Umno not 'family party': Akmal slams Puad, to lodge police report on claims against royals

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has asserted that the party does not belong to a “family dynasty” following allegations of dissatisfaction over candidate selection in the Johor election.

He stated that the claim made by former Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi - that Johor Umno no longer meets the aspirations of the youth - is baseless, given that numerous young candidates are being fielded in the state polls.

“Umno is not a family party. When someone’s child fails to be selected as a candidate, suddenly, everything is wrong with Umno. There are plenty of other young people around who have been chosen as candidates.

“Just because a particular individual’s child was not selected as a candidate, it does not mean this party no longer holds aspirations for the younger generation,” Akmal (above, left) said in a video shared on Facebook today.

Commenting on the decision of the Johor state assembly speaker, who announced his resignation from Umno today after expressing dissatisfaction with BN’s candidate selection, Akmal noted that out of the 56 candidates announced yesterday, Johor BN is fielding 13 candidates under the age of 40.

He added that this underscores the party’s commitment to providing opportunities for the younger generation within the state leadership.

Consequently, Akmal refuted claims that Johor Umno does not offer opportunities to young people.

“They accuse Umno of lacking inspiration for the youth, yet previously, he (Puad) himself contested at an age well over 60.

“Therefore, it is unfair to say that Johor Umno lacks youth aspirations simply because a specific demand could not be met,” he stated.

Alleged royal interference

Akmal further said that the accusations levelled against the royal institution regarding alleged interference were serious allegations and that Umno Youth would lodge a police report to allow the authorities to investigate.

“The allegations hurled against the royal institution are a very grave matter. We want this investigated, and if the claims are found to be untrue, appropriate action must be taken,” he said.

When announcing his immediate resignation from Umno, Puad claimed that the party was no longer independent in its decision-making because it was being “controlled” by the palace.

“The primary reason I am leaving Umno is that Johor Umno is no longer free to make decisions. Johor Umno is controlled by the palace when making its decisions,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Johor caretaker menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi has denied any alleged interference in the calling of the state election, saying obtaining royal assent is a constitutional procedure.

Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki also claimed on Facebook this morning that Puad was unhappy that BN did not nominate one of his sons to replace him as its candidate for the Rengit seat.

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