In the increasingly heated rhetoric of Malaysia’s unity government, memory appears to be a selective commodity.
Shah Alam DAP chairman Shakir Ameer has issued a pointed reminder to Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh: before declaring war on DAP, do not forget who helped keep Umno politically afloat after the 15th general election.
Shakir’s message was blunt but grounded in political reality. Since November 2022, when the unity government was stitched together amid deep mistrust and voter fatigue, DAP, he said, has made real and tangible sacrifices to ensure Barisan Nasional’s survival and governmental stability. These were not symbolic gestures, but strategic concessions that came at a cost to DAP’s own grassroots and electoral ambitions.
The clearest example was in Selangor. During the 2023 state election, DAP gave up the Dusun Tua seat to make way for a BN candidate after Pakatan Harapan reached a consensus to avoid three-cornered fights. It was a difficult decision, especially in a state where DAP has long-standing support, but it was made in the name of unity and stability.
Beyond seat allocations, DAP machinery was mobilised to actively campaign for Umno candidates in several by-elections - Pelangai in Pahang, Nenggiri in Kelantan, Mahkota in Johor, and Ayer Kuning in Perak. All were ultimately won by Umno. Notably, in Kelantan, DAP’s involvement helped flip a seat previously held by Perikatan Nasional, a feat unseen since the 2023 state polls.
According to Shakir, more than 80% of Pakatan Harapan voters backed BN candidates during these contests, despite widespread public scepticism and internal discomfort.
Against this backdrop, Shakir questioned the wisdom - and fairness - of Akmal’s declaration to “fight DAP to the end”. Akmal announced his resignation as a Melaka executive councillor to pursue this political battle, while retaining his post as Umno Youth chief, citing advice from party president Dato' Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Melaka chief minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh. The imagery of a “warrior” was invoked, but Shakir suggested the public would now be watching closely to see how far this bravado would go.
With a touch of sarcasm, Shakir added that he expects Akmal to contest in Jasin in the next state election and wished him luck negotiating a seat with PAS. Perhaps, he said, Akmal could lean on familiar narratives of “ummah unity” or “Malay Muslim dignity” during those talks.
Ultimately, Shakir’s reminder cuts deeper than partisan sparring. It exposes a growing contradiction within the unity government: the benefits of cooperation are readily accepted, but the responsibilities of restraint and mutual respect are easily discarded.
In politics, alliances may be pragmatic - but amnesia, especially selective amnesia, comes at a cost.
By: Kpost
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