Akmal to resign as Umno Youth chief, Merlimau rep?

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has expressed intentions to resign not only from his party position but also from his role as Merlimau assemblyperson, according to sources close to the party.

They said Akmal had informed a group of Umno Youth leaders via a WhatsApp message yesterday, while he was still in Shanghai, China.

“When the Malay community has spoken, and the party has decided.

“As someone who loves this party deeply, I accept the party’s decision. But what is the meaning of leadership if we do not respect their voices?” said Akmal in the purported message sighted by Malaysiakini.

“With humility, I feel that I must take full responsibility for the party that we love. Therefore, insyaAllah, after I return from Shanghai, I will relinquish all my positions within the party as well as my position as an elected representative,” he added.

Akmal also thanked all Umno Youth members and leaders in his message and cited his attempts to urge the party to leave the government and the subsequent rejection by party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“I take responsibility for everything that has happened.

“The voices of the people at the grassroots have been voiced and brought to the highest level of the party with only one aim - to ensure that Umno remains close to the hearts of every Malay.

“However, we did not succeed. This is not anyone’s fault, but I take this as my own mistake and personal shortcoming,” he said.

List of supporters

Last Saturday, Akmal led an Umno Youth special convention and rallied members to support his call for Umno to join forces with PAS in the opposition. It is understood he had presented the matter at an Umno political bureau meeting on Monday night.

Following Zahid's rejection, Akmal had posted a cryptic message about "stepping down", prompting dares from Pakatan Harapan Youth leaders for him to resign from his positions.

According to another source, Akmal had, at the end of the convention, requested a list of Umno Youth division leaders who supported his call.

“Only 51 out of 190 divisions supported him,” claimed the source who revealed screenshots from an Umno Youth division chief's WhatsApp group.

The screenshots showed a purported full list of the supporters, including all 14 Umno Youth division leaders in Kelantan and all eight in Terengganu.

In Malacca, however, only four out of six Umno Youth division leaders purportedly supported Akmal.

Malaysiakini understands that Akmal is scheduled to return this afternoon, and that a group of Umno Youth leaders is believed to be waiting for his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

‘Not true’ Akmal resigning

Umno Youth secretary Hafiz Ariffin, however, told Malaysiakini that reports of Akmal’s impending resignation are untrue.

“That is not true,” he said when contacted.

Hafiz later took to his Facebook, again appearing to shoot down the rumours, saying that Umno Youth is gearing up for the Lamag and Kinabatangan by-elections.

“What news? There’s a lot of work to get done. Let’s go, Kinabatangan and Lamag! Let’s fight!” he said.

In a separate Facebook post, Umno’s Duyong assemblyperson Noor Helmy Abdul Halem also shared a cheerful update, saying Akmal is carrying on with his day and party duties.

“All is well. Akmal started work at 1.15pm today,” he said.

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