KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has dismissed claims that he is not aligned with party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Addressing Zahid directly during his winding-up speech at the 2025 Umno General Assembly, Dr Akmal said criticism of the party president should not be mistaken for disloyalty.
“Datuk Seri President, many people say I am not aligned with you. But I want to say this: the most rebellious child is often the one who loves his father the most,” he said.
Dr Akmal said he could not bear to see Zahid, whom he described as a father figure, being misled by false narratives on the ground due to a lack of honest feedback.
He said that for Umno to revive, members and leaders need to get over their ‘denial syndrome’ and listen sincerely to grassroots and laymen.
He said the priority was not personal interest, but the revival of Umno.
“I have no personal interests. What matters to me is that when we are in power, when we carry the responsibility of determining the party’s direction, Umno must rise again and stand on the world stage. That’s all.
“I know sometimes there are those who mock me and those who attack me, but I don’t mind at all,” he said.
Dr Akmal added that Zahid had earned his respect after announcing that Umno’s doors would remain open to new members as well as those wishing to return to the party.
Describing Zahid as forgiving, he said the Umno president had shown a forgiving nature despite being subjected to persistent criticism.
“If you think about it, it is Datuk Seri President who should feel the most hurt. What hasn’t been said about him? All kinds of things.
“Some even made the Keluar Sekejap podcast, but when I told him I wanted to invite former Umno Youth chiefs to return, he said, ‘Go on, proceed, bring him back, no problem,'” he said, referring to former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
Dr Akmal said he personally would have found it difficult to show such restraint, admitting that he tends to retaliate when insulted.
Khairy made an emotional return to Dewan Merdeka on Thursday after he was sacked in 2023 to attend the Umno Youth Annual General Assembly upon Dr Akmal’s invitation.
Yesterday, in his policy speech, Zahid announced the formation of the Jawatankuasa Penyatuan Rumah Bangsa, a committee that will manage applications for entry or re-entry into Umno, either individually or as a bloc.
Speaking on an incident involving Malaysiakini editors who attended the assembly to apologise yesterday over its erroneous social media graphics, Dr Akmal said Zahid’s calm and firm approach had once again earned his admiration.
“The president handled it calmly and firmly, and they apologised properly.
“Datuk Seri President, you are the man. If it were me, I would have been prepared to go to jail — though I know the president would have bailed me out,” he said in jest.
Dr Akmal also urged party members to demonstrate genuine loyalty to Umno, rather than focusing on financial considerations.
“I actually liked it when Umno lost previously. For 22 months, we went to the ground and no one asked about the budget.
“The spirit then was simple — everyone wanted to win,” he said.
On Thursday, Dr Akmal demanded an apology from the news portal after Malaysiakini mistakenly posted one graphic that reused the headline of a Bahasa Malaysia article about the Umno assembly on an image of pigs at a farm, which was meant for a post about the Selangor pig farming issue.
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