A Shah Alam DAP leader has reminded Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh of the party’s past support for Barisan Nasional, urging him to reflect before launching attacks.
Shah Alam DAP chairman Shakir Ameer said his party made sacrifices to ensure the stability of the unity government formed after the 15th general election in November 2022.
He said DAP gave up the Dusun Tua state seat in Selangor during the 2023 state election, after Pakatan Harapan (PH) decided to make way for a BN candidate.
He said DAP also helped campaign for Umno in the contests for the Pelangai (Pahang), Nenggiri (Kelantan), Mahkota (Johor), and Ayer Kuning (Perak) state seats, all of which were won by Umno.
“DAP campaigned for Umno in all these by-elections, even in Kelantan, where we helped flip a PN-held seat for the first time since the 2023 state polls,” he said in a statement.
Shakir also said that over 80% of PH voters backed BN candidates during these campaigns, despite public scepticism.
He said Akmal should have reflected on these facts before declaring war on DAP.
Akmal earlier today announced his resignation as a Melaka executive councillor, effective next week, to “fight DAP to the end”.
Akmal said this at the Umno Youth general assembly, adding that he had discussed the matter with party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Melaka chief minister Ab Rauf Yusoh.
He also said that he would remain as Umno Youth chief, as Zahid and Rauf had advised him “a warrior never deserts his friends”.
Rauf said he respected Akmal’s resignation from the state government but would wait for an official letter before deciding whether to accept it.
Shakir believed the public wanted to see how far Akmal would go to “fight DAP” which has done its best to ensure the survival of the unity government.
He added that he expects Akmal to contest in Jasin in the next state election and wished him luck in negotiating with PAS for a seat.
“Perhaps Akmal can invoke the arguments of ‘ummah unity’ or ‘Malay Muslim dignity’ during the negotiations,” he said.
