Akmal offers to mediate efforts to bring back Hishammuddin, KJ

Summary

• Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh reportedly offers himself as a “jambatan” (bridge) between the party and former leaders like Hishammuddin Hussein and Khairy Jamaluddin.

• He stresses the importance of unity among Umno leaders to rebuild its strength.

• Akmal says the effort, however, requires everyone to lower their ego.

Amid ongoing preparations to strengthen the party’s machinery, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh offered himself as a mediator to mend ties between party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein.

Akmal reportedly said the party needs everyone on board to rebuild its strength, including former leaders.

However, he stressed that the effort can only work when everyone lowers their ego.

“As I have said in my speech earlier, Umno belongs to all, and we must reunite. We need them (former party leaders) to rebuild the party’s strength.

“But there is one condition, everyone must lower their ego, then insha-Allah, Umno will be strong again.

“I am always open, not only to be a ‘jambatan’ (mediator), and we can face whatever challenges, because the most important thing is rebuilding the party’s strength,” Akmal said, as quoted by Berita Harian.

The Merlimau state assemblyperson reportedly spoke to the media after launching a Seremban Umno Youth division meeting in Negeri Sembilan.

He was asked to comment on a recent resolution by the Sembrong Umno division urging the party leadership to revoke the suspension imposed on Hishammuddin, who is the division’s former chief.

According to the report, Akmal also expressed readiness to become a mediator to bring back other Umno leaders who were sacked or suspended, including former Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and former information chief Shahril Hamdan.

Umno suspended Hishammuddin’s membership for six years following a supreme council meeting held at the end of January 2023.

Others who were punished along with Hishammuddin included former Tanjung Karang MP Noh Omar, former Jempol MP Salim Sharif, and former Tiram assemblyperson Maulizan Bujang.

However, Noh requested that Umno sack him instead.

Following the Sembrong Umno call last month, Zahid expressed the party’s supreme council’s readiness to consider lifting its suspension on Hishammuddin even without an appeal letter from the Sembrong MP.

However, following a meeting on April 30, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, in a statement, said the council reiterated that any such application must come from the individual involved, not from any third party.

Hishammuddin later responded in a Facebook video, hinting he will not file any appeal based on principle, claiming he was not given a fair hearing before the suspension decision was made.

According to the former defence minister, he was suspended on the grounds of violating certain clauses in the Umno constitution, but was never given any details or further explanation.

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