seems more emboldened, louder, and perhaps even more uncontrollable.
Truth be told, politics can be a dirty game, and at times, over-the-top provocations from political rivals and the public can be unbearable.
Unsurprisingly, last year, he flew off the handle and called a senior DAP leader "babi hutan" (wild boar) after the latter allegedly branded him a “wild dog.”
But isn't there a saying that “if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen?”
While the young UMNO leader has vowed to use the babi word on anyone who gets on his nerve, don't others who are cheesed off by him also have the same right?
The bottom line is, it looks like even his own party UMNO isn't bothered to keep him in check—seemingly giving him a free pass to shoot from the hip. So can the public then be blamed for asking: what will happen should his resurgent party end up victorious in GE16, with PAS as his “gun-slinging sidekick” in Putrajaya?
Main information source: Malaysiakini and Utusan Online Instagram.
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